A Whirlwind Tour of Physics

General Info

Subjects covered:

• the great paradigms of physics:
  • mechanics
  • thermodynamics
  • electicity and magnetism
  • quantum mechanics
  • relativity
• home-grown experiments,
• Numbers, units, estimation
• the fields of study today

• Mathematics
  Essential for actually pursuing physics. Math is the language in which physicists think and communicate.
  Physicist 1: sin(x) = 1/x?
  Physicist 2: Well, e^x = 10^-6, soŠ
  (Conversations like this go on all the time between physicists.)

• Problem solving
  The basic method of learning and understanding any of the physics paradigms. Most physics courses do little but this. If you take any physics beyond this, you will be doing lots of these.

  An example: A 10 cm rubber band is stretched to 43.223 cm, inclined at an angle of 32° , and then shot into the air. How high will it go, how far will it travel, will it knock over a half-full cup of coffee when it lands, and what time was it in Moscow when it was released?

We will also be doing a number of simple experiments, most of which you will create yourself with rubber bands, digital watches, or whatever else you can find laying around.

So, that's the plan.