This Week in Modern Physics
Relativity by M.C. Escher (1953)
General Relativity Classwork
We're currently studying Einstein's theory of General Relativity, which explains how gravity and acceleration have the same effect on space-time. Click the link above for a copy of the classwork handout.
Paper Topic (due Monday, 2011-04-25)
Each student must turn in a unique topic, stating and defining the concept using a single sentence. Click the link above for more details about the Student Paper (including subsequent milestones and due dates).
General Relativity Test (Monday, 2011-05-09)
Bring a pencil, some scratch paper, and a calculator (optional) to class on Monday. Click the link above for the list of test topics.
Paper Sources (due Monday, 2011-05-09)
Each student must turn in a unique topic, stating and defining the concept using a single sentence. Click the link above for more details about the Student Paper (including subsequent milestones and due dates).
Online Resources
The web can help you pass Modern Physics! The Online Resources page contains all of my lecture notes, plus a bunch of web sites demonstrating concepts (often via engaging animations). Check it out!
What is Modern Physics?
Have you ever wondered why Einstein was considered such a brilliant thinker? Why nothing can exceed the speed of light? What physicists mean by a single “theory of everything”? Are you curious about the nature of reality, our experience of it, and how each affects the other? This seminar will examine the absolutely crazy and counterintuitive behavior of both the very big and the very small.
The extremely useful concepts studied in Physics constitute the foundation of what is known as Classical Physics, itself the foundation for nearly all of the technological achievements made during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. These laws governing Newton’s “clockwork universe” were all well understood and accepted as dogma by scientists and engineers at the start of the twentieth century, but then Einstein and others came along and turned physics on its head. Modern Physics is their legacy, a collection of theories that challenge some of our most fundamental assumptions about the world we live in.
The great classical (and pre-classical) physicists referred to their study as Natural Philosophy. It wasn’t until Galileo, the father of the scientific method, that it became well-grounded through careful experimentation. Modern Physicists often conduct “thought experiments” and use abstract mathematical models to explain the behavior of objects and situations that exist so far from our everyday experience that human intuition typically fails miserably. In a sense, their methods and results restore the philosophical nature that characterized the inquiry of Aristotle. Thus, I subtitle this course “Philosophy of the Natural World.”
Course Organization and Schedule
Class time will be divided between interactive discussions, video and audio recordings, computer simulations, and group problem solving. There will be very few homework assignments. Group problem solving during the final 30 minutes or so of each class will take the place normally occupied by homework. Each group will turn in the results of their problem solving, and then one group will present their results. Tests will be relatively easy, as compared to the problems tackled in our group work.
During the fourth quarter, students will individually study a modern physics topic of interest, and turn in a short paper covering the topic. More details will be provided later.
As class participation will constitute the largest component of a student’s grade, all members of the class are expected to actively engage in our discussions. Despite the length of the eighth period and the fact that it comes at the end of the school day, all students will demonstrate investment in the class every day for the entire period.
Class Policies
- Each student will maintain a single Modern Physics Binder containing all handouts, lecture/discussion notes, group work, tests and other course materials. These materials will be filed in chronological order within the binder.
- Students must bring their Modern Physics Binder, pencil, and blank paper to class every single day.
- A student who is absent must take the responsibility for mastering the material covered in class that day. Check with a classmate to find out what went on while you were absent, and plan to spend an extra 3 hours of your own time studying the material covered on each day you miss.
- I am available for help during study periods and lunch, but only if you make an appointment first. If you have a question, you may also email it to me at CSchneider@BitneyPrep.net or call me at 470-0134.
How Grades are Computed
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Assignment Categories |
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Letter Grades |
| Participation |
40% |
A: 90% and above
B: 80% and above
C: 70% and above
D: 65% and above
F: below 65% |
| Group Class Work |
15% |
| Unit Tests |
20% |
| Student Papers |
20% |
| Study Hall |
5% |
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