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Table of Contents
Lessons
Lesson 1
Motion
Motion (along with momentum and energy) is one of the building blocks to our treatment of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.
- You will understand how velocity relates to distance and time.
- You'll become experienced with two of our three “motion diagrams”: Space-Diagrams and Spacetime Diagrams.
- You'll be able to calculate velocities from $v=\frac{\Delta x}{\Delta t};$ accelerations from $a=\frac{\Delta v}{\Delta t};$ and, by limiting ourselves to constant acceleration, you'll learn that the distance traveled under that condition is $x = \frac{1}{2}at^2$.
- Finally, you'll appreciate that the “falling” near the earth is due to a constant acceleration which was found by Galileo Galilei, but not understood until Isaac Newton.
lesson videos (about 130 minutes)
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 1.1 constant velocity | 39 min (covered first day) | 2, January 12 |
| 1.2 units and vectors | 29 min (covered first day) | 2 |
| 1.3 constantly accelerated motion | 16 min (covered first day) | 2 |
| 1.4 Galileo's analysis of falling motion | 30 min | 2 |
| 1.5 projectile motion | 23 min | 2 |
examples
TBA
extras
Lesson 2 Momentum and Force
Momentum! is one of Newton's very important “discoveries” and we'll use it repeatedly. It's $p=mv$…where $m$ is mass (another Newton invention) and $v$ is velocity.
- You'll learn how momentum is related to force as $F\Delta t = \Delta p $
- You'll play with Newton's 3 laws of motion, but we'll not dwell on details of force problems like you would in a comprehensive physics course. Again, we're aiming at Relativity!
- We'll spend most of our time on linear momentum ideas, but we will need to cover circular motion in order to follow Newton's Universal Law of Gravitation.
- You'll learn how to play golf.
lesson videos (about 58 minutes
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 2.1 momentum and impulse | 30 min | 2 |
| 2.2 Newton's laws | 20 min | 2 |
| 2.3 balancing forces | 7.5 min | 2 |
extras
Lesson 3 Collisions
Much of our interest in particle physics comes from analyzing collisions of protons with protons (or antiprotons!), electrons with antielectrons, or neutrinos with protons, and so on. We'll concentrate on just a few configurations of one thing colliding with one thing. Buried in this discussion is the important concept of momentum conservation.
- You'll learn how collisions “conserve” momentum…and about the crucial idea of “conservation laws.” Nature loves conservation laws.
- You'll see neutrinos.
- You'll learn to skate and how to become a neutron star.
lesson videos (about 64 minutes)
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 3.1 momentum conservation | (unintended gap of a few seconds @ 8:55 mark) 13 min | 3, January 17 |
| 3.2 the simplest collision (?) | 13 min | 3 |
| 3.3 our three diagrams | 19 min | 3 |
| 3.4 2 dimensions | 11 min | 3 |
| 3.5 conservation of angular momentum | 8 min | 3 |
extras
Lesson 4 Energy
Motion (along with momentum and energy) is one of the building blocks to our treatment of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity
lesson videos (about 2 hours)
| section/video |
|---|
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 4.1 conservation laws | this includes a 5,000 foot discussion of a very sophisticated idea about symmetry 13 min | 3 |
| 4.2a kinetic energy and work | 18 min | 3 |
| 4.2b units of energy | 10 min | 4, January 19 |
| 4.2c kinetic energy and work | 20 min | 4 |
| 4.2d potential energy | 17 min | 4 |
| 4.3 conservation of energy, heat, & energy analogy as "value" | 24 min | 4 |
| 4.4 classifying collisions and dropping an apple | 14 min | 4 |
extras
Lesson 5 Cosmology 1, the Greeks
Motion (along with momentum and energy) is one of the building blocks to our treatment of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity
lesson videos (about 45 minutes)
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 5.1 what did the ancients know? | 9 min (largely entertainment) | 4 |
| 5.2 the Greek astronomy starting team | 36 min (largely entertainment) | 4 |
extras
Lesson 6 Cosmology 2, Copernicus
Motion (along with momentum and energy) is one of the building blocks to our treatment of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity
lesson videos (about 33 minutes)
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 6.1 Copernicus | 33 min (largely entertainment) | 5, January 24 |
| 6.2 the aftermath (same movie as above) | 29 min | 5 |
Lesson 7 Cosmology 3, Tycho, Kepler, and Galileo
Motion (along with momentum and energy) is one of the building blocks to our treatment of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity
lesson videos (about 94 minutes)
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 7.1 Tycho's astronomy | 17 min | 5 |
| 7.2 Kepler's astrophysics | 14 min | 5 |
| 7.3 Kepler's Laws | 20 min | 5 |
| 7.4 Galileo's astronomy | 43 min | 5 |
Lesson 8 Newton and the Universal Law of Gravitation
Motion (along with momentum and energy) is one of the building blocks to our treatment of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity
lesson videos (about 146 minutes)
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 8.1 getting to gravitation | 30 min | 5 |
| 8.2 the apple | 24 min | 5 |
| 8.3 Universal Gravitation | 19 min | 6, January 26 |
| 8.4 gravitational potential energy | 37 min | 6 |
| 8.5 action at a distance and Newton's cosmology | 35 min | 6 |
| 8.6 consequences of Universal Gravitation | 17 min | 6 |
extras
here
Week X
Lesson X: XXXXX
Motion (along with momentum and energy) is one of the building blocks to our treatment of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity
lesson videos (about XX minutes)
| section/video | approximate viewing time | complete before class number: |
|---|---|---|
| 39 min | 1 | |
| 29 min | 1 | |
| 16 min | 1 | |
| 30 min | 1 | |
| 23 min | 2 |
here
extras
here
