There are many different ways of obtaining knowledge. Knowledge in physics and chemistry is essentially linked to experimental work in the lab. Through the continual process of analyzing experiment in terms of theory and of testing theory through the discovery of new phenomena, some of the most far-reaching, universal, and magnificent discoveries about the nature of the world have been made. Observational sciences, such as astronomy or geology, create knowledge and discover truth in a related, but different, fashion. In these sciences the goal is to learn about majestic themes such as the nature of the Earth, the solar system, or indeed the universe itself. Such knowledge is gained not primarily in the lab using equipment and samples that are interchangeable, but rather through observations on a single sample that is too big, too old, too distant, and too unique to duplicate: namely, the Earth and cosmos themselves. Field trips or telescopic observations allow one to observe what happened. The data collected are then interpreted in light of other observations. But one can never redo the entire experiment again and recreate the planets and the galaxies. Mathematics provides a third, nonempirical, form of knowing along with a crucial tool for formulating and analyzing the discoveries of the other sciences. All of these disciplines strive for a knowledge that is of a different nature than that found in humanistic or social scientific discourse. One aspect of the general education courses in the physical sciences is to introduce the student to these different ways of knowing and these different visions of truth.

The physical sciences sequences (along with the first half of the natural sciences sequences) provide a way for students in the humanities and social sciences to meet the general education requirement in the physical sciences. There are four sequences in the physical sciences, each of which introduces a different discipline and different aspects of scientific knowledge.

Courses: Physical Sciences (phsc)

General Education Sequences

The first two quarters of each sequence listed below meet the two-quarter general education requirement in the physical sciences. The general education requirements in physical sciences must be completed in the first two years.

Along with one of these two-quarter sequences, students must register for at least two quarters of an approved biological sciences sequence and at least one quarter of an approved mathematical science. A sixth quarter must be taken in any one of the three areas: physical science, biological science, or mathematical science. NOTE: To get general education credit for calculus, two quarters must be taken; this will count as two quarters towards meeting the general education requirement in the sciences.

10900-11000. Science and the Earth. PQ: MATH 10600, or placement in MATH 13100 or higher. Open only to first- and second-year students and first-year transfer students. Must be taken in sequence.

10900. Ice-Age Earth. We examine the cause and effects of Earth's great ice ages, and use the knowledge so gained as a means to inform ourselves about the stability of Earth's climate system and its relationship to the life of humankind. The ice age also serves as the starting point for the exploration of Earth's history through deep time undertaken in PHSC 11000. Our study begins with the history of how the ice age was discovered (i.e., through the analysis of landforms and sediments). We move on to consider the ways in which modern, post mid-twentieth century nuclear chemistry allows the creation of a detailed history of Earth's paleoclimate from deep-sea sediments and ice cores. We consider the astronomical hypothesis for ice-age cycles, and conclude that some as yet unknown "climatic signal amplifier" (e.g., natural variations of atmospheric greenhouse gasses) is needed to explain the wide degree of climate variation during the past million years. We conclude with an analysis of the interaction between ice-age climate change and our species, both at an animalistic level and at an advanced technological level. The lab exercises deal with topographic maps that depict glacial landforms in various national parks such as Yosemite National Park in California and Glacier National Park in Montana. We also explore the glacial landforms in the Chicago vicinity through topographic maps and a day-long field trip. A day-long weekend field trip to ice-age sites is required. If a weekend date is not possible, the field trip will be run on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving recess. Students who register for this class must arrange to attend the field trip at one of the offered dates. Please register by field trip date. P. Martin, D. MacAyeal. Autumn. L.

11000. Environmental History of the Earth. PQ: PHSC 10900. Topics emphasize how geologic history has determined the physical and biological environments we experience on Earth today. In other words, we learn how the long-term processes of Earth history have shaped the surface and interior of the Earth, and have determined the diversity of life on the planet as seen both in the present day and in the fossil. B. Buffett. Spring. L.

10900-13400. Past and Future Climate of Earth. PQ: MATH 10600, or placement in MATH 13100 or higher. Open only to first- and second-year students and first-year transfer students. A student who has previously taken PHSC 10900 may complete the general education requirement in the physical sciences by taking PHSC 13400. Note, however, that PHSC 13400 has limited enrollment. This sequence is recommended for students wishing to focus on global climate change. PHSC 10900 introduces the geological evidence for climate change in the past (i.e., the ice age); and PHSC 13400 examines the mechanisms of this climate change and introduces forecasts of future climate change associated with industrial and agricultural activity.

