Dr. Richard
J. Jacob
Professor Emeritus of Physics
Founding Dean of the Emeritus College
COURSES
A Practical Introduction to General Relativity
Fall 2011
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe
Connections,
The Osher Institute and ASU
and the
Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College
at Arizona State
University
Weekly, November 7 - November 28
1:00 – 2:30 PM
Instructor:
Richard J. Jacob, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of
Physics
Arizona
State University
richard.jacob@asu.edu
This course is designed for adults who, while not necessarily trained in the
sciences, have sincere curiosity about the universe in which we live and how,
according to current scientific understanding, it came to be. It is taught at
the university general studies level and has no mathematics or physics
prerequisites beyond that ordinarily required for high school graduation. New
concepts will be carefully introduced.
This is not a course in
“practical” applications of General Relativity (although there are
some that will be discussed), but rather an approach that is practical in the
sense of not requiring advanced mathematics or physics.
Cafe Scientifique:
I will be available in the cafe area of the Tempe Library, right next to the
Tempe Connections room, a half-hour before and as long after the lecture for as
there are those who want to discuss the course material.
Enrichment Reading:
There are countless books written about General Relativity. I have selected
a small number of them with the selection criteria being that they are well
written for the lay person and that their authors have played an important role
in the science they discuss. The links are to the Amazon web site; other quality
book sellers will also have these in stock and I suggest that one search around
for the best prices.
The
Riddle of Gravitation
Peter G. Bergmann
Written by a colleague of Einstein’s, this book for the lay public is
one of the clearest introductions to the basic principles of General
Relativity.
Was
Einstein Right?
Clifford M. Will
Clifford Will is one of the founders of experimental General Relativity. In
this book, clearly written for laymen, he examines the experimental tests of
GR.
Black
Holes and Time Warps
Kip S. Thorne
Bestselling book by one of the top experts in the field of GR and
Cosmology, this is a long but engrossing read, suitable for all audiences.
A
Journey into Gravity and Spacetime
John Archibald Wheeler
John Wheeler was a
pioneer in General Relativity whose textbooks have been favorites
of students for decades. This book is written engagingly for the lay person
Exploring
Black Holes (2005)
Edwin F. Taylor and John A. Wheeler
John Wheeler teamed up with highly regarded physics educator and textbook
author, Edwin Taylor, to make some of the most complex general relativistic
concepts accessible with minimal mathematics.
Gravity
from the Ground Up (1997)
Bernard Schutz
This is a marvelous book covering the history and science of gravity from
Galileo to the Big Bang. Full of illustrations and anecdotes, it also
doesn’t stint on the math when necessary. For readers at all levels (skip
the parts that are too mathy for you.)
Introduction
to Cosmology
Barbara Ryden
Ryden's excellent new textbook for undergraduate
physics and astrophysics majors is within reach of anyone with a background in
calculus and introductory college level physics. Here is where you can find the
equations that make the Big Bang go bang.
Gravity
James B. Hartle
For upper division and
graduate physic students, this book is even useful for engineers and others
with only a calculus background, because it discusses most of the key elements
of GR and Cosmology before getting involved with higher math. This is the
textbook I would use in a senior level GR course.
MODERN COSMOLOGY
Spring 2011
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe
Connections,
The Osher Institute and ASU
and the
Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College
at Arizona State
University
Weekly, January 31 - February 28 (except Feb. 21)
1:00 – 2:30 PM
Instructor:
Richard J. Jacob, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of
Physics
Arizona
State University
richard.jacob@asu.edu
This course is designed for adults who, while not necessarily trained in the
sciences, have sincere curiosity about the universe in which we live and how,
according to current scientific understanding, it came to be. It is taught at
the university general studies level and has no mathematics or physics
prerequisites beyond that ordinarily required for high school graduation. New
concepts will be carefully introduced.
The eleven lectures of which
the course consists should bring to the student a good comprehension of
contemporary scientific progress in understanding cosmology, that is, the
nature and origin of the universe. It will set the observational and
theoretical stage for the "standard model" of cosmology, i.e.,
the "Big Bang."
Cafe Scientifique:
I will be available in the cafe area of the Tempe Library, right next to the
Tempe Connections room, a half-hour before and as long after the lecture for as
there are those who want to discuss the course material.
Enrichment Reading:
There are numerous books written about the Big Bang and modern cosmology. I
have selected a small number of them with athe
selection criteria being that they are well written for the lay person and that
their authors have played an important role in the science they discuss. The
links are to the Amazon web site; other quality book sellers will also have
these in stock and I suggest that one search around for the best prices.
