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Re: [Phys-l] "Modern" Physics course title



"Modern Physics" has the same status in Physics as does its contemporary "Modern Art" does in the Arts. So, to the extent that the course is about QM up to 1927, the course title is appropriate. I suppose we are into the neo-postmodernist physics era by now, but that doesn't make a very descriptive course title either...

Tim Sullivan
sullivan@kenyon.edu

Taha Mzoughi wrote:
Hi All:

At a meeting I attended this last summer, someone reminded us that what we
as physicist consider as modern physics are topics that were about a century
old. This of course makes the name that most of us use, "modern physics" for
one course (or more) as part of the undergraduate curriculum inappropriate.
I later found out that there is a book called "Nonclassical Physics." I also
found out that U. of S. Maine uses the same "Nonclassical Physics" title for
their courses. Even though "Nonclassical Physics" is a more fitting title to
the courses we usually teach, I don't like it. Starting a title with a "Non"
did not cut it for me.

I was wondering if others came up with better and more fitting titles for
the "modern physics" course. Or does anyone have a suggestion on what we (as
a community) should start calling the course?

Thanks for any input.

Taha

Taha Mzoughi
Associate Professor
Dept. of Biology and Physics
Kennesaw State University
1000 Chastain Rd., #1202
Kennesaw, GA 30144-5591
Office: 678 797 2152
FAX: 770 302 4202
e-mail: tmzoughi@kennesaw.edu
http://physci.kennesaw.edu/


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