Splash Biography

Physics. The word can sometimes spark an unpleasant reaction. Fear? Boredom? Indifference? Running-for-your-life? Through interactive activities, you will learn that physics is not all about equations and symbols. In this class, we will be working with paper airplanes: before we learn anything, we will make a first batch of planes and observe their flight behaviors. We will then learn the basic theories of aerodynamics and their application for paper airplanes, and build new models using this knowledge and observe the improvements. Through making and modeling things that fly, and things that fly waaaay better, we will get see how physics ‘works’ in real life.

Natural selection is one of the principal mechanisms of evolution. It is a powerful explanation of why different species are the way they are. We will discuss some of the more prominent examples of natural selection, and also cases where natural selection fails to tell the complete story. This course uses delicious Starburst candies to help introduce the ideas of natural selection and how it affects populations.

This class introduces the basic principles of Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity. We discuss phenomena such as time dilation, length contraction, and some of the apparent paradoxes that result. We will destroy the common notions of absolute space and absolute time. If there's enough time, we'll understand Einstein's famous equation, $$e = mc^2.$$