From Symmetry to Chaos in the Universe: An Introduction to Theoretical Methods in Contemporary Physics

Undergraduate

An introduction to the pillars of 20th and 21st century physics which form the basis of subsequent courses in physics and the basis of current research: complexity and chaos, special and general relativity, quantum phenomena, symmetry and symmetry breaking, and cosmology. Motivated by these pillars, mathematical tools and techniques that are used extensively in physics for practical problem solving and data analysis are introduced at a first-year level. Computer-aided graphical and approximate computational methods will also be introduced. (Prerequisites: PHYS-1400, MATH-1720, and MATH- 1250) (3 lecture hours and one tutorial hour per week.)