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FS 1. Freshman Seminar: Cosmic Explosions and Their
Multi-Messenger Signal. 6
units (2-0-4); first term. This seminar will discuss the
physics and astrophysics of explosive astrophysical events
from both a theoretical and observational point of view.
Course meetings will be a mixture of discussions, overview
presentations assembled by the students and presentations by
expert scientists at a generally accessible level.
Instructor: Ott. Instructor's webpage:
http://www.tapir.caltech.edu/~cott/
FS 2. Freshman Seminar: The Origins of Ideas. 6
units (2-0-4); first term. Why do have 60 minutes in an
hour? Why do we use a fork or chopsticks when we eat? Why do
we have music? Why do we have sports? The goal of the class
is to learn how to enjoy ignorance, be curious and try and
discover the origin and the evolutionary processes that led
to the ideas and artifacts that are a part of our life. The
class is collaborative and interactive: You will teach as
much as you will learn – you will learn as much as you will
teach. Most importantly, you will realize the fun in
discovery and the joy of human interaction. Freshmen
only; limited enrollment. Instructor:
Bruck. Instructor's webpage:
http://www.paradise.caltech.edu/bruck.html
FS 3. Freshman Seminar: Cosmic Discovery. 6
units (2-0-4); first term. This seminar will address a
general question: How are new discoveries made in astronomy?
Unlike in most sciences, we cannot study astronomical
objects in a laboratory - all we can do is observe them from
a large distance. Moreover, most of them evolve on
time scales vastly larger than the human lifetime. So
how do we reach a convincing and reliable physical
understanding of cosmic phenomena? What assumptions do
we make in interpreting the astronomical observations?
What is the role of technological advances in opening new
domains for discovery? What are the natural
limitations of our measurements? We will illustrate
the scientific discovery process in astronomy with numerous
historical and recent examples. Freshmen
only; limited enrollment. Instructor:
Djorgovski. Instructor's webpage:
http://www.astro.caltech.edu/~george/
FS/Ph 4. Freshman Seminar: Physics of the Large Hadron
Collider. 6 units (2-0-4); first term. This
course will review the science goals of the Large Hadron
Collider at CERN, along with elementary particle theory and
the new physics that may be discovered at the LHC,
including: the Higgs boson, supersymmetry, particle dark
matter, extra dimensions, mini black holes, etc. We will
study the latest publications from LHC experiments and
examine prospects for discoveries in the years to come.
Freshmen only; limited enrollment. Instructor:
Weinstein.
Instructor's webpage:
http://www.cithep.caltech.edu/~ajw/
FS/Ph 9. Freshman Seminar: The Science of Music.
6 units (2-0-4); first term. The physics of sound,
how musical instruments make it, and how we hear it will be
the focus of readings, discussion, demonstrations, and
students' observations using sound analysis software.
In parallel, we will consider what differentiates music from
other sounds and what is its role physically and culturally.
These studies will begin with reading of Levitin's This
Is Your Brain on Music and Sacks' Musicophilia.
Students will do a project of their choice and design, with
possibilities including a book review, analysis of
recordings or actual musical instruments, or instrument
construction and analysis.
Freshmen only; limited enrollment. Instructor: Politzer.
Instructor's webpage:
http://theory.caltech.edu/~politzer
FS/Ph 13. Freshman Seminar: Time, Love, and Memory.
6 units (2-0-4); first term. We will study the
60-year quest for the genetic origins of behavior. During
the course we will read and discuss an account by a
Pulitzer-Prize-winning author and a selection of key
research papers. The route will take us from bacteria to
fruit flies to humans, to researchers as well as to their
research. Freshmen only; limited enrollment.
Instructor:
Pine. Instructor's webpage:
http://www.its.caltech.edu/~pinelab/new_pinelab_site/pinelab1/index.html
FS/Ph 14. Freshman Seminar: Albatrosses, Beetles and
Cetaceans. 6 units (2-0-4); first term. A
quantitative study of some examples of physics applied to
macrobiota, including flight (the range of the albatross),
surface tension and walking on water (the world of insects),
and acoustics (how whales communicate). In addition to
learning the art of physical estimation, scaling, and the
value of dimensionless numbers, this course offers the
opportunity to appreciate who to apply otherwise abstract
physics to everyday experience. In addition to problem sets,
each student will be expected to research a specific example
and present findings to the rest of the class. Freshmen
only; limited enrollment. Instructor:
Stevenson. Instructor's webpage:
http://www.gps.caltech.edu/people/djs/profile |
