ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
ISNS 3371 - Phenomena of Nature
Dr. Phillip Anderson
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Spring 2007
– INSTRUCTOR:
– Dr. Phillip C. Anderson 972-883-2875 — Room FO2.708D
cell: 469-371-3744
email: phillip.anderson1@utdallas.edu
– TEACHING ASSISTANTS:
– Jeff Peden 972-883-2867 — Room FO1.426
email: loganpeden@sbcglobal.net
– OFFICE HOURS:
– Dr. Anderson: Tuesday/Thursday 10:00 AM– 11:00 PM and by
appointment
– Mr. Peden: Tuesday 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM and by appointment.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Spring 2007
TEXT:
– Conceptual Physical Science Explorations by: Hewitt, Suchocki,
Hewitt
– Slides will be available on web at www.utdallas.edu/~pca015000
GRADING:
– Exams (3)
2 Exams @ 25% each
February 8th and March 15th
= 50%
Final Exam (April 24 @ 8am)
= 30%
–
– Quizzes
= 10%
Short quizzes may be given during
any class period
– Homework – See attached sheet -
= 10%
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Spring 2007
ATTENDANCE is important since exams and quizzes
are based on material covered in class.
– A seating chart will be made on the second day of class.
– If your grade is on the borderline between two letters, your
attendance will be used to determine whether to raise or
lower your grade
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
For the benefit of your fellow students and your instructors, please
practice common courtesy with regard to all class interactions.
– Please be sure your cell phone and beeper are OFF.
– Be on time for class.
– Do not leave class early. You will be disturbing other students.
Quizzes may be given and attendance may be taken at any
time
– If you must miss a class inform Dr. Anderson in advance by
phone or e-mail.
– Please do not use your laptops and the wireless network to
play games, attend chat rooms, etc… It is important to pay
attention in class. We will move quickly and each new topic
will build on concepts previously covered. If you fall behind at
any time, you will find it difficult to catch up. Quizzes may by
given at any time and may cover topics from the current or a
previous class.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
We hope this class will be a rewarding experience for you. We will be
performing laboratory experiments in almost every class
demonstrating relevant principles of physics. We will cover many
concepts that will explain how the world works and hope you will gain
some appreciation for the intricacies of the natural world.
This is a demanding course. We will cover many important concepts
from physics and chemistry and will use some simple mathematics
throughout the course. We will move quickly and each new topic will
build on concepts previously covered. If you fall behind at any time,
you will find it difficult to catch up. You are expected to study for every
class. We may have quizzes at any time.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Spring 2007 - HOMEWORK PROJECT
Select an atticle from a newspaper or a news magazine dealing with science
and its relationship with society, that is, with the environment, weather, global
warming, space exploration, health, dna, genetic engineering, etc.
Articles dealing with purely social issues will not be accepted.
Write a report on the article. The report must contain:
1. Title of the article.
2. Name of publication (Dallas Morning News, New York Times, Time,
Newsweek. Reports from the internet are acceptable.) Note that the
Dallas Morning news has a science section every Monday.
3. Date of publication.
4. A paragraph of two or three sentences on the main theme of the
article and how it relates to a current science issue.
5. Your name and assigned seat number in the upper right hand corner.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Spring 2007 — HOMEWORK PROJECT
Attach a copy of the article to the report. Please staple the
article to the report before coming to class. We do not have a
stapler in class.
Reports are due every Tuesday starting on January 16 with the
last one due on April 17.
Late reports will not be accepted. A report is considered late if
not handed in by the end of class (10:45 am) on the date due.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Exams and Quizzes
The exams will be held on February 8th and March 15th.
The final will be on April 24th @ 8:00 AM.
I will provide you with a review handout a week prior to the exams.
We will have two review sessions the week of the exam at a special times to
be determined.
There will be about 10 - 13 quizzes. I will drop the worst three.
The exams and quizzes will deal only with subjects covered in class.
