Notes
First Semester
Second Semester
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Distribute notebooks - will be added to throughout
the course
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First presentation: email all assignments to alpcentauri@gmail.com
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Timeline
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Galileo
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Newton
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Roemer
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Maxwell
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Einstein
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Discussion of the reading assignment - and next assignment
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Some of the videos we will watch (and report on) during
the course
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Kindle ebooks you may want to download (free or very cheap)
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The Mathematics of
Relativity for the Rest of Us, Jagerman - available on Amazon
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Sidelights on Relativity,
Albert Einstien - available on Amazon
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Discussion paper - assigned video
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Two essential considerations along the road to relativity
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Maxwell's equations and the constant velocity of light
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Michaelson - Morley
experiment and the constant velocity of light:
http://custance.atspace.com/time1a.html
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Resulting incompatibility
with Newton's laws (at high velocities)
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Fourth Assignment: Watch part of it now - watch rest
before next class
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Time Dilation on a Tabletop:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/09/ordinary-relativity/
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Discussion of the video:
Leonard Suskind:
Mathematics of Relativity
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Assignment: Vliew video - Einstein - prepare discussion for next class
October 20, 2010 (No
Meeting - Brian on trip)
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Assignment: Vliew video - Einstein - prepare
discussion for next class
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An alternative to the "Rubber Sheet" presentation of curved space
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Questions on Special Relativity - submit next class
October 27, 2010 (No Meeting - Mims conflict)
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Email the answers to questions on reletivity from last class - I will then
post solutions and we will discuss at next meeting
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At next meeting we will also discuss the Einstein video
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Problems to complete for next class
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Discuss the Einstein video
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Assignment for next time:
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View: Theory of Gravity (about 1 1/2 hours long:
http://www.cosmolearning.com/video-lectures/introduction-to-the-theory-of-gravity/
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Explain the twin paradox
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fundamental forces
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Newton's Law of Universal Gravitation
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Equivalence Principle
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Tidal Forces
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Remainder of Suskind video
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Discuss
Notes on Suskind video
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Take home or in class course review quiz given next class - your choice. (In
Class Decision)
Take home or in class course review quiz
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Distribute homework and final - graded
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Distribute new notebooks
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Introduction to the topics - some background
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First assignment: Read tab 9, a and b
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Distribute additional material for course manual
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Discuss: Like fate of cat, quantum debate is still unresolved
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Einstein: Reality exists
even if we cannot observe it
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Bohr: Meaningless to
ascribe reality to anything that is not observable
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Discuss Hawking, A Briefer History of Time, chapter 9 - Quantum Gravity
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Laplace determinism based
on Newton's laws
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Planck's constant:
E = hc/ l
h = 6.3x10-34 m2/kg/s
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Heisenberg's uncretainty
principle
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Occam's Razor
Remove all features of a theory that cannot be observed
Principle which generally recommends selecting the competing hypothesis that
makes the fewest new assumptions, when the hypotheses are equal in other
respects
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Richard Feynman's sum over
histories
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Classical general
relativity breaks down at beginning of the universe
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How does quantum mechanical
overcome this difficulty?
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Abbreviated History of Quantum Mechanics for next time
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PowerPoint presentations -
about 3-4 slides per "Giant"
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Focus on the contributions
of each to quantum mechanics
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First grouping: Brian
Hamilton, Hilbert, Planck, Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg
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Second grouping: Nikita
de Broglie, Schrodinger, Born, Pauli, Dirac, von Neumann
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Purchase the following text: Dreams of A Final Theory, Seven Weinberg, ISBN
978-0-679-74408-5 (about $16)
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Purchase the following text: Dreams of A Final
Theory, Seven Weinberg, ISBN 978-0-679-74408-5 (about $16)
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Abbreviated History of Quantum Mechanics
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PowerPoint presentations -
about 3-4 slides per "Giant" focusing on their contributions to quantum
mechanics. Include pictures etc as appropriate
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Include picture of the
giant and other pictures, diagrams, dates, etc as appropriate.
