Modern Physics (Lectures)
Wolfson, Richard
"It doesn't take an Einstein to understand modern physics," says Professor Richard Wolfson at the outset of this course on what may be the most important subject in the universe.
Relativity and quantum physics touch the very basis of physical reality, altering our commonsense notions of space and time, cause and effect. Both have reputations for complexity. But the basic ideas behind relativity and quantum physics are, in fact, simple and comprehensible by anyone. As Professor Wolfson points out, the essence of relativity can be summed up in a single sentence: The laws of physics are the same for all observers in uniform motion.
The same goes for quantum theory, which is based on the principle that the "stuff " of the universe—matter and energy—is not infinitely divisible but comes in discrete chunks called "quanta."
Profound ... Beautiful ... Relevant
Why should you care about these landmark theories? Because relativity and quantum physics are not only profound and beautiful ideas in their own right, they are also the gateway to understanding many of the latest science stories in the media. These are the stories about time travel, string theory, black holes, space telescopes, particle accelerators, and other cutting-edge developments.
24 Lectures
30 minutes / lecture
1. Time Travel, Tunneling, Tennis, and Tea
2. Heaven and Earth, Place and Motion
3. The Clockwork Universe
4. Let There Be Light!
5. Speed c Relative to What?
6. Earth and the Ether—A Crisis in Physics
7. Einstein to the Rescue
8. Uncommon Sense—Stretching Time
9. Muons and Time-Traveling Twins
10. Escaping Contradiction—Simultaneity Is Relative
11. Faster than Light? Past, Future, and Elsewhere
12. What about E=mc? and Is Everything Relative?
13. A Problem of Gravity
14. Curved Spacetime
15. Black Holes
16. Into the Heart of Matter
17. Enter the Quantum
18. Wave or Particle?
19. Quantum Uncertainty—Farewell to Determinism
20. Particle or Wave?
21. Quantum Weirdness and Schrodinger's Cat
22. The Particle Zoo
23. Cosmic Connections
24. Toward a Theory of Everything