PHYS 598 CPP

Subject offerings of new and developing areas of knowledge in physics intended to augment the existing curriculum. See Class Schedule or departmental course information for topics and prerequisites. Course Information: May be repeated in the same or separate terms if topics vary.

Conceptual Problems in Physics: This course will cover some interesting conceptual questions,many of which are currently controversial,in various areas of modern physics,principally statistical physics,quantum mechanics and general relativity and cosmology ;typical examples would be the "arrow of time",the problem of "measurement" (realization) in quantum mechanics and the anthropic principle in cosmology. While it will assume in the audience the level of mathematical fluency which can be reasonably assumed in a starting physics graduate student (and a readiness to read the current literature),the emphasis will be less on the mathematical details of various approaches than on the quasi-philosophical issues which they raise.The assessment will be by a term project.