PerÂhaps you’ve ponÂdered your own morÂtalÂiÂty. But have you ever imagÂined perÂishÂing as you fall into a black hole? ProbÂaÂbly not. But if you’re intrigued by this admitÂtedÂly unlikeÂly sceÂnario, then watch the clip above. Neil deGrasse Tyson, an astroÂphysiÂcist who heads up the HayÂden PlanÂeÂtarÂiÂum in NYC, breaks down the scene for you step-by-step and in a fairÂly humorÂous way. This talk is based on his well-reviewed book, Death by Black Hole: And OthÂer CosÂmic QuanÂdaries.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
This week, StanÂford has startÂed to roll out a new course, EinÂstein’s GenÂerÂal TheÂoÂry of RelÂaÂtivÂiÂty. Taught by Leonard Susskind, one of AmerÂiÂca’s leadÂing physics minds, this course is the fourth of a six-part sequence — ModÂern Physics: The TheÂoÂretÂiÂcal MinÂiÂmum — that traces the develÂopÂment of modÂern physics, movÂing from NewÂton to Black Holes. As the title sugÂgests, this course (which runs 20 hours in total) focusÂes squareÂly on the groundÂbreakÂing work of Albert EinÂstein. And, it’s undoubtÂedÂly a plus that the course was preÂsentÂed in StanÂford’s ConÂtinÂuÂing StudÂies proÂgram, which means that it’s taiÂlored to smart non-speÂcialÂists like you. You can watch the first lecÂture on iTunes here, or YouTube below. The remainÂing lecÂtures will be rolled out on a weekÂly basis. If you would like to watch the longer sequence of coursÂes, I have proÂvidÂed a comÂplete list of links here. Enjoy.
Wired SciÂence gives you their favorites here. Below, we’ve postÂed a samÂple: It’s called “Boomerang in Zero GravÂiÂty” and shows that, even in outÂer space, a boomerang will always return to the perÂson who threw it.
SpeakÂing at the 2008 TED conÂferÂence, physiÂcist Stephen HawkÂing asks some Big QuesÂtions about our uniÂverse: How did the uniÂverse begin? How did life begin? Are we alone? And, durÂing his ten minute talk, he offers some thoughts on how we might go about answerÂing these big enchiÂlaÂda quesÂtions. (We’ve added the clip to our YouTube playlist.)
Richard Muller teachÂes one of the most popÂuÂlar underÂgradÂuÂate coursÂes at UC BerkeÂley: Physics for Future PresÂiÂdents. You can watch it on YouTube (above). And now you can buy Muller’s new book. Just pubÂlished by W.W. NorÂton, Physics for Future PresÂiÂdents: The SciÂence Behind the HeadÂlines gives citÂiÂzens the sciÂenÂtifÂic knowlÂedge they need to underÂstand critÂiÂcal issues facÂing our sociÂety — is “Iran’s nascent nuclear capaÂbilÂiÂty … a genÂuine threat to the West,” are there “viable alterÂnaÂtives to fosÂsil fuels that should be nurÂtured and supÂportÂed by the govÂernÂment,” and should “nuclear powÂer should be encourÂaged”? These issues (and more) get tackÂled here. For more info on the book, you can lisÂten to a good interÂview conÂductÂed this mornÂing (mp3) here in San FranÂcisÂco.
If you would like to supÂport the misÂsion of Open CulÂture, conÂsidÂer makÂing a donaÂtion to our site. It’s hard to rely 100% on ads, and your conÂtriÂbuÂtions will help us conÂtinÂue proÂvidÂing the best free culÂturÂal and eduÂcaÂtionÂal mateÂriÂals to learnÂers everyÂwhere. You can conÂtribute through PayÂPal, PatreÂon, and VenÂmo (@openculture). Thanks!
What’s the “theÂoÂretÂiÂcal minÂiÂmum” for thinkÂing intelÂliÂgentÂly about modÂern physics? Here’s your chance to find out. Below, you will find three coursÂes (the first of evenÂtuÂalÂly six) preÂsentÂed by Leonard Susskind, a StanÂford physiÂcist who helped conÂcepÂtuÂalÂize string theÂoÂry and has waged a long-runÂning “Black Hole War” with Stephen HawkÂing (see his new book on that subÂject here). Freely availÂable on iTunes and YouTube (see below), these video lecÂtures trace the beginÂnings of modÂern theÂoÂretÂiÂcal physics, takÂing you from Isaac NewÂton (or NewÂtonÂian MechanÂics) to Albert EinÂstein’s work on the genÂerÂal and speÂcial theÂoÂries of relÂaÂtivÂiÂty. Notably, these coursÂes were origÂiÂnalÂly preÂsentÂed withÂin StanÂford’s ConÂtinÂuÂing StudÂies proÂgram, which means that the conÂtent was pitched to an audiÂence much like you — that is, smart peoÂple who don’t necÂesÂsarÂiÂly have an extenÂsive knowlÂedge of physics. Watch the video below — the first lecÂture that kicks off the series of coursÂes — and you will see what I mean.
FinalÂly, in case you’re wonÂderÂing, the next three coursÂes (covÂerÂing quanÂtum mechanÂics, elecÂtroÂmagÂnetÂism, cosÂmolÂoÂgy, black holes, and more) will be preÂsentÂed this comÂing acaÂdÂeÂmÂic year and, once taped, we will give you a heads up. Sign up for our RSS Feed and you will be sure to get an update. Also see our colÂlecÂtion of Free Online CoursÂes for many more coursÂes along these lines.
ModÂern Physics: The TheÂoÂretÂiÂcal MinÂiÂmum
ArtiÂcle begins: “Prof Stephen HawkÂing has come up with a new idea to explain why the Big Bang of creÂation led to the vast cosÂmos that we can see today. Astronomers can deduce that the earÂly uniÂverse expandÂed at a mind-bogÂgling rate because regions sepÂaÂratÂed by vast disÂtances have simÂiÂlar backÂground temÂperÂaÂtures. They have proÂposed a process of rapid expanÂsion of neighÂbourÂing regions, with simÂiÂlar cosÂmic propÂerÂties, to explain this growth spurt which they call inflaÂtion. But that left a deepÂer mysÂtery: why did inflaÂtion occur in the first place?” The rest here.
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