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Fundamental Concepts and Cultural History of Physics (Spring 2024) 

General: (The webpage of the course is updated gradually)  - Last Update 28 April 2024

This is a joint B.Sc. and M.Sc. course, which will be held in the Physics Department of Sharif University of Technology.

Instructor: Professor Bahram Mashhoon and Shant Baghram

Class Time:  Sundays and Tuesdays   15:00 - 16:30

Place:

Office Hours:   by appointment - Email: baghram@sharif.edu  

Registered students:

About the Course:

This is a course for advanced undergraduate or master students of Physics. During the semester these books will be covered:

By Prof. Mashhoon

Whittaker, E. T., A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity: The Classical Theories. Vol. 1 (2nd ed.), Thomas Nelson and Sons (1951).

Whittaker, E. T., A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity: The Modern Theories. Vol. 2 (2nd ed.), Thomas Nelson and Sons (1953).

By Shant Baghram

 Simonyi, K., A Cultural History of Physics,  Translated to English by David Kramer, (1st edition), A K Peters/CRC Press (2012).

 

Pre-request of the course: Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics I

Grading:

Assignments: 6 point

Six assignments will be given ( 3 from the lectures of Prof. Mashhoon and 3 from the Cultural History part)

Essay 1: 6 points    

Due to Sunday 20 Khordad 1403 / 9 June 2024

Essay 2: 6 points

Due to Sunday 20 Khordad 1403 / 9 June 2024

Class Activity: 3 points

Total grade: 20+1   YOU CAN SEE THE RESULTS HERE 

 

Send your notes and essays to sh.baghram2@gmail.com    

PLEASE NOTE 2 in Gmail address!

***

LIST OF TIMELINE

Suggested Reading:

There are many resources in Fundamental Concepts and Cultural History of Physics

A list of these resources will be added gradually to the link below.

Please follow the update:

Resources - Last updated: 8 Jan 2024

Lecture Notes and Presentations:

Physics Time Line in Excel /  pdf     Last update: 26 March 2024

Time Line of Lectures:

Lecture  1: ( Sunday  - 15 Bahman 1402 -  4 Feb 2024 )

Baghram (1): Course regulations. On culture, history and scientific method!

Lecture  2: ( Tuesday - 17 Bahman 1402 -  6 Feb 2024 )

Mashhoon: The first chapter of Whittaker: From Plato and Aristotle to Descartes!

Sunday 22 Bahman 1402 - 11 Feb 2024 - Officail Holliday

Lecture  3: ( Tuesday  - 24 Bahman 1402 -  13 Feb 2024)

Mashhoon: Copernicus, Kelpler, Descartes, Galileo

Lecture  4: (  Sunday  - 29 Bahman 1402 -  18 Feb 2024 )

Baghram (2): Pre-Socratic era abd greek physics

Lecture  5: ( Tuesday  - 1 Esfand 1402 -  20 Feb 2024 )

Mashhoon: Newton, inertial frames and Mach

Sunday 6 Esfand 1402 - 25 Feb 2024 - Officail Holliday

Lecture  6: ( Tuesday  - 8 Esfand 1402 -  27 Feb 2024 )

Mashhoon: Optics, Fermat law

Lecture  7: ( Sunday - 13 Esfand 1402 -  3 March 2024 )

Baghram (3): Plato and Aristotle

Lecture  8: (Tuesday  - 15 Esfand 1402 -  5 March 2024)

Mashhoon: Electricity, Volta, Galvani and ...

Lecture  9:  ( Sunday - 20 Esfand 1402 -  10 March 2024)

Bghram (4): Aftre Plato

Lecture  10:  ( Tuesday  - 22 Esfand 1402 -  12 March 2024 ) 

Mashhoon: Fundamental Concepts in Electricity I

Nowrooz

Lecture  11:  ( Tuesday  - 14 Farvardin 1403 -  2 April 2024)

Mashhoon: Fundamental Concepts in Electricity II

Lecture  12:  ( Sunday  - 19 Farvardin 1403 -  7 April 2024 )   

Baghram (5): Cultural History of Physics - Chapter 2 - Medieval Era I - Roman Empire - Byzantium

Lecture  13:  ( Tuesday  - 21 Farvardin 1403 -  9 April 2024)

Mashhoon: Abberiation and the Lorentz transormation

Lecture  14:   ( Sunday  - 26 Farvardin 1403 -  14 April 2024)

Baghram (6): Cultural History of Physics - Chapter 2 - Medieval Era II - Iran-Islamic cicilization

Lecture  15:   ( Tuesday  - 28 Farvardin 1403 -  16 April 2024)   

Mashhoon: Special theory of Relativity

Lecture  16:   ( Sunday  - 2 Ordibehesht 1403 -  21 April 2024)

Baghram (7):  Renaissance and the new era of science

Lecture  17:   ( Tuesday  - 4 Ordibehesht 1403 -  23 April 2024)

Mashhoon: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (History and Fundamentals)

Lecture  18:   ( Sunday  - 9 Ordibehesht 1403 -  28 April 2024 )

Baghram (8): New era of science:  René Descartes, Francis Bacon

Lecture  19:   ( Tuesday - 11 Ordibehesht 1403 -  30 April 2024)

 

Lecture  20:    ( Sunday  - 16 Ordibehesht 1403 -  5 May 2024 ) 

 

Lecture  21:    ( Tuesday - 18 Ordibehesht 1403 -  7 May 2024 ) 

 

Lecture  22:    (  Sunday  - 23 Ordibehesht 1403 -  12 May 2024 )

 

Lecture  23:    ( Tuesday - 25 Ordibehesht 1403 -  14 May 2024  )

 

Lecture  24:    ( Sunday  - 30 Ordibehesht 1403 -  19 May 2024)

 

Lecture  25:    ( Tuesday - 1 Khordad 1403 -  21 May 2024 )

 

Lecture  26:    ( Sunday - 6 Khordad 1403 -  26 May 2024)

 

Lecture  27:    ( Tuesday - 8 Khordad 1403 -  28 May 2024)

 

 

Assignments:

You have the opportunity to use 7 days in total to send homeworks after deadlines.

1) Problem Set 1: Timelines  due to  Sunday 19 Farvardin 1403 / 7 April 2024

2) Problem Set 2: Inertial Frames due to  Saturday 25 Farvardin 1403 / 13 April 2024

3) Problem Set 3: Reading duty+ Scientific method due to  Sunday 9 Ordibehesht 1403 / 28 April 2024

4) Problem Set 4  due to 

5) Problem Set 5  due to 

6) Problem Set 6  due to

Essays and Projects:

Useful Links and Further Reading: