Physics for the 21st Century

Free Direct Download Physics for the 21st Century

Produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics 

Physics for the 21st Century is produced by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics © 2010 Annenberg Foundation All rights reserved. ISBN: 1-57680-890-4 

Funding for  Physics for the 21st Century is provided by Annenberg Media 

Annenberg Media (a unit of the Annenberg Foundation) advances excellent teaching by funding and distributing multimedia educational resources (video, print, and Web based) to improve teaching methods and subject-matter expertise. Resources are distributed to schools and noncommercial community agencies, as well as colleges and universities, for workshops, institutes, and course use.  Annenberg Media makes its entire video collection available via broadband through www.learner.org. This Web site also houses interactive activities, downloadable guides, and resources coordinated with each video series. To purchase video series and guides or learn more about other courses and workshops contact us by phone or email or visit us on the Web.   

New tools and techniques have allowed physicists to probe the extent of the physical universe—from particles smaller than we can imagine to the outer reaches of the universe. Powerful, precision instruments—such as the most powerful particle accelerators ever created, finely-tuned atomic freezers, or galactic surveys providing terabytes of data about the universe—have opened the landscape of physics, allowing us to answer age-old questions about what makes up the universe, and how it works. As many questions as we have answered in recent decades, however, ever more crop up to be explored.    This course begins with an exploration of what is currently known at the very smallest realm—the fundamental particles, and the forces that they create and with which they interact (Units 1 and 2). Open questions regarding the nature of the most familiar force—gravity—and the potential of string theory to resolve these questions will be detailed in Units 3 and 4. The following three units (Units 5, 6, and 7) will cover quantum mechanics, and the surprising behaviors physicists have revealed through the manipulation of atoms and light. Looking at larger scales, Units 8 and 9 examine the collective behavior of individual pieces which give rise to new material properties and open up the frontiers of biophysics. With Units 10 and 11, the course concludes with an examination of the physics of the cosmos—the mysterious substance that created the structure in the universe, and the energy that is pushing it apart.  We intend this F a cilita to r’s G uid e to be used by a facilitator running an on -site professional development course for high school physics teachers. Thus, these materials are designed to be used by a facilitator in shaping such a course, rather than used directly by practicing teachers, although many of the activities are quite suitable for use in a high school classroom setting. Further, although designed for use in a professional development course, independent learners may also find the Facilitator’s Guide valuable.     Each unit consists of: • An online text written by an expert in the field; • Video case studies describing two current research programs in that topical area; • An interactive lab; and • The written activities in the Facilitator’s Guide . ( Note : Some units also include an extra video segment.)  For more information about receiving graduate credit for participating in this course, either in on-site synchronous sessions or as an independent learner, please visit http://www.learner.org/workshops/graduate_credit.html.  

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