Organization of synaptic connectivity as the basis of neural computation and learning. Single and multilayer perceptrons. Dynamical theories of recurrent networks: amplifiers, attractors, and hybrid computation. Backpropagation and Hebbian learning. Models of perception, motor control, memory, and neural development. Alternate years.

An introduction to the results and techniques of observations of the ocean in the context of its physical properties and dynamical constraints. Emphasis on large-scale steady circulation and the time-dependent processes that contribute to it. Includes the physical setting of the ocean, atmospheric forcing, application of conservation laws, description of wind-driven and thermohaline circulation, eddy processes, and interpretive techniques.

The plasma state dominates the visible universe, and is important in fields as diverse as Astrophysics and Controlled Fusion. Plasma is often referred to as "the fourth state of matter." This course introduces the study of the nature and behavior of plasma. A variety of models to describe plasma behavior are presented.

A study of the theoretical and practical application of some basic techniques used in research in the physical sciences. Emphasis is placed on an appreciation for the entire process of scientific practice from proposal through experimentation including poster and oral presentations, to writing a final paper. Includes computer modeling and simulations.

Unified treatment of phenomenological and atomistic kinetic processes in materials. Provides the foundation for the advanced understanding of processing, microstructural evolution, and behavior for a broad spectrum of materials. Emphasis on analysis and development of rigorous comprehension of fundamentals. Topics include: irreversible thermodynamics; diffusion; nucleation; phase transformations; fluid and heat transport; morphological instabilities; gas-solid, liquid-solid, and solid-solid reactions.

" This class explores the creation (and creativity) of the modern scientific and cultural world through study of western Europe in the 17th century, the age of Descartes and Newton, Shakespeare, Milton and Ford. It compares period thinking to present-day debates about the scientific method, art, religion, and society. This team-taught, interdisciplinary subject draws on a wide range of literary, dramatic, historical, and scientific texts and images, and involves theatrical experimentation as well as reading, writing, researching and conversing. The primary theme of the class is to explore how England in the mid-seventeenth century became "a world turned upside down" by the new ideas and upheavals in religion, politics, and philosophy, ideas that would shape our modern world. Paying special attention to the "theatricality" of the new models and perspectives afforded by scientific experimentation, the class will read plays by Shakespeare, Tate, Brecht, Ford, Churchill, and Kushner, as well as primary and secondary texts from a wide range of disciplines. Students will also compose and perform in scenes based on that material."

This book is a journey through the world of physics and cosmology, and an exploration of our role in this universe. We will address questions such as: What if the force of gravity were a little stronger? What if there were more of fewer atoms in our universe? What if Newton and not Einstein had been right? Would we still be here? Can the universe exist without us to observe it? Can chance explain the world around us, as well as us?

The purpose of this book is to phrase these questions and pursue the consequences of potential answers through rigorous scientific reasoning; in the process we will learn how the very small and the very large are interconnected, and even how we can affect events that happened six billion years ago.

Licensed CC-BY-4.0 with attribution instructions on page 2 of the document.

Table of Contents

Introduction 7
The fundamental forces 10
The force of gravity 18
What if … the force of gravity were different? 23
The electric and magnetic forces 26
The electric force 27
What if … the electric force were different? 39
The magnetic force 48
What if … the magnetic force were different? 58
The strong and weak forces 59
What if … ? 65
How do forces work? 74
The history of the universe 85
What if … ? 94
The history of our species 106
Odds 124
The building blocks of the universe 128
What if … ? 140
Dark energy 150
What if … dark matter were more interesting? 159
When you do not look…. 162
Manifestations of the wave nature of matter 169
The delayed choice experiment: Affecting the past 186
What if … ? 191
The story so far 195
Unification and our role 199
Fine-tuning? 214
The Multiverse and aliens 226
The laws of physics 234
The Anthropic Principle and Puddle Theory 237
Post mortem 249
Further reading and chapter notes 251

This is an introductory text intended for a one-year introductory course of the type typically taken by biology majors, or for AP Physics 1 and 2. Algebra and trig are used, and there are optional calculus-based sections. My text for physical science and engineering majors is Simple Nature.

This is an introductory text intended for a one-year introductory course of the type typically taken by biology majors, or for AP Physics 1 and 2. Algebra and trig are used, and there are optional calculus-based sections. .