10900. Ice-Age Earth. We examine the cause and effects of Earth's great ice ages, and use the knowledge so gained as a means to inform ourselves about the stability Earth's climate system and its relationship to the life of humankind. The ice age also serves as the starting point for the exploration of Earth's history through deep time undertaken in PHSC 11000. The lab exercises deal with topographic maps that depict glacial landforms in various national parks such as Yosemite National Park in California and Glacier National Park in Montana. We also explore the glacial landforms in the Chicago vicinity through topographic maps and a day-long field trip. A day-long weekend field trip to ice-age sites is required. If a weekend date is not possible, the field trip will be run on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving recess. Students who register for this class must arrange to attend the field trip at one of the offered dates. Please register by field trip date. P. Martin, D. MacAyeal. Autumn. L.

13400. Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast. (=ENST 12300, GEOS 13400, NTSC 12300) PQ: PHSC 10900 required; some knowledge of chemistry or physics helpful. For course description, see Natural Sciences. D. Archer, R. Pierrehumbert. Spring. L.

13400-13500. The Science of Global Environmental Change. PQ: MATH 10600, or placement in MATH 13100 or higher, or consent of instructor. Enrollment limited.

13400. Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast. (=ENST 12300, GEOS 13400, NTSC 12300) PQ: MATH 10600, or placement in MATH 13100 or higher, or consent of instructor required; some knowledge of chemistry or physics helpful. For course description, see Natural Sciences. D. Archer, R. Pierrehumbert. Spring. L.

13500. Atmospheric Chemistry and Air Quality. (=ENST 12100, NTSC 12100) PQ: MATH 10600, or placement in MATH 13100 or higher, or consent of instructor. For course description, see Natural Sciences. J. Frederick. Autumn. L.

11100-11200. Foundations of Modern Physics I, II. PQ: MATH 10600, or placement in MATH 13100 or higher. Must be taken in sequence.

11100. Foundations of Modern Physics I. This course presents an introduction to Newton's laws, with special emphasis on their consequences for the motion of the planets and stars. The course also includes a discussion of wave motion as applied to sound, water, and light. It concludes with an introduction to the special theory of relativity, in which the Newtonian concepts of space and time are reconsidered. Autumn. L.

11200. Foundations of Modern Physics II. PQ: PHSC 11100. With the advent of quantum mechanics, physicists found a successful alternative to Newton's laws for explaining atomic phenomena. In doing so, a completely new philosophy concerning the laws of physics had to be adopted. In this course, we explore the basic tenets of quantum mechanics, and consider the quantization of energy, the indeterminacy of physical events, and other concepts unique to the quantum view of nature. Winter. L.

11900-12000; or 11900-12000-12700. Introduction to Astrophysics. PQ: MATH 10600, or placement in MATH 13100 or higher. Must be taken in sequence. Students wishing to take a two-quarter physical science core should register for 11900-12000. Those wishing to take a third quarter may extend this by taking 12700. PHSC 11900 will be taught in Autumn and Winter Quarters, and 12000 will be taught in Winter and Spring Quarters.

11900. Stellar Astronomy and Astrophysics. This course explores the observational and theoretical bases for our present understanding of the structures and evolution of stars. After a brief introduction to descriptive astronomy and a survey and interpretation of the relevant observations, we develop the theoretical principles governing the physical properties and dynamics of stars. Subsequently, we apply such observational and theoretical methods to studies of the formation of stars and their planetary systems, the life and death of stars, and the formation of the chemical elements. C. Pryke. L: P. Palmer. Autumn. S. Meyer. L: D. Harper. Winter.

12000. The Origin of the Universe and How We Know. PQ: PHSC 11900 or consent of instructor. The universe is made of galaxies, which are made of aggregates of stars. Stellar aggregates allow us to map the positions of the galaxies in the universe. Studies of galaxy motions and of supernovae allow us to explore the nature of space to the edge of the visible universe. Our description of space allows us to build falsifiable models of cosmology, the origin of all that exists. The course consists of exploring how we know what we know about cosmology and why our perceptions have gradually changed over 2000 years. The fundamental theories and observations on which our knowledge rests are explored in detail. D. Lamb. L: D. Harper. Winter. D. York. L: C. Pryke. Spring.

