Physics of the Mundane
Weeks XI & XI (November 7 - 19)
Assigned Readings:
Feynman: “The relationship of physics to other sciences” (Ch. 3, pp. 47 - 67)
Reserve: “Science and Religion” (Einstein)
Reserve: “Whiteman’s Witchcraft” (Tedlock)
Reserve: Section from “Contact” (Sagan)
Schedule:
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Rocketry, finally! |
Rocketry analysis |
Don’t put your tongue on that! Investigating hot, cold, and the in-betweens.
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NOTEBOOKS DUE! |
Making waves:
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Debriefing and
discussion. Response papers DUE. |
Suggested reading response questions (although you are free to address another issue(s)):
To what degree (if any) are science (a way of knowing based on evidence) and religion (a way of knowing based on faith) interconnected? Can these two ways of knowing ask the same questions and arrive at the same answers? Are science and religion destined to be in conflict with one another? Can science uncover the beginning of the Universe? Can science uncover the “mind of God,” as the title of a popular book implies?
Lab
problem(s):
A mysterious solid substance is sitting in a pot. The pot is placed on a burner that puts out a constant amount of heat. You place a thermometer in the substance and make temperature measurements every minute. You then create a data table and graph your results, as shown on the right. In analyzing this graph, describe what physically happens to the substance during its 20 minutes of portrayed fame.