Physics 289S
Physics at the Cutting Edge.
(https://www.physics.utoronto.ca/~aephraim/289/)
Course Web Page
Course web page: sign up on Piazza at piazza.com/utoronto.ca/winter2017/phy289; this will be where reading assignments and other announcements are distributed, and throughout the term you will be expected to participate actively in discussions on this web page.
This will also be challenging -- you will attend weekly colloquia by experts in their fields. These speakers are asked to give talks that our graduate students can follow, but usually (at least by the end of the talk) even the professors not in directly related areas can't follow everything!
But this is the reality of life: pretty soon, you will stop being spoon-fed from textbooks, and have to do your best to glean information from what the experts have to say, even if you don't have all the background. This is what all working scientists struggle with, and you have the chance to practice the skill early on! At the same time, this experience should help you learn an equally important skill: that of communicating science to others.
To help you, we will have presentations / question-and-answer sessions (generally with the colloquium speakers) before each seminar; and other guest lectures on complementary topics. You will have weekly assigned readings you should do in preparation for these Q&A sessions and the talks.
| Fraction of Grade | |
|---|---|
| Participation (class + Piazza!) | 15% |
| Weekly short (1-2 pg) reports on colloquia | 35% |
| Test (based on colloquia), approx. 2/3 through term | 25% |
| Individual written report for final project | 10% |
| Final group presentation on final project | 15% |