A seminar course for First-Year students. The course will develop the hierarchy of nature in how the tiniest basic constituents, the quarks and leptons, combine to form atoms which are the core of all matter we are familiar with, and future power sources such as atomic and nuclear energy. Will then pursue how this matter we are familiar with further combine to form planets, stars, black holes and galaxies, and discuss the present state of progress of cosmology, where much of the effort of modern Physics and Astronomy research is concentrated. Quantum Mechanics and Einsteins Relativity will be introduced as needed.
The level of discussion will be mostly qualitative and will not require any previous knowledge of physics or advanced math. The course will consist of some weekly readings, a midterm quiz, and final reports at the end of the semester.
Instructor: Charles Baltay
Meeting days/times: Tuesday & Thursday - 2:30p.m. - 3:45pm
Room: WL 216