Course Description

Galileo, Newton, Maxwell, Einstein, Bohr – five great physicists whose impact went far beyond the impressive advances they brought to science.  We’ll examine their revolutionary contributions in the context of their times, and how they transformed our view of the physical world over the centuries.  Although mathematics is an integral part of science, it will be shown only for occasional illustrative purposes in this course.

Along the way, we’ll explore the birth of the scientific method, the struggle between Galileo and the Church, our everyday Newtonian world and determinism, the importance and impact of Maxwell’s Equations, Einstein’s Special Relativity in some detail, and the strange and uncertain world of quantum physics. 

The course will include substantial presentation content, but with enough time for questions, comments and discussion.  Previous exposure to some science is helpful but not necessary.  Each of the five physicists will be covered in a two-week segment, so it's best to be able to attend both weeks of a given segment. Preparation time is about 1-2 hours/week. 

Computer use is required.   Communication will be by Email, and course material will be sent out and posted on a course website as well. Along with supplementary material on the website there will be links of interest on the Internet to explore.