While many of the research programs at the frontiers of physics might at first seem inaccessible or counter-intuitive, they are underscored by basic ideas that are familiar from classical physics: forces, conservation of mass and energy, etc. Using these ideas as a spring-board, and developing the ideas of modern physics such as quantum mechanics, general relativity, and nuclear interactions, "Physics of the 21st Century" will take learners to the next level. This new course, produced by the Science Media Group at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and funded by Annenberg Media, will open the doors to an exciting world of ideas, to help bridge the gap between what is being taught in high school and college and what is exciting physics researchers.
"Physics of the 21st Century" is a self-contained distance-learning course distributed free of charge on the web. The course is designed by Harvard Professor of Astronomy and Physics, Christopher Stubbs, with units developed by a distinguished group of physicists from Harvard and other top universities and research centers. The syllabus of the course is divided into 11 units, grouped into three broad areas:The course is designed for adult learners, including high school teachers, undergraduates, and the interested public–college graduates who were non-science majors. For teachers, the course will look at advances in physics that have occurred since they took their college physics classes. For adult learners it will help them appreciate cutting edge advances in physics research and their potential impact on everyday life. We would like the course to translate and make accessible to interested adults the most important unanswered questions that are being investigated in that area of contemporary physics.
The course will have a full website, which will be based in large part on the model developed in The Habitable Planet, an online environmental science course also produced by the Science Media Group http://www.learner.org/channel/courses/envsci/index.html. All components will be accessible free of charge on the Annenberg Media Web site www.learner.org.
The on-line textbook will follow the content outlined above for each unit. The level of writing is for the undergraduate, non-science, non-mathematically inclined major and will be roughly comparable to the level of complexity found in Scientific American and similar popular publications for the non-scientist.
Each unit of the course will include a half-hour video designed to give a human face to current physics research. These videos will take viewers on a virtual journey to the laboratories, observatories, and facilities where cutting edge physics is being explored. The videos will serve to motivate and encourage learners to read and assimilate the content contained in the unit.
Three interactive modules will advance the learning goals of the course by providing a virtual hands-on component that gives learners the opportunity to assess and extend learning. When complete, each module will have a key interactive simulation of some physical interaction from nature. Learners will be challenged to manipulate parameters that affect the simulation, then observe the effects. A series of exercises and study questions will be provided to guide the learning process.
A short guide on how to use the course will be developed. The guide will provide an overview of the course, provide a suggested plan for each unit, and will contain discussion questions and suggested readings.