The Early Universe - A Means of Securing the Pipline

该项目开发了一个新的一学期非微积分为基础的 物理调查课程"早期宇宙"，旨在揭示 学生们，尤其是巴纳德学院一年级的女生， 可能主修自然科学或数学， 20世纪世纪物理学最激动人心的发展。 这 这门课程是巴纳德物理系 以确保管道的安全，防止人才流失， 女物理学家 基本的主题是物理学， 早期宇宙，大部分课程都花在 宇宙学和现代基本粒子理论。 的 最后三分之一的课程集中在爱因斯坦的特殊 相对论 不需要微积分知识 也没有任何物理学的研究，只有一个愿意雇用 代数、几何和三角学，以帮助一个人的关键 思考微妙的科学问题 实验室 本课程的组成部分致力于测量 自然常数，包括光速，牛顿的 引力常数，电子的质量和电荷， 和普朗克常数。国家科学基金会的资金用于人员支持，在 巴纳德高级本科生助学金的形式， 在1991年夏季的课程开发和设备 支持，以一个小型计算机物理实验室的形式， 配备了Mathematica的Macintosh电脑， 早期宇宙课程的扩展计算部分 这体现在创新的实验室，家庭作业， 学习任务。 NSF的设备资金与 非联邦资金来源。

The project develops a novel one semester non-calculus based physics survey course "The Early Universe", designed to expose students, particularly first-year Barnard women contemplating a possible major in the natural sciences or mathematics, to the most exciting developments in 20th century physics. This course represents an effort by the Barnard physics department to secure the pipeline against potential losses of talented women physicists. The essential subject matter is physics of the early universe, with the bulk of the course spent on cosmological and modern theories of elementary particles. The final third of the course concentrates on Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity. No knowledge of calculus is necessary nor any previous study in physics, only a willingness to employ algebra, geometry and trigonometry to assist one's critical thinking about subtle scientific questions. The laboratory component of the course is devoted to measuring the fundamental constants of Nature, including the speed of light, Newton's gravitational constant, the mass and charge of the electron, and Planck's constant.NSF funds for personnel support, in the form of stipends for advanced Barnard undergraduates assisting in the course development during summer 1991 and equipment support, in the form of a small-scale computer physics lab of Mathematica-equipped Macintosh computers, permit a much expanded computational component to the Early Universe course that manifests itself in innovative laboratory, homework, and learning assignments. NSF funds for equipment are matched with funds from non-federal sources.