PHYS 200 - Physics for Poets - Spring 2015

Essentials

Instructor: Giovanni Volpe
Time: Monday 13:30-15:30 & Wednesday 15:30-16:30
Room: SAZ-20

Exams and Grading

Short essays / homeworks: 20%
Midterm 1 -- March 23: 20%
Midterm 2 -- April 20: 20%
Final project -- 40%

Course Contents

Week : 1
Scientific theories. Back-of-the-envelop calculations.

Week : 2
Towards a science of mechanics. Newton's laws.

Week : 3
Gravitation. The moon and the apple.

Week : 4
Energy and machines.

Week : 5
Waves.

Week : 6
Relativity. Space and time.

Week : 7
E=mc2 and related subjects.

Week : 8
Does God play dices?

Week : 9
Atoms and Brownian motion.

Week : 10
Quantum physics.

Week : 11
Particles and waves.

Week : 12
Schordinger's cat.

Week : 13
Quantum information.

Week : 14
Fractals and chaos.