englishpod_0282dg

Global View ‐ Physics (C0282) 
Prof. Brown: Good morning, everybody. Welcome to
Physics 101. My name is Ed Brown, and I will be your
professor for this semester. Since today is our first class, I
wanted to give you an overview of what this course will
look like, how you will be graded, and what we will cover
this semester.
Matt: Will we be focusing more on theoretical physics or
experimental physics, Professor?
Prof. Brown: This is an introductory course, and my aim
is to give you a broad overview of the field of physics. The
term “ physics” encompasses many different areas of
research and study, and I hope this course will provide you
with conceptual understanding of physics, which will
prove useful whether or not you choose to further your
study in this field.
Prof. Brown: We will begin the course by looking at the
fundamental concepts of physics, then by the middle of the
semester we will begin exploring the more theoretical side
of physics. It is essential that you first have a firm grasp of
the fundamentals, so that you can better understand the
theoretical concepts when we get to them. Matt: Will we
learn about black holes, wormholes, and string theory?
Prof. Brown: We will learn about the general theory of
relativity, including black holes. We will also explore
developing theories in quantum mechanics, such as string
theory. We will discuss some hypothetical features of
space-time, like wormholes.
Prof. Brown: We will also explore some of the more
influential developments in the fields of thermodynamics,
electromagnetism, and nuclear physics, all of which have
had significant impacts on modern life. Now, I am going to
have the TAs pass out the syllabus for this class, so you
can see how this course will be graded.
Matt: Oh man, looks like this isn’t gonna be the easy A I
thought it’d be!