Quantum Physics: The Quiet Revolution

Description

Around the turn of the 20th century, a small number of European scientists were exploring a variety of seemingly unrelated phenomena. A German scientist was playing with electricity, another was studying the colors of hot objects, and a British group of scientists was probing the inner structure of atoms. These experiments were assumed to be unrelated to each other. In fact, they were clues, hiding in plain sight, of a new domain of nature that led to what we now call modern, or quantum, physics.

In a straightforward, non-mathematical way, this course will provide a basic understanding of quantum physics, which has helped explain various phenomena, such as the patterns of snowflakes, as well as the development of lasers and the atomic bomb. We'll explore the wave-particle duality in the atomic world and discuss the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle.

Scholarship

Apply for a needs-based scholarship to take this offering.