Splash Biography

At velocities near the speed of light, physics takes a noticeably bizarre twist: from our perspective, fast-moving objects seem to warp, time slows down, and events that were once simultaneous may happen at different times. In 1905, Einstein showed that all of this must follow if we believe that the laws of physics are the same for all observers. Starting with this simple assumption and a little geometry, we will follow in Einstein's footsteps and examine just exactly how his theory of special relativity works. More importantly, we will explain why relativity has a bearing on everyday science and technology far slower than the speed of light and changes our intuitive notion of space and time.

Physicists were some of the first individuals to solve important problems in biology. Using some of the tools from physics, we will examine how physicists answer questions in biology. What can physics tell us about how genes work? Why does DNA fold? How do physicists model proteins, and how do molecules move inside a cell?

Sometimes, if you're doing it the hard way, you're doing it wrong. In math, oftentimes we can get away with very few equations and calculations, if any at all. Instead, we can rely on another powerful tool at our disposal: storytelling. We will examine how we can do some serious math simply by interpreting what the math means.

You've all heard of Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Galileo Galilei, but what about Rosalind Franklin, Marie Curie, and Ada Bryon? Only 43/863 Nobel Laureates have been women, but they have been rockstars! In this class, we'll talk about the "divas" of science and their amazing discoveries such as the structure of DNA, radioactivity, and the world's first computer programs.

As Einstein posited at the turn of the last century, if we accept that the speed of light is the universal "speed limit" and that the laws of physics are the same to all inertial observers, then a simple thought experiment reveals stunning inconsistencies in the foundations of Newtonian physics. Starting with nothing but two simple postulates, we will derive and explain some of the fundamental results of special relativity.

Instead of working with Newton's laws directly, a more advanced grounding of mechanics recasts Newton's laws in an equivalent but much more powerful form. Collectively, the so-called Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms provide the theoretical grounding for much of physics as we know it today. We will derive the so-called Lagrange and Hamilton equations and explain some of their implications on thermodynamics and quantum mechanics.