Scientific Revolutions
REVISED SYLLABUS
Winter Term 2000
|
Date |
Topic |
Readings |
|
5 Jan. |
Heritage of Renassance Science vs. the New, Modern Science. |
Westfall, ch. VII |
|
12 Jan. |
Isaac Newton: The Discovery/Creation of Gravity |
Westfall, ch. VIII Baigrie (Newton, Cavendish) |
|
19 Jan. |
Film : "Newton’s Argument for Universal Gravitation"Newtonian Optics |
Cohen, ch. 7 (don’t obsess if you do not understand the math) |
|
26 Jan. |
Chemistry: Alchemy & Paracelsus |
Baigrie (Paracelsus) Westfall, ch. IV |
|
2 Feb. |
Chemistry: Phlogiston and Lavoisier |
Baigrie (Priestley, Lavoisier) |
|
9 Feb. |
Chemistry: Lavoisier and Mendeleev |
Baigrie (Gay Lussac, Dalton, Mendeleev) |
|
16 Feb. |
R EADING WEEK |
|
|
23 Feb. |
Science Applied?: Thermodynamics and Electricity |
Baigrie (Volta, Œrsted, Faraday) |
|
1 Mar. |
The rise of Geology: Hutton, Lyell, Cuvier |
Baigrie (Hutton, Cuvier, Lyell) |
|
8 Mar. |
Darwin, Lamarck and Evolution |
Baigrie (Linnaeus, Lamarck, Darwin) |
|
15 Mar. |
Mendel: the discovery of genetics and their application |
Baigrie (Mendel) (and you’ll probably want to begin Watson) |
|
22 Mar. |
DNA: The Double Helix |
Watson (complete) |
|
29 Mar. |
Inside the Atom: X-Rays and Radiation |
Baigrie (Avogadro, Röntgen, Thomson) |
|
5 Apr. |
Outside the Atom: Quantum Physics, Relativity, and the Bomb. |
Baigrie (Rutherford) |