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College of Creative Studies

Current Course Offerings
Winter 2012

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Last update 5/15/2012

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INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES CS 120, Section 1 EC # 26344
SYMMETRY AND AESTHETICS IN CONTEMPORARY PHYSICS

Symmetry and broken symmetry guide our understanding of the Laws of Physics, from Newton's classical laws of dynamics, to Einstein's General Relativity, to modern Cosmology, Particle Physics, String Theory, and beyond. Symmetry and asymmetry are also at the heart of our aesthetic experiences in art, music, and dance.

In this interdisciplinary seminar you will have the opportunity to explore mathematics as a language of nature, to think about the way spacetime and matter interact, and to think about contemporary physics as a cultural expression. We will investigate the connections between physics, math, art, music, and dance as means of inquiry, self reflection, and communication about the phenomenological universe, through the common ground of symmetry and aesthetics. You will read some good physics literature, learn some new approaches to math, and explore art as a means of expressing math and understanding physics. Finally, you will have the opportunity to create your own physics work of art. Topics include: Symmetry, Series in Nature, Special and General Relativity, and some Cosmology.

Everyone is welcome! Open to all majors. No prior physics experience necessary.

Recommended math preparation: a bit of high school algebra & geometry

For questions, please contact the instructor: jatila@physics.ucsb.edu.
For information about the instructor, her research, and the course, please see www.physics.ucsb.edu/~jatila




Instructor(s): Jatila van der Veen
Time(s): Friday, 1:00 pm - 3:50 pm
Place(s): Old Little Theater, Rm. 160B


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