1PHYS:1200:0001 Physics of Everyday ExperienceProfessor Robert Merlinocourse webpage:http://www.physics.uiowa.edu/~rmerlino/1200_S_15/index.htmlthis webpage can also be accessed from ICON1• Technology plays a big role in everyday life computers, smart phones, GPS, etc.• Technological advances result from applications of scientific discoveries• In this course we will discover the scientific principles in the everyday experiences and objects around us• We will see that we can make sense of what is going on around us in terms of a few basic principles of physicsPHYS:1200:0001The Physics of Everyday Experience2COURSE GOALS• To learn some of the basic concepts of physics by observing some of the common phenomena occurring in everyday life• To understand the physical concepts behind what makes things work•To participate in science by exploiting our natural curiosity• To exercise our critical thinking skills• To appreciate the quantitative nature of physical science  numbers matter!• To recall how to deal with simple formulas to obtain numerical solutions to problems 3SOME OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE WILL BE DISCUSS IN THIS COURSE• Why do things move?• Does everything that goes up come down?• Why does a bicycle stay upright when it’s moving but falls when it stops?• What is the physics behind seatbelts?• Why doesn’t the moon fall into the earth or the earth fall into the Sun?• Why is it difficult to walk on ice?• Why does ice melt?4• What is light?• What is lightning?• What makes rainbows?• How can a boat made of steel float?• Why do my socks stick to my shirts inthe clothes dryer?• Why do I get a shock after I walk acrossthe carpet room and touch a doorknob?• Why is it a bad idea to plug everyappliance into the same outlet?• How do magnets work?• How does a compass work?5• How do refrigerators work?• Why can’t I cool my room by keeping the refrigerator door opened?• What is sound?• Why do I sound funny when I breath helium?• How is electricity produced?• What’s the difference between DC and AC?• What is work and energy?• What do airplanes and curveballs have in common?• Why do golf balls have dimples?62• How tall does a mirror need to be to see my entire self?• What is the Greenhouse effect, the ozone layer?• Is the climate changing? Is it our fault? What’s the difference between heat and temperature?• What is a day, month, year?• Why is a Jupiter year 12 Earth years?• How do CAT scans and MRIs work?• How do you make an atom bomb?7What Physics isn’t•Art• Philosophy• Engineering• Religion•Math• Astrology• Magic• Boring and impossible to understand• Done only by mad scientists8What is Physics?• Physics is the natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with the related concepts such as energy and force.• More broadly, it is the analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves, from the largest objects to the smallest.• A search for patterns or rules (laws) for the behavior of all physical objects9What is the relation of Physicsto the other sciences?The attempt to understand the behavior of everything requires more than one field, so various sub-fields have emerged over time:• Astronomy• Chemistry• Biology• Geoscience• Oceanography• Meteorology• Atmospheric Science• Environmental Science10Specialization in ScienceSCIENCEPhysical – inanimate objectsBiological – living thingsPhysics deals with questions at the most fundamental level:• What is matter made of? What holds it together? What are its smallest constituents?• What are the forces in nature?• What is time (Einstein)? 11The Social Sciences12• Human behavior cannot be understood on the basis of physical or biological science alone.• We cannot understand people simply by studying the behavior of their atoms and molecules• The Social Sciences are the disciplines that investigate the social, financial, and political interrelationships among people– Sociology– Psychology– Political science– Economics3Where do the laws ofphysics come from?• The laws of physics are based on observations (experimentation)• We must observe nature to understand it• We look for patterns of behavior• We quantify these patterns into mathematical statements – formulas• We continually test these “laws” to find the limits of their applicability• We revise the “laws” when they fail13How can I do well in this course?• Download the lecture presentations• Pay attention to the demonstrations• Go over the lecture presentations• Do the review questions and