Official description

Have you wondered about the origin and workings of the natural world around us? Have you found physical science interesting but inaccessible because it was too full of math and jargon? Have you felt a pull to become more science-literate? If so, this seminar course is for you -- or for anyone interested in understanding more about the universe, including our planet, seen through the lens of modern physics. Ideas on the menu will include: particle physics, space and time, relativity, black holes, quantum physics, unification forces, string theory, and big bang cosmology. The intriguing story of these integrated phenomena unfolds over a wide distance and a long time.  Students from diverse academic backgrounds are warmly welcome.  Restricted to first-year students.  Not eligible for CR/NCR option.

Additional information

The course will pay special attention to the Second Quantum Revolution, which grows out of the discovery that modern physics fundamentally changes the way we must think about information: the information required to describe the state of our universe, as well as the ways in which physical devices can store and process information. We will mention applications to quantum computing, cryptography, and sensing, but the focus will be on the evolving understanding of the underlying laws that govern our world.