21st
Century Astronomy (2nd Edition, 2006)
Jeff Hester*, David Burstein* (dec.), George Blumenthal, Ronald Greeley*, Bradford Smith,
Howard Voss* (dec.), Gary Wegner
Four (*) of this excellent new text's seven coauthors are or were on the Arizona
State University
faculty. Jeff Hester, the principal author is well known for his recent Hubble
telescope photograph of the Eagle Nebula, a birthplace of stars. The book is up-to-date
on astronomy and has well written and illustrated chapters on cosmology. It
comes with an instructional CD rom.
The
First Three Minutes (updated edition, 1993)
Steven Weinberg
This classic by Nobel Prize laureate Steven Weinberg should be everyone's
starting point. Written, as the author says, "for a smart old attorney who
doesn't understand my language, but who expects nonetheless to hear some
convincing arguments before he makes up his mind," it is as correct as it
can be considering its age. However, all developments after the publication of
the "updated edition" (the original was published in 1977) fit in
well inasmuch as Weinberg takes a careful "we'll wait and see"
approach to unsettled issues.
The
Elegant Universe (2000)
Brian Greene
A best seller and actually read, Greene's description of the universe as
seen through the eyes of a string theorist has been most people's introduction
to string theory. Is the universe 10-dimensional?
The
Fabric of the Cosmos (2005)
Brian Greene
In his second volume, Greene introduces "branes"
(short for membranes), a recent and important generalization to string theory.
The structure and evolution of the universe (and possible other universes) is
always at the forefront of his narrative.
The
Inflationary Universe (1997)
Alan Guth
Devised to correct a serious problem in the Big Bang theory,
"inflation" during the first very small fraction of a second of the
universe's existence was proposed by Guth and is now
an essential feature of most Big Bang models. The book is outdated by
subsequent developments, but the idea is still robust and this is a good place
to start.
Warped
Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions
(2006)
Lisa Randall
Lisa Randall's award-winning book for the general reader takes us into the
extra dimensions that string theorists propose and explains how we might be
able to detect them experimentally in the very near future. Highlighted by the
pioneering work of hers and Raman Sundram's, the book
goes beyond string theory into a multi-universe multi-dimensional structure of branes, all of which may be closer and more observable than
we think.
Introduction
to Cosmology (2003)
Barbara Ryden
The only technical book on
this list, Ryden's excellent new textbook for
undergraduate physics and astrophysics majors is within reach of anyone with a
background in calculus and introductory college level physics. Here is where
you can find the equations that make the Big Bang go bang.
The
4% Universe (2011)
Richard Panek
A gossipy
narration of the work in obtaining important data from observing supernovae at
several billions of light years distance. It’s short on the actual
science but long on the adventure of precision scientific work. Panek chronicles the competition of two groups of astronomers
and physicists who compete to be the first and best at establishing some of the
basic parameters of the universe, leading to an appreciation of the roles
played by dark matter and dark energy.
Special Relativity - Case Closed
Fall 2010
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe
Connections
The Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College
at Arizona State
University
and
The
OSHER Program for Lifelong Learning at ASU
November 1, 8, 15, 29
Tempe
Public Library
1:00 - 2:30 PM
The wierd, non intuitive phenomena of Special Relativity easily
invite skepticism from those who do not understand it. As a scientific
discipline, Special Relativity is held to the same criteria of observable
substantiation as all of science. In this course, it will be demonstrated how
Special Relativity has fulfilled this requirement to a higher degree than any
other scientific law or theory. In the process of doing this, it will display
and discuss all those fun unimaginable characteristics of Special Relativity
that attract curious attention to it. General Relativity may be covered, but
only superficially, in the final lecture if time allows.
Lecture Schedule: Individual
lectures will not be identified by topic. the course
will develop organically from an introduction to relativity in general and then
Special Relativity. The logical and physical basis of SR will be developed and
the remainder of the course will examine it experimental substantiation.
Cafe Scientifique:
.
The instructor will be available in the cafe area of
the Tempe Library, right next to the Tempe Connections room, for as long after
the lecture as there are those present who want to discuss the course material.
Enrichment Reading:
.
The following books for the lay
public discuss Special Relativity at various levels of complexity. The links
are to the Amazon web site; other quality book sellers may also have these in
stock. (List of books and comments to be added.) It
must be pointed out that, Special Relativity having so quickly and thoroughly
been accepted as correct fundamental physics, new books on relativity
concentrate much more on the General Theory and give SR only passing notice.
However, any good undergraduate introductory physics text or upper division
mechanics text will provide an adequate introduction. The full use of
space-time coordinates, Lorentz transformations and invariants is usually left
to graduate level physics texts.
A. Einstein, Relativity,
(2005 Edition), Pi Press
Start from the best source. Einstien
himself. This superb edition has an introduction by Roger Penrose. Only
Section I, on Special Relativity, is of relevance to this course.
