Re: [Phys-l] Practical Physics

[Rick Tarara <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

Before my 102 level course morphed into a full energy course, I taught it 
with the subtitle "Alice in Technologyland"--(women's College).  In that 
course we did some energy, some nuclear weapons (back in the 80s), 
computers, household technology, etc.  If I were to repeat such a course 
today I would still look at computers, cell-phones (telecommunications in 
general), medical technology such as (N)MRI, some energy technology such as 
photovoltaics, etc.  I continue within my current 101 course (Study of 
Motion) to sneak in a homework project where each student keeps a log for 
one 24 hour period where she records all of her encounters with 'modern' 
technology during the day,  and then writes a paper discussing her 
dependency on such and how she might fare without the technology.  It is an 
eye-opener for most to realize that their very survival depends intimately 
upon the technology around them.

Didn't use a book as such though we did read the old 'Nuclear War--What's in 
it for you' put out by Ground Zero.  That topic is too out of date to 
include today, at least at this school, but others might want to include a 
'modern weapons' segment to a technology course.

You can, of course, bring a lot of different physics principles into the 
discussion of these technologies.

Rick

***************************
Richard W. Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College
Notre Dame, IN
rtarara@saintmarys.edu
******************************
Free Physics Software
PC & Mac
www.saintmarys.edu/~rtarara/software.html
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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John SOHL" <jsohl@weber.edu>
To: <phys-l@carnot.physics.buffalo.edu>
Sent: Tuesday, October 09, 2007 12:57 AM
Subject: [Phys-l] Practical Physics


> Hi All,
>
> I have been wondering about creating a course in applied physics for 
> non-science majors. It would be one-semester long and would probably not 
> have a lab (due to resources mainly) at least at first. It would be half 
> way between the minimal math level 1010 conceptual courses and the year 
> long trig and calculus based courses.
>
> Target audiences might include nursing majors and other health 
> professions, architects, anthropology majors, applied technology students 
> (not engineering students), etc. I'm thinking of a 1010 course on 
> steroids. Math prereqs would be algebra or statistics type courses.
>
> 1. Does anyone know of such a course that already exists?
>
> 2. Does anyone know of a textbook for such a course?
>
> Thanks,
>
> John
>
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
> John E. Sohl, Ph.D.
> Professor of Physics
> Weber State University
> 2508 University Circle
> Ogden, UT 84408-2508
>
> voice: (801) 626-7907, fax: (801) 626-7445
> e-mail: jsohl@weber.edu
> web: http://physics.weber.edu/sohl/
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