However, you should read the relevant portions of the text before and/or
after class as they will provide you with more detailed descriptions of the
covered subjects. A slightly different description may also give you a better
understanding of the subject matter.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
SYLLABUS - Spring 2007
1. Introduction Exploration of Nature, Science –
A Way of Knowing
Fundamental quantities
Measurement units
Scales of distances
2. The Newtonian Universe
Vectors, Scalars
Motion - distance, velocity, acceleration
Force - static, net
Mass, momentum, impulse
Newton’s Laws of Motion
Gravity -force, acceleration, weight, weightlessness
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
3. Energy and Matter
Matter - States of Matter
Energy, Work
Law of Conservation of Energy
Forms of Energy
Transformation of energy
Power
Heat, Temperature
Transfer of heat - Conduction, Convection,
Radiation, Change of state of matter
Gases - gas laws, Boyle, Charles, General
First Law of Thermodynamics
Diffusion of gases
Archimedes’ Principle
Bernoulli Effect
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
4. Exploring the Universe
Wave Motion
Waves, Properties of Waves
Standing Waves,
Resonance, Interference, Beats
Sound
Pitch vs. Frequency,
Loudness vs. Intensity
Timbre vs. Harmonics
Light
Electromagnetic Spectrum - Color
Refraction, Reflection
Polarization
Doppler Effect
Lenses and Mirrors, Optical Instruments
Scattering - Blue Sky - Red Sunsets
Rainbows
Atmospheric Pollution
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Radiation
Black Body, Planck’s Law
Wien’s and Stefan’s Laws
5. Electricity and Magnetism
Electrostatics
Fields and Potential, Energy and Power
Electrical units: Volt, Ampere, Ohm
Circuits - Series and Parallel
Magnetism
Electric Currents and Magnetic Fields
Motors, Generators, Transformers
Power Distribution
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
6. The Material World
Particles of Matter – Atoms, Atomic Structure
Atomic Spectra – Hydrogen Atom
What is Inside the Atom?
The Nucleus – Geochronology, Stability,
Radioactivity,
Fission, Fusion
Energy of the Future
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Science
What is Science?
– Observation and experimentation directed toward
understanding of the natural world.
[Science is] an imaginative adventure of the mind seeking truth in a
world of mystery. Sir Cyril Herman Hinshelwood (1897-1967)
English chemist. Nobel prize 1956.
Science is facts; just as houses are made of stone, so is science
made of facts; but a pile of stones is not a house, and a collection
of facts is not necessarily science. Jules Henri Poincaré (18541912) French mathematician.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Why study science?
– We live in a world surrounded by science and technology.
– Our problems and their solutions are bound up
with science.
– We are called upon to make decisions, to vote, hopefully informed,
on issues affecting our lives.
– Many of these issues have a significant scientific
component.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Why study science? (Continued)
– For the convenience of the study of science, the subject is
frequently divided into neat packages called biology, chemistry,
geology, physics, astronomy --– Nature is not so divided - Each scientific discipline views
nature from a different perspective, but all are studying the
same world.
– This course will focus on a fundamental or general look at
nature. It will be based on physics, the study of the principles
that govern the natural world.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Why are we able to study nature?
•
Fundamental assumptions about nature:
– Order exists in nature – in the universe.
– Order can be discovered by observation and experimentation.
– Laws of nature are constant in time and place.
Philosophical approach to the study of nature.
•
Aristotle, Plato
– Senses cannot be relied on
– Must use reason and insights of human mind.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Scientific approach to the study of nature
•
Copernicus and Galileo introduced observation and
experimentation in the 16th century.
•
Science is not a set of facts.
•
It is a way of conducting a dialogue about our physical
surroundings.
•
The scientific method consists of careful observation of
nature and an open-minded creative search for general
ideas that agree with and predict those observations.
•
To be scientific, a statement must be capable of being
proven wrong.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Scientific approach to the study of nature.
•
Observation and experimentation set science apart from other
ways of knowing - ways that are not less important - just different
– Philosophy – Reason – Logic
– Art – Appreciation of form – Beauty
•
Pseudoscience statements:
– Hypothesis that cannot be tested with reproducible results;
Cold fusion, ufo's, astrology. . .
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
The Zodiac
Why the Sun appears to move steadily eastward along the ecliptic, through
the constellations of the zodiac. As Earth orbits the Sun, we see the Sun
against the background of different zodiac constellations at different times
of year. For example, on August 21 the Sun appears to be in the
constellation Leo. Defines astral calendar.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Zodiac Animation
When astrology began - few thousand years ago - astrological sign
supposed to represent the constellation Sun appeared in on your
birth date.
However, because of precession - no longer case for most people signs are about a month off.
Sign actually corresponds to constellation the Sun would have
appeared in on your birthday 2000 years ago
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
The Scientific Method
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Scientific approach to the study of nature.
• Hypothesis
– An educated guess to answer a question about nature
• Scientific Law:
– A hypothesis that has been tested over and over again and
has not been contradicted
• Scientific fact:
– Something that competent observers can observe and agree
to be true
• Scientific Theory:
– Synthesis of facts and well-tested hypothesis.
– General principle offered to explain a set of phenomena or
observed facts.