A. Einstein, The Meaning of Relativity, (2004 Edition), Princeton
University Press.
Much more mathematical lectures
delivered by Einstein at Princeton in 1921. Chapter 1 covers Special
Relativity. One can profitably "read past" the mathematics.
H. Bondi,
Relativity
and Common Sense, Dover (1980)
The late Hermann Bondi, a highly regarded cosmologist, wrote one of the
clearest expositions of Special Relativity for the lay person, including
qualitative discussions of relativistic phenomena that are used in textbooks
today.
Martin Gardner, Relativity
for the Million, Pocket Books (1965)
Long time Scientific American
columnist gives a superb, if somewhat dated,
exposition of Special Relativity for the lay person.
George Gamow,
Mr.
Tomkins in Paperback, Cambridge University Press
(1993)
Everyone should read George Gamow's whimsical adventures of Mr. Tomkins
in all sorts of modernphysics fixes. Only Chapter 1
deals with Special Relativity, but the entire book is a must.
A. P. French, Special
Relativity, CRC Press (1966)
Skilled author, Tony French of MIT,
wrote this calculus-based sophomore level textbook for physics majors. It is
still one of the best around.
Edwin F. Taylor and John Archibald
Wheeler, Spacetime Physics, W.H. Freeman (1992)
If you like to learn by doing, and
find fun in the process, I've saved the best for last. Get this book! And then,
even though it's about general relativity, get Exploring
Black Holes by the same authors.
Instructor:
Richard J. Jacob, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of
Physics
Arizona State University
richard.jacob@asu.edu
Symmetries in Modern Physics
Spring
2010
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe Connections
The Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College at Arizona State University
and
The
OSHER Program for Lifelong Learning at ASU
Weekly, February 22 - March 15
1:00 - 2:30 PM
Tempe
Public Library
From crystals to elementary particle families to space and
time transformations, the symmetries of modern physics provide both aesthetic
delights and scientific wonder. This course is taught at the university general
studies level and has no mathematics or physics prerequisites beyond that
ordinarily required for high school graduation. New concepts will be carefully
introduced.
Lecture Schedule:
Lecture 1: What
are Symmetries?
.
Lecture 2: Symmetry
Transformations
.
Lecture 3: Symmetries
in Space and Time (I)
.
Lecture 4: Symmetries
in Space and Time (II)
.
Lecture 5: Symmetries in Quantum Physics
.
Lecture 6: Space Inversion, Time Reversal and Particle
Conjugation
.
Lecture 7: Symmetries in Strange Spaces
.
Lecture 8: Strange Symmetries in Strange Spaces
.
Cafe Scientifique:
.
The instructor will be available in
the cafe area of the Tempe Library, right next to the Tempe Connections room,
for as long after the lecture as there are those present who want to discuss
the course material.
.
Enrichment Reading:
.
The following books for the lay public discuss
symmetry in nature at various levels of complexity. The links are to the Amazon
web site; other quality book sellers may also have these in stock. (List of books and comments to be added.)
A. Zee, Fearful
Symmetry, (2007 Edition), Princeton, 2007
This excellent review of symmetries
in modern physics for the lay person could serve as the textbook for this
course.
Hermann Weyl,
Symmetry,
Princeton, 1952
The classic
monograph for the lay public by one of the original researchers in the
importance of symmetry in physics.
Leon M. Lederman
and Christopher T.Hill, Symmetry
and the Beautiful Universe, Prometheus Books, 2008
Leon Lederman
is one of the Twentieth Century's most renoened
particle physicists. This book covers much the same material as Zee's.
Ian Stewart, Why
Beauty is Truth, Basic Books, 2007
Mathematician Stewart ruminates
over symmetries ina more
philosophical, but enlightening, manner.
Instructor:
Richard J. Jacob, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of
Physics
Arizona State University
richard.jacob@asu.edu
THE Nitty and the Gritty:
Elementary Particles
Fall 2009
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe Connections
The Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College at Arizona State University
and
The OSHER Program for Lifelong Learning at ASU
Weekly, November 2 - November 23
1:00 - 2:30 PM
.
This course is designed for adults
who, while not necessarily trained in the sciences, have sincere curiosity
about the fundamental nature of matter in our universe. It is taught at the
university general studies level and has no mathematics or physics
prerequisites beyond that ordinarily required for high school graduation. New
concepts will be carefully introduced.
Lecture Schedule: Part I
Lecture 1: The
Basic Constituents of Matter
.
Lecture 2: The
Electron
.
Lecture 3: The
Hadrons and the Strong Nuclear Force
.
Lecture 4: Neutrinos
and the Weak Force
.
Lecture 5: Strange
and Stranger Particles
.
Lecture 6: The
Discovery of Quarks
.
