Heat and the Universe

Catalog description

The study of temperature and of heat, as formulated in the laws of thermodynamics, will be used as a unifying guide to examine a variety of phenomena in our natural world. In the physical world, course topics will encompass the cooling of the Universe in its early minutes as well as the dramatic expansion in the first seconds after the Big Bang and the role that temperature fluctuations have played in the Earth's history. In the animal world, the course covers the surprising discovery of heat-loving bacteria and the techniques mammals, including humans, have adopted for temperature regulation. Readings will include materials from various scientific realms such as cosmology, biology, and geology.