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Lectures

Tuesday / Thursday 2:00 - 2:50 pm (John D. Norton)
104 Lawrence Hall

Recitations

(Register for one.)

Wednesday 11:00-11:50 am, 313 Cathedral of Learning (Kabir Bakshi)

Wednesday 12:00-12:50 pm, 2309 Cathedral of Learning (Kabir Bakshi)

Wednesday 1:00-1:50 pm, 2322 Cathedral of Learning (Kabir Bakshi)

Instructors

John D. Norton, jdnorton@pitt.edu, Room 1109B CL
Office hours: Tuesday, Thursday 3:00 - 3:50 pm immediately after the lecture; or by appointment.

Kabir S.Bakshi, ksb75@pitt.edu Room 1126E, Cathedral of Learning.
Office hours: Monday 1-2pm, Tuesday 11-12pm, Room 1126E, Cathedral of Learning.

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 22, 11:59 pm. A topic preview is due Tuesday, April 2, 5pm.	30%

Short Tests

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, consist of multiple-choice type questions 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 22, 11:59 pm.

Policy on Use of Electronic Devices during Lectures

The lectures are my (Norton's) efforts to speak directly to you about the course material. As a courtesy to me, I ask that you do not "multitask" by websurfing, e-chatting or otherwise using electronic devices during the lectures. This is a firm policy. You have considerable flexibility with the lectures since attendance is not required. If you feel unable to conform with the policy, please do not take this class.

If there are special circumstances that require electronic aids, we will be happy to accommodate you. Please come and speak directly with us.

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.