12700. Planets, Comets, and Asteroids. PQ: PHSC 12000 or consent of instructor. Planets have been known since antiquity, but telescopes and now space probes continue to reveal new information. Anyone who has seen a bright comet cannot help but be struck by the strangeness of the sight. The other minor bodies of the solar system, asteroids, are faint; even the brightest was not discovered until well into the telescopic era. This course follows an historical approach progressing from early views through recent studies of comet Hale-Bopp and anticipating what is to be learned by contemporary space probes. P. Palmer. Spring. L.

13200-13300. Paleoclimate, Earth Systems, and the Emergence of Humankind. PQ: MATH 10600, or placement into MATH 13100 or higher. Must be taken in sequence. Register by lab section. This two-quarter sequence (Winter and Spring Quarters) aims to examine the complex natural systems that have determined Earth's environment during the time when Homo sapiens emerged as a species and began to alter the environment in the process of building settlement systems. The sequence is intended to prepare students to apply the insights and world views of physical science to the understanding of history and current world events. Labs are done in the computer classroom of Crerar USITE.

13200. The Dynamic Environment: Global Systems and Climate During the Emergence of Humankind. (=ENST 14200) This course begins the two-quarter sequence by looking at the topic of human genesis through the eyes of the physical and biological sciences. By genesis, we mean the evolution of our species from ancestral apes during the time period when Earth's climate was descending into a sequence of abruptly changing ice ages. We examine the environmental dynamism using modern physical science techniques as a means to explore the various theories of Hominid evolution and migration. Topics include the fossil record of human evolution, the Y-chromosome record of human migration, effects of the little ice age, solar physics, radiation balance of the earth relative to the sun, greenhouse effect, Greenland ice-core geochemistry, ice-age Milankovitch theory, glacial geology, volcanoes and their effect on weather and climate, volcanic hazards to settlement, precipitation systems, El Niño and the Indian monsoon, groundwater hydrology, rivers and fluvial systems, deltaic sedimentation patterns. The computer lab (held in Crerar USITE) involves scientific visualization exercises using paleoclimate data with Matlab software. D. MacAyeal. Winter. L.

13300. Settlement Systems, the Management of Nature, and the Emergence of Humankind Within a Dynamic Environment. (=ENST 14300) PQ: PHSC 13200. This course represents the examination of human interaction with the dynamic environment during the emergence of civilization and settlement systems designed to reshape nature for the local benefit of human economy. Topics include the fossil record of hominid evolution, drying climates of Africa, the Younger Dryas event, catastrophic environmental change in the Black Sea associated with sea-level rise, physics and chemistry of irrigation and water management, hydroelectric power generation, desert and Aeolian geomorphology, desertification, deforestation, primitive and advanced metallurgy as a basis for human culture, geoarchaeological methods, soil development, land degradation, sea-level rise, oil and petroleum production and environmental catastrophes in antiquity. The computer lab (held in Crerar USITE) involves scientific visualization exercises using paleoclimate data with Matlab software and satellite imagery with ArcMap software. Please register by lab section. D. MacAyeal. Spring. L.

Elective Courses

The following courses can be used as the sixth quarter to meet the general education requirement in the natural and mathematical sciences.

18100. The Milky Way. (=ASTR 18100) PQ: Any 10000-level general education sequence in chemistry, geophysical sciences, physical sciences, or physics. For course description, see Astronomy and Astrophysics. K. Cudworth. L: C. Pryke. Spring, 2005.

18200. The Origin and Evolution of the Universe. (=ASTR 18200) PQ: Any 10000-level general education sequence in chemistry, geophysical sciences, physical sciences, or physics. For course description, see Astronomy and Astrophysics. Oferred 2005-06; not offered 2004-05.

18300. Searching Between the Stars. (=ASTR 18300) PQ: Any 10000-level general education sequence in chemistry, geophysical sciences, physical sciences, or physics. For course description, see Astronomy and Astrophysics. Offered 2005-06; not offered 2004-05.

18500. The Lives and Deaths of Stars. (=ASTR 18500) PQ: Any 10000-level general education sequence in chemistry, geophysical sciences, physical sciences, or physics. For course description, see Astronomy and Astrophysics. Offered 2005-06; not offered 2004-05.