Lifelong Learning Webpage

Course Description

Meets Wednesday, 7-9:30 PM
September 15 - November 10 (NOT October 13)
Swarthmore College Science Center, Room 128

From the drop of an apple to the stately dance of the galaxies, 
gravity is omnipresent in the cosmos.  Even with its high profile, 
gravity is the most enigmatic of all the known basic forces in nature.  
Albert Einstein's theory of relativity describes the effect of 
gravitation on the shape of space and the flow of time.

In this course we will learn enough physics to study subjects like 
how gravity is related to warped and rippling spacetime, black holes, 
expanding and parallel universes, wormholes and possible time travel.

We will end by trying to understand what is happening with quantum 
gravity and string theory by looking at the competing ideas of Stephen 
Hawking and Leonard Susskind.

Students should have studied basic algebra and geometry at some time, 
but no prior knowledge of physics is expected.

Major topics:

* Special relativity
* Theory of gravity
* Black holes
* Cosmology
* Ideas and philosophies of Einstein and others

The professor:  John Boccio, Professor of Physics at Swarthmore 
College since 1967.  He is currently finishing work on two books in 
theoretical physics:  In Search of Quantum Reality (which is for 
first-year physics students) and Quantum Theory (for advanced students).  
In Lifelong Learning at Swarthmore he has previously taught "Aristotle, 
Galileo, and Einstein" and "In Search of Reality."

Texts

It's About Time - Understanding Einstein's Relativity - N. David Mermin
ISBN: 978-0-691-14127-5

General Relativity from A to B - Robert Geroch 
ISBN: 0-226-28864-1

The First Three Minutes - Steven Weinberg
ISBN: 0-465-02437-8

Relativity Notes(UPDATED: October 04, 2010)

• Boccio Notes on Relativity (original) (pdf)
• Boccio Notes on Geroch (shorter version extracted directly from Geroch) (pdf)
• Boccio Notes on Mermin (shorter version extracted directly from Mermin) (pdf)
• Boccio Notes on Weinberg (shorter version extracted from directly Weinberg) (pdf)
• Boccio Notes on Inflationary Cosmology (from various sources) (pdf)
• Boccio Notes on Wormholes and Time Travel (from various sources) (pdf)
• Boccio Notes on Latest Developments (from various sources) (pdf)

Syllabus

• Syllabus (pdf)

Assignments(UPDATED: November 08, 2010)

• Assignment 1 (pdf)
• Assignment 2 (pdf)
• Assignment 2 - Solutions (pdf)
• Assignment 3 (pdf)
• Assignment 3 - Solutions (pdf)
• Assignment 4 (pdf)
• Assignment 4 - Solutions (pdf)
• Assignment 5 (pdf)
• Assignment 5 - Solutions (pdf)
• Assignment 6 (pdf)
• Assignment 6 - Solutions (pdf)