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Fundamental Concepts and Cultural History of Physics (Spring 2024)
General: (The webpage of the course is updated gradually) - Last Update 4 July 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 3 Tir 1403 / 23 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!
***
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)
Mashhoon: Old Quantum Mechanics
Lecture 20: ( Sunday - 16 Ordibehesht 1403 - 5 May 2024 )
Baghram (9): 17 Century, enlightment, developments in Mechanics
Lecture 21: ( Tuesday - 18 Ordibehesht 1403 - 7 May 2024 )
Mashhoon: Quantum Mechanics (I)
Lecture 22: ( Sunday - 23 Ordibehesht 1403 - 12 May 2024 )
Baghram (10): 19 Century, history of thermodynamics, electromagnetism and the era of Romanticism
Lecture 23: ( Tuesday - 25 Ordibehesht 1403 - 14 May 2024 )
Mashhoon: Quantum Mechanics (II)
Lecture 24: ( Sunday - 30 Ordibehesht 1403 - 19 May 2024)
Baghram (11): 0 Century, Philosophy, QM, Relativity and Cosmology (I)
Lecture 25: ( Tuesday - 1 Khordad 1403 - 21 May 2024 )
Mashhoon: Quantum Mechanics (III)
Lecture 26: ( Sunday - 6 Khordad 1403 - 26 May 2024)
Baghram (12): 20 Century, Philosophy, QM, Relativity and Cosmology (II)
Lecture 27: ( Tuesday - 8 Khordad 1403 - 28 May 2024)
Mashhoon: Quantum Mechanics (IV)
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 Reading a book Due to Sunday 20 Khordad 1403 / 9 June 2024
5) Problem Set 5 due to Reading a book Due to Sunday 20 Khordad 1403 / 9 June 2024
6) Problem Set 6 due to Due to Sunday 3 Tir 1403 / 23 June 2024
Essays and Projects:
Lecture Notes:
Cultural history of Physics - Version 1 - 15-02-1403 : - will be updated for the next year course.
Useful Links and Further Reading:
What Is
Enlightenment? Imannuel Kant