How Things Work

Catalog description

All of the devices that define contemporary living are applications of basic scientific discoveries. The principles underlying these devices are fascinating as well as useful, and explain as well many of the natural features and phenomena of the world around us. This course familiarizes you with some basic principles of physics through their applications to selected devices such as CD and DVD players, radio and cell phones, the basic electronic components of computers, lasers and LEDs, and even nuclear weapons. In learning the basic physics behind these modern inventions, you will develop a deeper understanding of how the physical world works and gain a new appreciation of everyday phenomena that are ordinarily taken for granted. The course is designed for non-science students with an interest in the natural world. The basic physical ideas needed to understand how things operate are presented using some mathematics, but none beyond elementary high school-level algebra. Prerequisite: None. Fulfillment: CORE ED