Course Schedule and Catalog

Long Title: DISSECTING PHYSICS POP SCIENCE, FROM BLACK HOLES TO QUANTUM PHYSICS (MCMURTRY)

Department: College Courses

Grade Mode: Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory

Language of Instruction: Taught in English

Course Type: Seminar

Credit Hours: 1

Description: Popular science is the communication of scientific knowledge intended for a general audience. This genre of media is accessible to almost everyone and consequently evokes widespread interest in physical phenomena, from the mysterious environments of black holes to the paradoxical observations in quantum physics. However, the information conveyed is almost always qualitative. The oversaturation of textually descriptive information in pop-physics can set expectations that differ from the type of work actually being done. What is the role of qualitative and quantitative information in the strengths and weaknesses of pop-physics? We will assess the positive and negative implications of the inclusion and exemption of math in physics popular science, such as how math’s prevalence and accessibility shapes its public image. We will also evaluate how well are we representing physics and educating the public through the omission of numbers. Here we probe the quantitative side of popular physics topics and use this understanding to concurrently reason whether or not the current norms for science communication should be modified.