HPS 0410 Einstein for Everyone Spring 2022




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Schedule

Week Lecture Date Recitation Dates Lecture Topic Assignment Due Tests, Papers
1
Tues. Jan. 11
Remote

Introduction: the questions.



Wed. Jan. 12
Remote

0. Warm up exercise
(No submission, not for credit)


Thurs. Jan. 13
Remote

Special Relativity: the Principles.
Special Relativity: Clocks and Rods


2
Tues. Jan. 18
Remote

Special Relativity: Adding Velocities.
Relativity of simultaneity




Wed. Jan. 19
Remote

1. Principle of Relativity



Thurs. Jan. 20
Remote

Is special relativity paradoxical?

3
Tues. Jan. 25
Remote

E=mc2



Wed. Jan. 26
Remote

2. Relativity of Simultaneity

Thurs. Jan. 27
Origins of special relativity
Einstein's Pathway to Special Relativity


4.
Tues. Feb. 1
Spacetime
Spacetime and the Relativity of Simultaneity




Wed. Feb. 2

3. Origins of Special Relativity

Thurs. Feb . 3
Spacetime and the Relativity of Simultaneity
Spacetime, Tachyons, Twins and Clocks

Test available in Canvas Thursday at 3pm for 24 hours.
Be sure to hit SUBMIT QUIZ button on completion.

Fri. Feb. 4


Test 1 due 3:00 pm
What is it on?
grades
5.
Tues. Feb. 8
Skeptical Morals.
Morals About Theory and Evidence.




Wed. Feb. 9

4. Spacetime

Thurs. Feb. 10
Morals About Theory and Evidence.
Morals About Time.


6.
Tues. Feb. 15
 Euclidean Geometry: The First Great Science
Euclid's Fifth Postulate
Non-Euclidean Geometry: A Sample Construction
Non-Euclidean Geometry and Curved Spaces


 


Wed. Feb. 16

5. Philosophical Significance

Thurs. Feb. 17

Spaces of Constant Curvature
Spaces of Variable Curvature


Test available in Canvas Thursday at 3:00pm for 24 hours.

Fri. Feb. 18


Test 2 due 3:00 pm
What is it on?
grades
7.
Tues. Feb. 22

General relativity





Wed. Feb. 23

6. Curvature

Thurs. Feb. 24
General relativity
Gravity Near a Massive Body


8.
Tues. Mar. 1
Gravity Near a Massive Body
Einstein's Pathway to General Relativity




Wed. Mar. 2

7. General Relativity

Thurs. Mar. 3
Relativistic cosmology
Test available in Canvas Thursday at 3:00 pm for 24 hours.

Fri. Mar. 4


Test 3 due 3:00 pm
What is it on?
grades

Tues. Mar. 8; Thurs Mar. 10 Spring recess








9.
Tues. Mar. 15
Relativistic cosmology
Time Travel Universes




Wed. Mar. 16
8. Relativistic Cosmology

Thurs. Mar. 17
Our Universe: What We See

10.
Tues. Mar. 22
Big bang cosmology
 


Wed. Mar. 23

9. Big Bang Cosmology I

Thurs. Mar. 24
Big bang cosmology
Must There Have Been a Big Bang?

Test available in Canvas Thursday at 3:00 pm for 24 hours.

Fri. Mar 25



Test 4 due 3:00 pm
What is it on?
grades
11. Tues. Mar. 29

  Black holes
Reminder: Term paper due soon.




Wed. Mar. 30

10. Big Bang Cosmology II

Thurs. Mar. 31
A Better Picture of Black Holes

12. Tues. Apr. 5
A Better Picture of Black Holes


Tues. Apr. 5


Term paper topic submitted, due 5pm.


Wed. Apr. 6
11. Black Holes

Thurs. Apr. 7
Origins of Quantum Theory
Test available in Canvas Thursday at 3:00 pm for 24 hours.

Fri. Apr. 8


Test 5 due 3:00 pm
What is it on?
grades
13.
Tues. Apr. 12
Origins of Quantum Theory



Wed. Apr. 13
12. Origins of Quantum Theory

Thurs. Apr. 14
Quantum Theory of Waves and Particles

14. Tues. Apr. 19
The Measurement Problem



Wed. Apr. 20

13. Problems of Quantum Theory

Thurs. Apr. 21
Einstein on the Completeness of Quantum Theory
Test available in Canvas Thursday at 3:00 pm for 24 hours.

Fri. Apr. 22


Test 6 due 3:00 pm
What is it on?
grades

Mon. Apr. 25  

Term paper
due11:59pm

Test 1. The material examinable is the content of the chapters: "Special relativity: the Principles," "Special Relativity: Clocks and Rods," "Special relativity: Adding Velocities," "Relativity of Simultaneity," "Is Special Relativity Paradoxical?" "E=mc2," "Origins of Special Relativity," "Einstein's Pathway to Special Relativity"; and the assignments 1, 2 and 3.

Test 2. The material examinable is the content of the chapters: the three "Spacetime" chapters, the three "Morals" chapters and the assignments 4 and 5.The conventionality of simultaneity is excluded from the examinable "morals" sections.

Test 3. The material examinable is the content of the chapters on Non-Euclidean Geometry, especially as summarized in "Spaces of Constant Curvature" and "Spaces of Variable Curvature," the chapters "General Relativity," "Gravity Near a Massive Body," "Einstein's Pathway to General Relativity"; and the assignments 6 and 7. 

Test 4. The material examinable is the content of the chapters: "Relativistic Cosmology," "Time Travel Universes," "Our Universe"; and the assignments 8 and 9.

Test 5. The material examinable is the content of the chapters: "Big Bang Cosmology," "Must there have been a big Bang?", "Black Holes," and "A Better Picture of Black Holes"; and the assignments 10 and 11.

Test 6. The material examinable is the content of the chapters "Origins of Quantum Theory," "Quantum Theory of Waves and Particles," "The Measurement Problem" and the assignments 12 and 13.