Einstein’s Legacy: Modern Physics All around You

Overview

Course No. 10200

Reveal the extraordinary physics in ordinary life. The name Albert Einstein conjures up some of the most brain-bending ideas in the history of science. Theories he helped found, such as relativity and quantum mechanics, may seem far removed from daily life. But this course proves that these concepts underlie routine tasks like cooking, photography, timekeeping, and getting from one place to another.

In 12 half-hour lectures, Einstein’s Legacy: Modern Physics All around You teaches contemporary physics by showing how activities we pursue every day draw on the discoveries of Einstein and other giants of 20th-century physics. In a math-free presentation designed for non-scientists, Professor Chad Orzel of Union College focuses on quantum ideas, including the photoelectric effect, the Bohr model of the atom, Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, the Pauli exclusion principle, and entanglement, while also touching on the special and general theories of relativity.

A popular physics teacher at Union College, Professor Orzel takes an accessible but rigorous approach, going deeply into the quantum nature of light, magnetism, nuclear radiation, chemical bonding, and other phenomena. The many applications he covers also include the internet, lasers, computer chips, smoke detectors, quantum cryptography, and even our sense of smell and why solid objects are, in fact, solid. Viewers will never think of their surroundings the same again, while getting a thorough, non-technical education in the great breakthroughs in modern physics.

Video Lectures

01: Toasters, Planck, and Modern Physics

Any time you see a heating element glow as you toast a slice of bread, you are looking at the phenomenon that gave birth to quantum physics. Begin your study of the relevance of modern physics to everyday life by probing Max Planck’s formulation of the quantum hypothesis at the turn of the 20th century. Planck’s ideas explain why your toaster doesn’t kill you with high-energy radiation!

Duration: 26 min

02: Cameras and Einstein’s Photoelectric Effect

Albert Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics, not for his theory of relativity, but for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Learn how his startling proposal that light is composed of a stream of particles (later called photons) overthrew the view that light is exclusively a wave. Discover that photons and the photoelectric effect are behind the operation of digital cameras.

Duration: 24 min

03: Modern Clocks and the Bohr Atom

In 1913, Niels Bohr proposed a model of the atom that allowed physicists to predict atomic properties that had previously been completely mysterious. As a bonus, Bohr’s model provides the conceptual foundation for timekeeping using atomic clocks, where the “ticking” is the oscillation of light. Study the workings of these super-accurate devices that are good to a second in a hundred million years.

Duration: 24 min

04: GPS and Einstein’s Relativity

Delve into the principle of relativity, first proposed by Galileo Galilei and later extended by Einstein to account for inconsistencies in the interpretation of electromagnetic phenomena. See how Einstein’s special theory of relativity was the result, with astonishing consequences for our understanding of time and space. The Global Positioning System (GPS) would be hopelessly inaccurate without it.

Duration: 22 min

05: Elevators Demonstrate General Relativity

Continue deeper into relativity by exploring Einstein’s general theory of relativity, which treats gravity as indistinguishable from a simple accelerating reference frame—for example, an elevator that is speeding up or slowing down. From this insight, Einstein developed a theory with truly staggering implications, such as that space and time alter in the presence of massive objects.

Duration: 23 min

06: Lasers, the Internet, and Photon Emission

The internet relies on Einstein’s theory of stimulated emission of radiation, along with the later work of physicists who turned the idea into a practical invention, namely the laser. Follow a single photon in a laser as it multiplies, forming a tight, concentrated beam. Then study the role of fiber optic cables in guiding laser digital signals throughout our global telecommunications network.

Duration: 24 min

07: A Sense of Smell Relies on Pauli Exclusion

Starting with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee, zero in on the nose’s chemical receptors that mediate smell. Consider the quantum effects involved—notably Wolfgang Pauli’s theory of electron spin and his exclusion principle, which together dictate how electrons fill energy states within the atom. The grouping of electrons in the outermost shell determines essentially all of chemistry.

Duration: 24 min

08: Why Everyday Objects Don’t Implode

Given the overwhelming amount of empty space in atoms, what accounts for the stability of solid objects? Shouldn’t they implode at the slightest touch? Chart the search by Erwin Schrödinger, Werner Heisenberg, and others for an explanation. Discover that the physics that lets you set down a cup safely also governs the most exotic matter in the universe—the material making up a neutron star.

Duration: 24 min

09: Computers and Schrödinger’s Cat

Learn the link between Schrödinger’s famous cat paradox and the microelectronics revolution. In the paradox, a cat is simultaneously both dead and alive due to the indeterminate nature of an atomic process on which the feline’s fate depends. See how the physics of superposition—as this state is known—is essential to the behavior of everyday objects and plays a crucial role in computer circuits.

Duration: 25 min

10: Magnets Need the Quantum World

Einstein was understandably entranced by magnets since the behavior of permanent magnets is so hard to explain. Dive into the quantum world to discover why most atoms are non-magnetic, yet some—like iron—are prone to holding a long-lasting magnetic charge. Find that the Pauli exclusion principle once again is a key element. Also probe the surprising sophistication of refrigerator magnets.

Duration: 23 min

11: Smoke Detectors and Quantum Tunneling

A popular type of smoke detector relies on a tiny amount of radioactive material that undergoes alpha decay, allowing the identification of minute smoke particles in the air. Delve into the marvel of quantum tunneling which physicist George Gamow used to explain the otherwise baffling process of alpha decay. Also learn that Heisenberg’s famous uncertainty principle is a related concept.

Duration: 26 min

12: The Future of Cryptography Is Entanglement

Quantum physics provides a way to make codes that are completely uncrackable, thanks to a strange property first identified in one of Einstein’s failed attempts to overthrow the theory. Close the course by investigating the most bizarre quantum phenomenon of all: entanglement. Einstein called it “spooky action-at-a-distance,” yet it may one day safeguard your most private data from eavesdroppers.

Duration: 28 min