Great Ideas of Classical Physics
What are the great ideas of classical physics? They are the conceptual tools that allow us to make sense of the world. They include discoveries, theories, insights, methods, and philosophical points of view. You will explore many of these breakthrough ideas, for example:
Experiment: It may seem obvious that if you want to understand something, you should experiment on it and not just think about it. But this idea did not catch on until Galileo performed a series of revolutionary investigations of motion in the early 1600s.
Use standards: One of the secrets of Galileo's success was that he used standard procedures, units, and techniques of analysis to compare his results. This approach led him to conclusions, like his principle of inertia, that no else had ever imagined.
Simplify: Another powerful insight of Galileo's was to start with simple cases and add complexity later. All physicists do this. In fact, they have a joke about it: A physicist is hired to advise a dairy farmer and says, "First, assume a spherical cow"!
Recognize the fundamental nature of obvious things: The common observation that hot objects cool down and cold ones warm up became the basis for the second law of thermodynamics, proposed by the French engineer Sadi Carnot in the early 1800s. The second law has profound implications for heat engines and for the "direction" of time.
Along with these and other general concepts, you learn about such basic features of reality as force and energy, space and time, electricity and magnetism; and you learn how these properties interact in a range of situations. As you proceed through the course, you will find that the entire universe—from atoms to galaxies—is your laboratory.
Experiment: It may seem obvious that if you want to understand something, you should experiment on it and not just think about it. But this idea did not catch on until Galileo performed a series of revolutionary investigations of motion in the early 1600s.
Use standards: One of the secrets of Galileo's success was that he used standard procedures, units, and techniques of analysis to compare his results. This approach led him to conclusions, like his principle of inertia, that no else had ever imagined.
Simplify: Another powerful insight of Galileo's was to start with simple cases and add complexity later. All physicists do this. In fact, they have a joke about it: A physicist is hired to advise a dairy farmer and says, "First, assume a spherical cow"!
Recognize the fundamental nature of obvious things: The common observation that hot objects cool down and cold ones warm up became the basis for the second law of thermodynamics, proposed by the French engineer Sadi Carnot in the early 1800s. The second law has profound implications for heat engines and for the "direction" of time.
Along with these and other general concepts, you learn about such basic features of reality as force and energy, space and time, electricity and magnetism; and you learn how these properties interact in a range of situations. As you proceed through the course, you will find that the entire universe—from atoms to galaxies—is your laboratory.
1. The Great Ideas of Classical Physics
2. Describing Motion—A Break from Aristotle
3. Describing Ever More Complex Motion
4. Astronomy as a Bridge to Modern Physics
5. Isaac Newton—The Dawn of Classical Physics
6. Newton Quantified—Force and Acceleration
7. Newton and the Connections to Astronomy
8. Universal Gravitation
9. Newton's Third Law
10. Conservation of Momentum
11. Beyond Newton—Work and Energy
12. Power and the Newtonian Synthesis
13. Further Developments—Static Electricity
14. Electricity, Magnetism, and Force Fields
15. Electrical Currents and Voltage
16. The Origin of Electric and Magnetic Fields
17. Unification I—Maxwell's Equations
18. Unification II—Electromagnetism and Light
19. Vibrations and Waves
20. Sound Waves and Light Waves
21. The Atomic Hypothesis
22. Energy in Systems—Heat and Thermodynamics
23. Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
24. The Grand Picture of Classical Physics
2. Describing Motion—A Break from Aristotle
3. Describing Ever More Complex Motion
4. Astronomy as a Bridge to Modern Physics
5. Isaac Newton—The Dawn of Classical Physics
6. Newton Quantified—Force and Acceleration
7. Newton and the Connections to Astronomy
8. Universal Gravitation
9. Newton's Third Law
10. Conservation of Momentum
11. Beyond Newton—Work and Energy
12. Power and the Newtonian Synthesis
13. Further Developments—Static Electricity
14. Electricity, Magnetism, and Force Fields
15. Electrical Currents and Voltage
16. The Origin of Electric and Magnetic Fields
17. Unification I—Maxwell's Equations
18. Unification II—Electromagnetism and Light
19. Vibrations and Waves
20. Sound Waves and Light Waves
21. The Atomic Hypothesis
22. Energy in Systems—Heat and Thermodynamics
23. Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
24. The Grand Picture of Classical Physics