Lecture 7: Field
Theories, String Theory, Supersymmetry and the Higgs
.
Lecture 8: The
LHC: What can it tell us?
.
Cafe Scientifique:
.
The instructor will be available in
the cafe area of the Tempe Library, right next to the Tempe Connections room,
for as long after the lecture as there are those present who want to discuss
the course material.
.
Enrichment Reading:
.
There are numerous popular books
written about elementary particles. I have selected a small number of
trustworthy books with the additiional selection
criterion that they are well written for the lay person. The links are to the
Amazon web site; other quality book sellers may also have these in stock.
.
The
Discovery of Subatomic Particles
Steven Weinberg
.
Reviews the
history of the discovery primarily of the electron, proton and neutron.
.
Inward
Bound: of Matter and Forces in the Physical World
Abraham Pais
.
Much more deatiled
than the Weinberg book, this continues the discussion into the discovery of
mesons and strange particles.
The
Second Creation
Robert P. Crease
From the
beginning to the quark age.
The
Particle Odyssey: a Journey to the Heart of Matter
Frank Close, Michael Martin
and Christine Sutton
Basically a
coffee table book, but with excellent pictures and discussion.
.
.
THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF QUANTUM PHYSICS - Part I
Fall 2008
Presented as a Cooperative Program by
Tempe Connections
The Center for Continued Learning
of the
Emeritus College at Arizona State University
and
The OSHER Program for Lifelong Learning at ASU
Weekly, September 15 - October 7
1:00 - 2:30 PM
.
.
Instructor:
Richard J. Jacob, Ph.D.,
Professor Emeritus of
Physics
Arizona State University
richard.jacob@asu.edu
.
This course is designed for adults
who, while not necessarily trained in the sciences, have sincere curiosity
about the universe in which we live and the physical laws which govern it. It
is taught at the university general studies level and has no mathematics or
physics prerequisites beyond that ordinarily required for high school
graduation. New concepts will be carefully introduced.
.
The course surveys the origins,
primary concepts and principle technological advancements of quantum phsyics. Part II will review the advancements in quantum
physics through the latter half Twentieth Century and going into the
Twenty-first.
Lecture Schedule: Part I
Lecture 1: Problems
with Classical Physics
Lecture 2: Early
Quantum Theories
Lecture 3: Wave-Particle Duality
Lecture 4: Quantum States and the Uncertainty Principle
Lecture 5: Wave Functions and Probabilities
Lecture 6: Spin and the Pauli Exclusion Principle
Lecture 7: Quantum Tunneling and Other Weird Happenings
THE FIRST 100 YEARS OF
QUANTUM PHYSICS - Part I
Spring
2009
February 9, 23, March 2, 9
1:00 - 2:30 PM
Lecture Schedule: Part II (Each class
session will consist of two lectures.)
Lecture 8: Review
of Part I
Lecture 9: The
Quantum Physics of Electrical Conductors
Lecture
10: Bose-Einstein Condensates
Lecture 11: Relativistic
Quantum Electrodynamics
Lecture 12: The EPR Criticism
Lecture 13: Bell's Theorems and Experimental Validation of Quantum Theory
Lecture 14: Schrödinger's Cat
Lecture 15: Quantum Computing
Cafe Scientifique:
The instructor will be available in the cafe area of the Tempe Library,
right next to the Tempe Connections room, for as long after the lecture as
there are those present who want to discuss the course material.
Enrichment Reading:
There are numerous popular books written about the quantum physics. Many are
misleading or jsut plain wrong. I have selected a
small number of trustworthy books with the additiional
selection criterion that they are well written for the lay person. The links
are to the Amazon web site; other quality book sellers will also have these in
stock and I suggest that one search around for the best prices.
The New Quantum Universe
Tony Hey and Patrick Walters
A good,
colorfully illustrated, survey with high concentration on technology. It
can serve as a text or guide for this course.
The
Quantum World
Kenneth Ford
Focusses on subatomic matter.
Basic concepts are left to the final chapters.
The
Cosmic Code - Quantum Physics as the Language of Nature
Heinz R. Pagels
One of the best books on
modern physics written by a highly prolific physicist who met an untimely death
while mountain climbing.
QED
- The Strange Theory of Light and Matter
Richard P. Feynman
Everyone has heard of Richard
Feynman. This brief book concentrates on photon-electron interactions, but is
full of insight and delightful comments.
The
Quantum Challenge (2nd Edition)
George Greenstein and Arthur G. Zajonc
Somewhat expensive, this
book is well worth the money. It brings the reader up-to-date on contemporary
quantum physics research, focussing especially on
entangled states and quantum interference and non-locality. Main
relevance to Part II of this course.
Return to R. Jacob's Home Page.