In this course our focus is to prepare Harvey Mudd students for the lifelong challenge of fostering "a clear understanding of the impact of their work on society." We will use climate change as an opportunity to explore the impact of our work on society. There are four primary components of that exploration: critical analysis of the social context of STEM, the expansion and application of concepts from the core to understand this social-technical problem, collaborative projects that promote positive change in the world, and communicating our project designs and professional choices. Plenary sessions will explore topics such as environmental justice, earth system science, the relation between expertise and power, policy processes, data science, community engagement, multidisciplinary collaboration, impactful careers, and science communication. Individual sections will explore particular climate-related issues in greater depth. Final team projects will challenge students to apply these concepts in proposals for climate solutions. Open to HMC students only.

Classical mechanics is introduced beginning with inertial frames and the Galilean transformation, followed by momentum and momentum conservation in collisions, Newton's laws of motion, spring forces, gravitational forces and friction. Differential and integral calculus are used extensively throughout. Work, kinetic energy and potential energy are defined, and energy conservation is discussed in particle motion and collisions. Rotational motion is treated, including angular momentum, torque, cross-products and statics. Other topics include rotating frames, pseudoforces and central-force motion. Simple harmonic and some nonlinear oscillations are discussed, followed by waves on strings, sound and other types of waves, and wave phenomena such as standing waves, beats, two-slit interference, resonance and the Doppler effect.

This course is designed as a “hands on” course. In the words of Thomas Dewey, “Learn by doing.” We will discuss what is going on when we prepare food and what goes on after we consume it. Every day, without a second thought, we pop things into the microwave, toss dinner on the BBQ, heat something up on the stovetop, whip something up with our mixer or run it through our food processor. We heat stuff, we cool stuff and we freeze stuff. We use pots and pans made of cast iron, stainless steel, glass, aluminum and copper. We set temperatures and we set timers. We boil, simmer, braise, caramelize, liquefy, steep, brew and marinate. Did you ever stop to think that there is a method to the madness? Those seemingly abstract concepts of wave mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, solid state physics and even quantum mechanics dictate how tasty and healthy your meal ends up being. But what about nutrition and health...? Can we bake our cake and eat it too? It’s all about conservation of energy! In this country we spend in excess of $40 billion dollars a year on dieting and another 2.6 billion on gym memberships. Is this all a scam, a hopeless quest? Consider that 68.8% of US adults are either overweight or obese (CDC). Obesity is a contributing factor is deaths due to heart disease, cancer, stroke, kidney disease and diabetes (CDC). Losing as little as 5 to 7 percent of a person’s total body weight lowers blood pressure, improves sugar levels, and lowers diabetes by nearly 60% in those with pre diabetes (CDC). The average size of a bagel in the US more than doubled between 1983 and 2003 (going from 4 inches in diameter and 140 calories to 6 inches in diameter and 350 calories (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute). At the current rate of increase, yearly obesity related healthcare costs are expected to exceed $300 billion dollars by 2018 — up from the reported $147 billion in 2008. Can we have it all? Can we prepare amazing meals and treats and still retain our health. Take the course and find out!

This course combines mathematical and computational methods that are useful for studying physical systems. Topics include: Linear algebra, Hilbert spaces, the eigenvalue problem and numerical algorithms for solving problems in linear algebra, including various modes of decomposition; Fourier series and transforms, convolution, correlation and numerical methods using fast Fourier transforms; computer simulation methods based on integrating coupled differential equations and also using pseudorandom numbers, including Monte Carlo methods; partial differential equations, separation of variables, Laplace and Poisson equations in various dimensions, the wave equation, and numerical approaches to solution.

Einstein's special theory of relativity is developed from the premises that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames and that the speed of light is a constant. The relationship between mass and energy is explored and relativistic collisions analyzed. The families of elementary particles are described and the equivalence principle developed.

An introduction to electricity and magnetism leading to Maxwell's elec­tromagnetic equations in differential and integral form. Selected topics in classical and quantum optics.

A seminar devoted to effective writing strategies and conventions that apply across academic disciplines. The course emphasizes clarity, concision, and coherence in sentences, paragraphs, and arguments.