TECHNICAL PHYSICS (PHY 1570)

Prince George's Community College

Spring 2024

 
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NEWS

  • Please put away your cell phones during the lecture.
  • Homework #5 is due on Wednesday, March 27.
  • Every Wednesday, after the laboratory session, there will be a sign-in sheet for you to sign.
  • On Wednesday, April 3, we'll spend some time talking about the upcoming April 8 total solar eclipse.
  • Your instructor will be out of town on April 8, 22, and 24. Here's the plan for now:
    • We'll do an extra 1/2 hour of lecture on Wednesdays through the end of April to make up the time. The Wednesday schedule will be: Lecture 6:00-7:15pm; break 7:15-7:30pm; more lecture 7:30-8:00pm; lab 8:00-9:15pm (the labs probably will not take that long, but we have the room scheduled).
    • No class on Monday April 8, or Wednesday April 24.
    • We'll schedule Exam #2 for Monday, April 22 in the Testing Center (Bladen Hall, room 100). You may come and take the exam during the usual class time, or at another time if it's more convenient for you. PLEASE TAKE THE EXAM NO LATER THAN FRIDAY, APRIL 26.
  • STEM Week for 2024 at PGCC will be the week of April 1-5. You are welcome to check the schedule and attend any sessions that look interesting. Some sessions are in-person, some are virtual, and some are hybrid (as noted on the schedule). Not in particular the session on the upcoming total eclipse of the Sun; this lecture is on Tuesday, April 2 at 10:00 am in Chesapeake Hall Room 109 (Hybrid).

To Learn More

To learn more about physics, I suggest:
  • To get any further, you will need to learn the calculus. I recommend taking college courses for this. If you would like a brief introduction first, I recommend How to Enjoy Calculus by Eli S. Pine.
  • University Physics by Sears and Zemansky (1956). An excellent calculus-based overview of physics. (Newer editions tend to be bloated without adding anything more of value.)
  • Physics by Paul J. Tipler (1976). Another excellent calculus-based overview of physics. (As with Sears and Zemansky, newer editions tend to be unnecessarily bloated.)

For some fun physics-related reading, I suggest:

  • The Science of Interstellar by Kip Thorne and Christopher Nolan. Thorne is a well-known physicist who was involved in making the movie Interstellar from its beginning. In this book he and film director Nolan describe the physics shown in the movie.
  • Physics of the Impossible by Michio Kaku. A noted physicist discusses the possibility of time travel, force fields, invisibility cloaks, transporters, etc.
  • The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean. A very entertaining collection of stories surrounding the periodic table of the elements.
  • Mr. Tompkins in Paperback (and an updated version, The New World of Mr. Tompkins) by George Gamow. A famous Russian physicist wrote these stories of a world in which the speed of light is just 30 mph so relativistic effects are visible, and more stories of a world where Planck's constant is so large that quantum effects are visible.

Here's an interesting article on the physics of skipping stones from Physics Today: Water-Skipping Stones and Spheres

Physics News

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Contact Information

Dr. David G. Simpson:
 

http://www.pgccphy.net/1570

Webmaster: Dr. David G. Simpson
Page last updated: March 27, 2024.