Derivation of the basic MHD model from the Boltzmann equation. Discussion of MHD equilibria in cylindrical, toroidal, and noncircular tokamaks. Use of MHD equilibrium theory in poloidal field design. MHD stability theory including the Energy Principle, interchange instability, ballooning modes, second region of stability, and external kink modes. Emphasis on discovering configurations capable of achieving good confinement at high beta.

An examination of current economic and policy issues in the electric power industry, focusing on nuclear power and its fuel cycle. Introduces techniques for analyzing private and public policy alternatives, including discounted cash flow methods and other techniques in engineering economics. Application to specific problem areas, including nuclear waste management and weapons proliferation. Other topics include deregulation and restructuring in the electric power industry.

Concepts and physical pictures behind phenomena that appear in interacting many-body systems. Concentrates on path integrals, meanfield theories and a semiclassical picture of fluctuations around the meanfield state. Some correlation function and finite temperature techniques also covered.

This course is an introduction to the aspects of marine geology and oceanography that affect the environment and marine resources. Service-learning is an essential component of how students learn about the earth. We deliver part of the content of this course by arranging for students to solve a problem with a local community partner.

Introduction to the interactions between cells and surfaces of biomaterials. Surface chemistry and physics of selected metals, polymers, and ceramics. Surface characterization methodology. Modification of biomaterials surfaces. Quantitative assays of cell behavior in culture. Biosensors and microarrays. Bulk properties of implants. Acute and chronic response to implanted biomaterials. Topics in biomimetics, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. Laboratory demonstrations.

" Here we will learn about the mechanical behavior of structures and materials, from the continuum description of properties to the atomistic and molecular mechanisms that confer those properties to all materials. We will cover elastic and plastic deformation, creep, fracture and fatigue of materials including crystalline and amorphous metals, semiconductors, ceramics, and (bio)polymers, and will focus on the design and processing of materials from the atomic to the macroscale to achieve desired mechanical behavior. We will cover special topics in mechanical behavior for material systems of your choice, with reference to current research and publications."

This is a calculus-based book meant for the first semester of the type of freshman survey course taken by engineering and physical science majors. A treatment of relativity is interspersed with the Newtonian mechanics, in optional sections. The book is designed so that it can be used as a drop-in replacement for the corresponding part of Simple Nature, for instructors who prefer a traditional order of topics. Simple Nature does energy before force, while Mechanics does force before energy. Simple Nature has its treatment of relativity all in a single chapter, rather than in parallel with the development of Newtonian mechanics.

Introduction to statics and the mechanics of deformable solids. Emphasis on the three basic principles of equilibrium, geometric compatibility, and material behavior. Stress and its relation to force and moment; strain and its relation to displacement; linear elasticity with thermal expansion. Failure modes. Application to simple engineering structures such as rods, shafts, beams, and trusses. Application to design. Introduction to material selection. This course provides an introduction to the mechanics of solids with applications to science and engineering. We emphasize the three essential features of all mechanics analyses, namely: (a) the geometry of the motion and/or deformation of the structure, and conditions of geometric fit, (b) the forces on and within structures and assemblages; and (c) the physical aspects of the structural system (including material properties) which quantify relations between the forces and motions/deformation.

In Mechanics and Relativity, the reader is taken on a tour through time and space. Starting from the basic axioms formulated by Newton and Einstein, the theory of motion at both the everyday and the highly relativistic level is developed without the need of prior knowledge. The relevant mathematics is provided in an appendix. The text contains various worked examples and a large number of original problems to help the reader develop an intuition for the physics. Applications covered in the book span a wide range of physical phenomena, including rocket motion, spinning tennis rackets and high-energy particle collisions.

Molecular-level engineering and analysis of chemical processes. Use of chemical bonding, reactivity, and other key concepts in the design and tailoring of organic systems. Application and development of structure-property relationships. Descriptions of the chemical forces and structural factors that govern supramolecular and interfacial phenomena for molecular and polymeric systems. This course is an advanced subject in fluid and continuum mechanics. The course content includes kinematics, macroscopic balances for linear and angular momentum, stress tensors, creeping flows and the lubrication approximation, the boundary layer approximation, linear stability theory, and some simple turbulent flows.