Understanding physics: from everyday objects to questions of scale
Responsible person(s): Jean-Marie Fuerbringer (Teacher EPFL)
Speakers: Jean-Marie Fuerbringer (Teacher EPFL) Axel Matthey (graduate assistant, UNIL)
Courses
Semester: Spring
Schedule: Tuesdays 10:15am - 12:00pm
Classroom: Amphipôle 210
Number of hours: 28
Objective
This course is aimed at students in the humanities and social sciences who wish to acquire the foundations for a better understanding of the scientific and technological issues of our everyday lives. Through an accompanied journey through different areas of physics, participants will have the opportunity to build bridges between their fields of study and those of others;opportunity to build bridges between their areas of interest (and study) and the physical and technological constraints of our world.
Content
In a first part the course will provide the conceptual foundations for understanding the physical mechanisms underlying the operation of everyday objects such as the microwave oven, induction hob, electric motor, heat pump or solar cells of various types.
We will make inroads into key aspects of research and development, addressing issues of causality and experimental planning in a straightforward manner, as well as the concepts of risk and confidence intervals.
In a second part, the course will address the physical issues and scales related to individual and collective issues in the modern world, touching on topics such as reacute;energy regulation of the human body, the energy impacts of individual consumption of goods, collective energy needs and climate change.
Seminar and personal work
Semester: Spring
Schedule: Tuesdays 2:15pm - 4pm/6pm
Classroom: EPFL room PH B1 398
Number of hours: 28
Objective
In the seminars, students will have the opportunity to work on physics experiments to understand the characteristics and issues of measurement. The experiments on offer concern periodic motion and counting. There will also be a workshop on simulating energy supplies at national level.
Secondary
For each of the four stages, Each group (of two or three students), will submit a brief report to be used for evaluation.
Prerequisites
The course can êbe taken without the séminaire. On the other hand, the seminar cannot be taken without the course.
Assessment method
Courses: periodic knowledge tests (écrit)
Seminar: group reports