Matter & Molecules: From the Eve of Atom

Matter and Molecules: From the Eve of Atoms.
There have been many ideas about what the
physical universe is made of. Through lectures
and readings, we will consider a range of ideas
from the history of chemistry. This is a history
that spans alchemical perspectives such as The
Philosopher's Stone and the transmutation of lead
into gold all the way through to the quantum
mechanics. It also includes pivotal missteps
that, while ultimately wrong, helped move
humanity toward a better understanding matter.
This is also a hands-on science course, where we
will conduct set of simple experiments with far
reaching consequences. These will not only reveal
natural laws, they also illustrate how we can
harness mathematics to peer into phenomena we
cannot directly or easily observe. By the end of
the course, we will turn to more contemporary
ideas of the atom. With a very basic
understanding of quantum mechanics, we can begin
understand the more than 100 elements found on
the periodic table. You will prepare descriptive
lab reports, some involving simple mathematics
and the construction of graphs. In addition to
short essays and problems sets, there will be a
final project where students can explore and
depict concepts from class in both a critical and
artistic ways.