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Introduction
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Physics 7: Relativity and
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Contents
From Antiquity to Einstein
1. Introduction
Overview
The scientific method
What is the ``scientific method''?
What is the difference between a fact, a theory and a hypothesis?
Truth and proof in science.
If scientific theories keep changing, where is the Truth?
What is Ockham's Razor?
How much fraud is there in science?
Are scientists wearing blinkers?
Why should we worry?
Large numbers
Appendix: Examples of large numbers
Times (in seconds)
Distances (in meters)
Velocities (in meters per second)
Masses (in kilograms)
Temperatures (in deg. Kelvin)
Monies (in 1994 US dollars)
2. Greek cosmology
Egypt and Babylon
Babylon
Egypt
Other nations
India
China
Early Greeks
Mythology
Early cosmology
The Pythagoreans
Early heliocentric systems
Aristotle and Ptolemy
Aristotelian Cosmology
The motion according to Aristotle
Ptolemy
3. From the Middle Ages to Heliocentrism
Preamble
The Middle Ages.
The Copernican Revolution
Aristotle in the 16th century
Kepler
4. Galileo and Newton
Introduction
Galileo Galilei
Galilean relativity
Mechanics
The motion of falling bodies
The motion of projectiles
Astronomy
Galileo and the Inquisition
Isaac Newton
Mechanics.
1st Law and Newtonian space and time.
2nd Law
3rd Law
Optics
Gravitation.
5. The Clouds Gather
Electricity and magnetism
Electricity
Magnetism
Waves vs. particles
Light
Problems
Ether
Galilean Relativity
Prelude to relativity
Jose Wudka
9/24/1998