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Next assignment: Dreams of a Final Theory. Read first three chapters
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Giants of Quantum Mechanics PowerPoint presentations
posted
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Fundamental Forces
that a final theory would have to include
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Particle
physics "machines"
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The Superconducting Super
Collider project
ð Assignment for next meeting: Second Part - Chapters 4 through 8
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Dreams of a Final Theory - discussion of the first
part - the first 3 chapters
No meeting (no classes because of snow) - will discuss the assignment February 11th
ð Dreams of a Final Theory - discussion of the second part, chapters 4 through 8
ð Assignment for next class: Read chapters 9 and 10 (11 not covered), the commentary- questions on each chapter and the Review of the Book
Note: next class will be February 28, no class next week
Episode 1
Meeting Sir Roger Penrose - turning point - singularity
Hawking's insight - apply it to entire space - black holes - perhaps entire
universe came from a black hole.
Note: Lemaitre - original concept of big bang - what did Hawking contribute?
Conflict with Pope (here we go again...) "Do not inquire about the ultimate
beginnings - that is realm of God."
Singularity is a word used to hide our ignorance of what is happening.
Infinite mass - has no meaning.
1970s: attempt to fuse QM and general relativity (physics of small with
physics of large)
Hawking's insight: solve in small region - at edge of a black hole
Why must both theories coexist in a black hole?
What is the importance of the positive mass, negative mass discussion -
concept?
Negative goes in, positive goes out - implications?
What causes the explosion of the black hole according to Hawking?
The fundamental problem: why is gravity so weak relatively, must describe
gravity on a small scale in order to find a complete theory
Episode 2
In the beginning, the 4 forces were melded into a super force
Michael Greene: super symmetry
Upon expansion of the universe the forces split
But why is gravity so weak?
Forces held together by super symmetry
String theory includes gravity and relativity
Jumble of strings cause warping of space (general relativity)
Greene - Schwartz saw (proposed) a solution: strings existing in 11
dimensions. Gravity weakened by having to make its way through other
dimensions - why does this not affect the other forces though?
Large Hadron Collider - purpose? Can black holes be produced?
No boundary condition: no beginning but an ending.
Membranes or branes colliding
No Class - work on final project
No Class- work on final project
Cosmic Questions, Answers Pending
Pre-Bang Branes and Bubbles
In the Dark
Strung Together
Out of the Fabric
Hanging in the Balance
The Elegant Universe: Additional Commentary
Brian Greene Commentary: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/everything.html
Addtional Brian Greene Commentary: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/conversation-with-brian-greene.html
Viewpoints on string theory
: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/elegant/viewpoints.html
Discuss The Elegant Universe
Part 1
Teaching physics to a dog analogy - what was his point (a fundamental issue)?
"Convergence of Ideas" concept mentioned in Dreams of a Final Theory. What is this?
What was Einstein's conflict with Newton? Destruction of sun, instantaneous reaction or delayed?
Does gravity travel at speed of light?
1800's: Unification of E and M. What 2 people did this?
Since gravity and EM have same speed Einstein tried to unify them. Problem was with the relative force of each. Which is much larger?
1905: Special Theory of Relativity
1915: General Theory of Relativity
1920s: New twist - nuclear forces discovered
What is the strong force?
What is the weak force?
EM not sufficient to decribe the situation.
Quantum mechanics to the rescue. But requires probabalistic treatment.
1930s
Research split into 2 camps: General Relativity and Quantum Mechanics
There has never been an experment tha tconflicted with predictions of QM
Flashback to 1916: Schwartchild solutions to general relativity equations leads to black holes.
Within a black hole, both QM and GR must be addressed. Problem.
Part 2
Ripping the fabric of space-time to create a worm hole. What is a worm hole?
Donut to a coffee cup - ok
Configuration that requires a rip - not ok in accordance with Einstein's theory.
But was he wrong on this point.
Appears that strings allow this rip to occur - but require extra dimensions - 10 we at first believed.
1984 - string theory bandwagon but Problem - there were 5 competing string theories with apparently different mathematics.
1995 - Ed Witten to the rescue
required 11 dimensions
Looking at different aspects of the same equation or reality
Now called M theory. What does M stand for - the suggestions?
Movie screen analogy of extra dimensions - realistic?
Can string theory solve problem of weakness of gravity? Branes, membranes
Jelly on bread versus sugar on bread analogy.
The big bang problem. colliding branes
Fancy math but can we test it in the lab
Roger Pemrose analysis of space rings....
Search for super symmetry - what is a sparticle?
Quote by Weinberg
"I would find it hard to imagine that a theory with so much mathematical beauty was entirely wrong".
Last Class - Course Summary
Final Project Presentations