HPS 0410 Einstein for Everyone Spring 2022

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Lectures
Tuesday / Thursday 2:00 - 2:50 pm (John D. Norton)
11 Thaw Hall

Recitations
(Register for one.)
Wednesday 9:00 - 9:50 am, 121 Cathedral of Learning (Brett Park)
Wednesday 10:00 - 10:50 am, 227 Cathedral of Learning (Brett Park)
Wednesday 11:00 - 11:50 am, G16 Cathedral of Learning (Brett Park)
COVID-19 Provisions
For January 10 to 26 inclusive, all lectures and recitations will be held via Zoom. Access the Zoom rooms through Canvas.
We return to in person instruction on Thursday January 27.
Instructors
John D. Norton, jdnorton@pitt.edu, Room 1109B CL, 412-624-5878
Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday 3:00 - 3:50 pm immediately after the lecture; or by appointment.

Brett Park, bnp30@pitt.edu  Room 1126A, Cathedral of Learning.
Office hours: Tuesday 12:50 - 1:50 pm, Wednesday 12 noon - 1pm.
Course website
Course materials will be posted at the course website
https://sites.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/index.html
All assignments and tests will be submitted through Canvas.
Topics
Special relativity: The two postulates and their strange consequences: rods and clocks run amuck. The light barrier. Relativity of simultaneity: the confusion of when and where and the puzzles it solves. Spacetime: time as the fourth dimension. Origins of special relativity: how did Einstein do it?. Puzzles and paradoxes. The most famous equation: E=mc2. The philosophical dividend.
General relativity: Straightening out Euclid. Acceleration provides the clue: gravitation is just spacetime bent. General relativity passes the tests. Applications of general relativity: Goedel universes and the like: could we take a journey into the past? Cosmology: the biggest picture possible; a beginning and end for time? Black holes: when the geometry of spacetime collapses.
Quantum theory: The puzzle of black body radiation: light comes in lumps. The Bohr atom: where electrons jump. The perversity of matter in the small: both particle and wave. The uncertainty principle. The failure of determinism. The puzzle of Schrödinger's cat: neither alive nor dead.
General Education Requirement
This course satisfies the "course in philosophical thinking or ethics" requirement among the General Education Requirements in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences. (Commencing Fall, 2018.)

Assessment
Short tests
There will be 6 short, open-book tests, roughly one each two weeks. (Schedule) The grade is the best 5 of 6.		 35%
Assignments
An assignment is due each week for submission by the start of the recitation. The assignment grade is the best 10 of 13.		 35%
Term paper
The term paper is due Monday, April 25, 11:59 pm. A topic preview is due Tuesday April 5, 5pm.
 30%
Short Test
The short tests will examine material covered roughly in the preceding two weeks. They will be offered in Canvas in the 24 hours after the lecture on Thursday, according to the schedule. The tests are open book, require short answers (usually a sentence or two) and should only require 15-30 minutes of time to complete.
Policy on Missed Tests and Late Assignments
   No make up tests will be offered. Since the test grade is the best 5 of 6, one missed test is automatically forgiven. It is strongly recommended that this one forgiven test be used only when illness or emergencies preclude participation.
   Assignments are due each week at the start of the recitation. Late assignments are not accepted. Since the assignment grade is the best 10 of 13, three missed assignments are automatically forgiven. It is strongly recommended that these forgiven assignments be used only when illness or emergencies preclude participation.
(An exception is made for students who add the course after the start of term. Assignments due prior to the date on which the class was added may be submitted in the week after the course was added)
   For added flexibility, a universal makeup assignment is offered to all students. The makeup assignment is a second term paper conforming to the term paper guidelines, but only 500 words in length, due at the same time as the term paper, Monday, April 25, 11:59 pm.
Texts
The primary text for the class is available on this website as the online text Einstein for Everyone.

Supplementary readings are for background interest:
J. Schwartz and M. McGuinness, Einstein for Beginners. New York: Pantheon.
J. P. McEvoy and O. Zarate, Introducing Stephen Hawking. Totem.
J. P. McEvoy, Introducing Quantum Theory. Totem.

University-wide Policies
https://teaching.pitt.edu/resources/syllabus-checklist/

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

The University of Pittsburgh does not tolerate any form of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation based on disability, race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, genetic information, marital status, familial status, sex, age, sexual orientation, veteran status or gender identity or other factors as stated in the University’s Title IX policy.

Academic Integrity

Students in this course will be expected to comply with the University of Pittsburgh’s Policy on Academic Integrity. Any student suspected of violating this obligation for any reason during the semester will be required to participate in the procedural process, initiated at the instructor level, as outlined in the University Guidelines on Academic Integrity. This may include, but is not limited to, the confiscation of the examination of any individual suspected of violating University Policy. Furthermore, no student may bring any unauthorized materials to an exam, including dictionaries and programmable calculators.

To learn more about Academic Integrity, visit the Academic Integrity Guide for an overview of the topic. For hands- on practice, complete the Understanding and Avoiding Plagiarism tutorial.

Disability Services

If you have a disability for which you are or may be requesting an accommodation, you are encouraged to contact both your instructor and Disability Resources and Services (DRS), 140 William Pitt Union, (412) 648-7890, drsrecep@pitt.edu, (412) 228-5347 for P3 ASL users, as early as possible in the term. DRS will verify your disability and determine reasonable accommodations for this course.