Applied physics generally gets short shrift in any undergraduate curriculum.  Since many of you may eventually work in applied physics, I have added a few applied topics to this course.  Among them are topics in medical physics, accelerators, radioactive dating, and energy issues and technologies.  We will take a half-day trip to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory to visit some of their unique facilities and learn  how they   work and what they are used for.   

This is not a problem-solving course.  You have had many as you progressed through the Physics curriculum.  The emphasis here is the development of concepts and ideas, on scientific themes and styles, and the succession of important developments in what is now known as physics with all its many branches.

The course will emphasize the importance of observation, experiment and  instrumentation.  The history of Physics is not a succession of theoretical accomplishments, impressive as these are.  It rests on measurement, understanding, sensitive instrumentation, and advances in mathematics.  

Finally, we will examine the interplay between physics and society by discussing philosophical implications of physics, its relation to economics and government.  We will also examine some case histories of scientific misconduct.  This is an important topic in every physicists working life.

Mathematics will be used sparingly, although a good knowledge of algebra is required, and in some topics more advanced mathematics will be used. Non-physics majors will not be handicapped by lack of preparation in calculus, but they are expected to bring their special knowledge to bear on portions of the course that relate to it. Calculus is no stranger to Physics majors.  Physics is a quantitative science, facility with numbers and an aptitude to think quantitatively is a definite asset.

We will use the textbook "Physics, the Human Adventure" by Gerald Holton and Stephen G Brush, Rutgers University Press, 2001. Much of the material we cover is in this book.  Some additional material I will cover in "Class Notes", and the rest I expect you to learn in class.  There will be homework, but no final exam.  Your grade will be based principally on the homework, but also on class participation.

If you would like more information about the course you may reach me at azucker1@utk.edu.