Home Page

This course introduces basic scientific concepts needed to understand physical processes and technologies encountered in everyday life. It is the second of a two-part series that integrates study of physical science with the history and social context behind scientific ideas, inventions, and devices that we encounter in daily life. Each course in the series is designed to stand alone, though both may be taken, in any order. The focus in this part is electricity: what it is, how its properties came to be discovered, how it is generated and distributed, and how its properties are exploited in lighting systems, radio, microwave ovens, xerographic copiers, portable audio players, and other devices. Readings in the history of lighting, electrification, and electronics will be included to develop an appreciation for how the mysteries of electricity and magnetism came to be understood, and how inventors and entrepreneurs harnessed this new knowledge to create the modern world of gadgets we now take for granted. Students should bring to the class a curiosity about modern technologies and the physical laws that govern how they work. No previous college-level coursework in science is assumed or required. Basic algebra and geometry will be used in problem solving, though the emphasis is on conceptual understanding and logical reasoning from fundamental physical laws. Students should come away from the course with greater understanding of electricity and an appreciation of how the modern world of electronic gadgetry came to be.