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GEOLOGY 130 THE NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY SPRING 2018 SAMMIS
Monday and Wednesday 2:00 – 3:20 in SAL 101
The course considers the nature of scientific inquiry in comparison to other “world views” and the relationship of science to other aspects of human knowledge. We will explore how science is done, how new scientific paradigms (broad scientific hypotheses) are developed and older paradigms discarded or changed, and the limitations of science. We will then examine a history of what scientists believed our universe looks like and how it operates. Examples of scientific ideas and paradigm shifts will come from the realm of physical science (astronomy, physics, and chemistry) with modest use of mathematics. By the end of the semester we hope that all students acquire a more 'modern' scientific view of the natural world around us, a better understanding of what we know and don't know, and develop a more questioning attitude with regards to the process of learning about our universe.
Required Texts :
Gamow, G., and R. Stannard, the New World of Mr. Tompkins, Cambridge University Press.
Gleick, J., Chaos Making a New Science, Penguin Books.
Gribbin, J., In Search of Schrodinger's Cat, Bantam Press.
Hawking, S., A Brief History of Time (tenth anniversary edition), Bantam Press.
Wolpert, L., The Unnatural Nature of Science, Harvard University Press, 1992.
3 Midterms :Feb 7, March 7, and April 16 .
Final : Tuesday Feb 8 -- 10 am (as per University schedule)
In-Class Quizzes
Lab Breakdown : 12 Exercises = 120 pts. (10 pts. each)
10 Quizzes = 100 pts. (10 pts. each)
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220 pts. total possible
Course Breakdown : Lab = 220 pts.
Midterm I = 100 pts.
Midterm II = 100 pts.
Midterm III = 100 pts
In-Class Quizzes = 30
Final = 300 pts.
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MAXIMUM ACHIEVABLE SCORE = 850 pts.
Grading on a curve
Guarantees:90%-100% = A
80% - 90% = B
70% - 80% = C
60% - 70% = D
Professor: Charles G. Sammis ZHS 107, 740 – 5836,
Office Hours directly following class on Monday and Wednesday or by appointment.
Students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate documentation is filed. Please be sure the letter is delivered to me (or to your TA) as early in the semester as possible. DSP is open MondayFriday, 8:305:00. The office is in STU 301 and the phone number is (213) 7400776.
THE NATURE OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
GEOLOGY 130 SPRING 2014SAMMIS
DATE SUBJECT LABORATORY READINGS
Jan. 8Course Introduction NO LABWolpert
What is Science, THIS WEEKChs. 1-8
What isn’t Science?
Jan. 10Greek Science
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Jan. 17Earth’s Place in Solar System Laboratory OrientationHawking
Ch. 1
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Jan. 22The Nature of MotionAncient GreekHawking Understanding of Motion Ch. 2
Jan. 24 Newton’s Laws of Motion
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Jan. 29Sun’s Place in the Cosmos Galileo’s Ramp
Experiments
Jan. 31The Nature of Light
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Feb. 5Review for Midterm I Motion ofGamow Ch. 1 the Planets
Feb. 7MIDTERM I
Earth’s Place in Space
The Nature of Motion
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Feb. 12The Speed of LightThe Nature of LightGamow Ch 2 -4
Special Relativity
Feb. 14Special Relativity II
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Feb. 21General RelativityInverse Square Law
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Feb. 26Life and Death of StarsDistance LabHawking Ch. 6
Black HolesGamow Ch. 7
Feb. 28The Arrow of Time
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March 5Review for MIIAtomic Spectra
March 7MIDTERM II
The Nature of Time and Space
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March 12SPRING BREAKNO LABS
THIS WEEK
March 14SPRING BREAK
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March 19Evidence of AtomsTBAGribben Ch. 2, 3
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March 21Discovery of the Electron
March 26Discovery of the NucleusLorentz TubeGribben Ch. 4
March 28Interaction of Light with Matter
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April 2Wave-Particle DualityBohr Atom andGribben Ch. 5
Matter Waves.The Periodic Table
April 4Stable Atomic Orbitals Explained Gamow, Ch. 7,8,9,10,5
Pauli Exclusion PrincipleHawking, Ch.4 and 7
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April 9Quantum MechanicsDouble Slit Experiment
Tunneling and Uncertainty
April 11Review for MIII
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April 16MIDTERM IIITBAGleick, Ch.1 - 11
The nature of matter
April 18Non-Linear Physics
Chaos
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April 23Non-linear Physics IIChaos
April 25Fractal Geometry
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April 28Fractals in Nature
April 30Course Summary