Catalog Search Results
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
High-energy radiation has been used against cancer tumors since the discovery of X-rays in 1895. Discover the powerful arsenal of radiation sources and procedures that radiation oncologists use today. Visit the Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute to look at a technique that targets cancer cells with remarkable precision, while sparing the surrounding tissues.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2009.
Language
English
Description
Quantum mechanics is the most successful physical theory ever devised, and you learn what distinguishes it from its predecessor, classical mechanics. Professor Schumacher explains his ground rules for the course, which is designed to teach you some of the deep ideas and methods of quantum mechanics.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Understand how pressure, volume, and temperature are state functions related by a formula known as the ideal gas law. Contrast these variables with work and heat, learning why they are not state functions. See how the ideal gas law can be used to calculate the work done by a piston.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
See how hydrogen, helium, and a few other light nuclei were forged in the fiery aftermath of the Big Bang. Then, trace the formation of heavier nuclei in the interiors of stars, in supernova explosions, and in the collisions of neutron stars. Special attention is paid to the sequence of reactions and the required conditions that gave us the complete periodic table of elements.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2000.
Language
English
Description
Why can't we answer questions about what happened before the Big Bang, or what goes on at the center of a black hole? Can we manage the formidable task of combining quantum physics with general relativity? Physics may well be the most important subject in the universe, a theoretical realm that ranges from the infinitesimally small to the infinitely vast, its laws governing time, space, and the forces that created our world.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
After the dust settled from the quantum revolution, physics was left with two fundamental theories: the standard model of particle physics for quantum phenomena and general relativity for gravitational interactions. Follow the quest for a grand unified theory that incorporates both. Armed with Karl Popper’s demarcation criteria, see how unifying ideas such as string theory fall short.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Investigate the properties of different materials as they change phase from solid to liquid to gas. Witness the surprising behavior of supercooled water, and discover that phase diagrams are an important tool for predicting how temperature and pressure determine when phase transitions occur.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Marvel at the power of osmosis by investigating the thermodynamic force that drives a liquid to flow from one side of a barrier to another. This force is called the chemical potential gradient, and it has wide application in performing work, from desalinating water to generating electricity.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Witness examples of energy transforming from one type to another - from mechanical to heat. First, see how the ideal gas law can be used to ignite a piece of cotton. Then, witness how soup can be made piping hot by rapid mixing. Also, probe the concepts of reversibility and irreversibility.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Under specific circumstances, it has been possible for a nuclear reactor to fail catastrophically. Revisit the serious nuclear accidents at Three Mile Island in the U.S., Chernobyl in the Soviet Union, and Fukushima in Japan, drawing lessons on the fallibility of safety features and human operators. Track the cascading sequence of failures in each accident.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2018.
Language
English
Description
Taught by Professor Lawrence Weinstein of Old Dominion University, this course explains the science, history, hazards, applications, and latest advances in nuclear physics. You learn the principles of radioactivity, how nuclear bombs and reactors work, the uses of radiation for cancer treatment and medical imaging, what makes some forms of radiation dangerous, plus you tour a linear accelerator.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2017.
Language
English
Description
Trace the reasoning that led Einstein to his special theory of relativity, proposed in 1905. Address common misconceptions about this startling new view of time and space, which led to ideas such as mass-energy equivalence, the impossibility of faster-than-light travel, and the space-time continuum.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Define the Gibbs free energy, which is closely related to entropy and allows the determination of equilibrium for systems under realistic experimental conditions. Then encounter a related variable, enthalpy, which is useful when discussing constant pressure processes.
95) The Great Questions of Philosophy and Physics: Episode 8,Quantum States: Neither True nor False?
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2020.
Language
English
Description
Enter the quantum world, where traditional philosophical logic breaks down. First, explore the roots of quantum theory and how scientists gradually uncovered its surpassing strangeness. Clear up the meaning of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, which is a metaphysical claim, not an epistemological one. Finally, delve into John von Neumann’s revolutionary quantum logic.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2014.
Language
English
Description
Review major concepts. Then look ahead at innovative technologies that may help solve the world's urgent energy and fresh water needs. These promising processes rely on the design of new materials, which can only be achieved through a deep understanding of thermodynamics.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2009.
Language
English
Description
Light propagates through space as a wave, but it exchanges its energy in the form of particles. You learn how Louis de Broglie showed that this weird wave-particle duality also applies to matter, and how Max Born inferred that this relationship makes quantum mechanics inherently probabilistic.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2009.
Language
English
Description
You investigate the age-old debate over whether the physical world is discrete or continuous. By the 19th century, physicists saw a clear demarcation: Matter is made of discrete atoms, while light is a continuous wave of electromagnetic energy. However, a few odd phenomena remained difficult to explain.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2009.
Language
English
Description
You discover that the tendency of bosons to congregate in the same quantum state can lead to amazing applications. In a laser, huge numbers of photons are created, moving in exactly the same direction with the same energy. In superconductivity, quantum effects allow electrons to flow forever without resistance.
Publisher
The Great Courses
Pub. Date
2009.
Language
English
Description
The uncopyability of quantum information raises the possibility of quantum cryptography - an absolutely secure method for transmitting a coded message. This lecture tells how to do it, noting that a handful of banks and government agencies already use quantum cryptography to ensure the security of their most secret data.
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