– Not all scientific predictions can be tested directly
•
Core of earth
•
Sun—energy
•
Expansion of the universe
• Require models—creative thought
– No ultimate truths—all Provisional
•
Ok as long as they are not contradicted
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Scientific approach to the study of nature.
Model:
–
Simplified version of reality used to describe
aspects of nature.
–
Not synonymous with reality.
–
Based on assumptions that may simplify some
aspects of nature, or may be incomplete statements
about nature
–
Useful to make predictions that can be verified by
experimentation or observation.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Hallmarks of Science
• Modern science seeks explanations for observed phenomena that rely
solely on natural causes.
• Science progresses through the creation and testing of models of
nature that explain the observations as simply as possible.
• A scientific model must make testable predictions about natural
phenomena that would force us to revise or abandon the model if the
predictions do not agree with observations.
The hypotheses we accept ought to explain phenomena which we have
observed. But they ought to do more than this: our hypotheses ought to
foretell phenomena which have not yet been observed. William Whewell
(1794-1866) English mathematician, philosopher.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Occam’s Razor
The idea that scientists should prefer the simpler of two models that agree
equally well with observations - the second hallmark - after medieval
scholar William of Occam (1285 - 1349).
For instance, original model of Copernicus (Sun-centered) did not match
the data noticeably better than Ptolemy's model (Earth-centered). Thus, a
purely data-driven judgment based on the third hallmark might have led
scientists to immediately reject the Sun-centered idea. Instead, many
scientists found elements of the Copernican model appealing, such as the
simplicity of its explanation for apparent retrograde motion. Was kept alive
until Kepler found a way to make it work.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Galileo Galilei (1564 – 1642)
I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who endowed us with
sense, reason, and intellect intended us to forgo their use.
I have never met a man so ignorant that I couldn’t learn something from
him.
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered, the point is
to discover them.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second. When you
sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's relativity.
If my theory of relativity is proven correct, Germany will claim me as a
German and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world. Should my
theory prove untrue, France will say that I am a German and Germany will
declare that I am a Jew.
If we knew what it was we were doing, it would not be called research,
would it?
The most incomprehensible thing about our universe is that it can be
comprehended.
I shall never believe that God plays dice with the world (speaking about
quantum mechanics).
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
"The airplane stays up because it doesn't have the time to fall." Orville
Wright.
"Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not
why we do it.” Richard Feynman.
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new
discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' ('I found it!') but rather 'hmm....that's funny...'"
Isaac Asimov.
Examples of “hmmm… that’s funny”:
Discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming in 1929.
Discovery of X-rays by Wilhelm Röntgen in 1895.
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES
QUANTITY
UNIT
DEFINITION
Length
Meter
Mass
Kilogram
Kilogram =1000 grams
1 gram = mass of 1 cubic centimeter of water at 4C.
Time
Second
Time for a cesium atom to make
9,192,631,770 vibrations
Force
Newton
Force to accelerate 1 kilogram by 1 meter per
second per second
Energy
Joule
Amount of work done by a force of 1 Newton
acting over a distance of 1 meter
Temperature
Kelvin
1/273 of temperature of freezing point of water
Length of the path traveled by light in a vacuum
during 1/299,792,458 second
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS
ENGLISH
Developed in England –
Used in the United States
METRIC
Developed after the French
Revolution (1791)
INTERNATIONAL (SI)
The modern version of the
metric system - formally
established in 1960 by the
International Conference
on Weights and Measures
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
EXPONENTIAL NOTATION
1,000,000,000
109
giga
G
1,000,000
106
mega
M
1,000
103
kilo
k
100
102
hecto
h
10
101
deka
da
1
100
-
-
0.1
10-1
deci
d
0.01
10-2
centi
c
0.001
10-3
milli
m
0.000001
10-6
micro

0.000000001
10-9
nano
n
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
SCALES OF DISTANCE
Astronomical AU Average distance between the Earth and the Sun
Unit
Light Year
LY
Distance light travels in one Year
1 LY = 186,000 Miles/Second x 31,500,000
Seconds = 5.8 x 1012 Miles
Parsec
PC Distance of an object that would have a stellar
parallax of 1 Second of Arc
1 PC = 3.26 LY = 206,000 AU
Angstrom
A
Nanometer
nm A distance of 10-9 meter or 10-7 cm
Visible light has wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm
A distance of 1x10-8 cm
Visible Light has wavelengths from 4000 to 7000 A
ISNS 4371 - Phenomena of Nature
DEFINITIONS
Scalar
A quantity that has only size or magnitude.
Examples: mass, inertia, weight, temperature
Vector
A quantity that has both size and direction.
Examples: velocity, acceleration, force