ESP Biography

Find out why E=mc^2 and why nothing can travel faster than light! In this class we'll develop the ideas and math of Einstein's special theory of relativity. We'll start from experimental results that motivated Einstein to postulate that the speed of light is universal, and use simple thought experiments to talk about length contraction, time dilation, and the "paradoxes" of special relativity (and why they're not really paradoxes). We'll also see how Einstein discovered that mass and energy are related by his famous formula.

What are the fundamental building blocks of the universe? Are atoms the most basic component of matter, or can we break them down into smaller parts? What forces hold things together and push things apart? And how do we know? These are all questions that particle physics seeks to answer. In this class, you will: -Learn about quarks, leptons, gluons, and the recently discovered Higgs boson and how they fit together into the Standard Model of Particle Physics! -Learn to draw Feynman diagrams -- simple pictures that describe how particles interact! -Find out how particle colliders such as the LHC produce and detect these strange fundamental particles! -Hear what scientists are looking for now that the Higgs boson has been discovered, like extra dimensions, supersymmetry, and dark matter!