SPRING 2022 ERTH-106 On-Line Materials (Black Holes and the Beginning of the Universe)
The bold items are the main lectures or more noteworthy items of the class (so check those out first).
Click here for a list of just the Zoom Chats with Scientists / Alumni.

• Intro flyer for course
• Welcome Video (3min)
  The 3 minute video above is for those not enrolled in the class, The two videos below are for students enrolled in the class and go into detail about assignments. You can skip these if you are not in the class.
  
  • Welcome Video (13min)
  • Welcome Video for those who are unfamiliar with Pipeline and Canvas (20min)
    This video is to help those who need more assistance getting started with the class.
• Instructor Bio: Erin O'Connor
• Text: A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking (entire book, specific chapter sections given each week)
• Resource Text (From ERTH-101 Intruductory Astronomy): OpenStax Astronomy
  
• Zoom Chats
  Each week I set up a Zoom Chat with a scientist working with astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, or science and engineering, or an alum of SBCC from our astronomy program to see what they are doing now with school, education, or their lives and careers.  Some of our former students are doing amazing things.  I reach out to contacts I've made over my teaching career to personalize and humanize the material and create more of an "in person" classroom environment.

Week 1

• VIDEO Instructions for this week's reading (15min) - For those enrolled in the class (goes into detail about assignments)
• Welcome to the Class + Introduction to my Box of Books
  FULL Video (1hr11min),  SHORT Video (1hr1min)
• Tortoises All the Way Down! + Historical Models of the Cosmos
  FULL Video (1hr22min),  SHORT Video (1hr15min)
• Chapter 1 from the Hawking Book (up to Olbers' Paradox on p4, but go ahead and finish the chapter if you want)
  Hawking Ch1 Highlighted pdf
• Galileo Feather Experiment (Demo) - not historically accurate, but see what you think...
  (Filmed on location, in the field, with me and my son)
• D1(BH) Weekly Discussion
• Crash Course #7: Gravity (10min)
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Friday 1/21 at 7 pm
  https://youtu.be/OWZI1Aumm28
  
  • Hector Jimenez, former SBCC student now working as a scientist in the Airforce and flying C-130's as a navigator, and doing astrophotography with his own equipment from his back yard. My first PowerPoint image backdrop of the Orion Nebula was taken by Hector, and he will share with us more images and will tell us how he does it. Feel free to contact him by email at hfjmnz@gmail.com if you have follow up questions to our chat and/or about astrophotography.
• Z1 Discussion Zoom Meeting with Scientist/Alumni 7pm Fri 1/21
• End Of Week video (7min) - For those enrolled in the class (goes into detail about assignments)

Week 2

• Rest of Ch1 in Hawking Book: Olber's Paradox and Cosmology/Hubble
  FULL Video (44min)
• D2(BH) Weekly Discussion
• Feynman Lectures Video: The Law of Gravitation
• Activity: Gravity & Orbital Motion (56min)
  
  • Some students are having difficulty with the program that you will use in this activity when using some browsers. Whenever you change your initial speed and launch angle, be sure to click on the "Initialize" button before hitting "Play". You should only need to use these two buttons. The "Reset" and "Clear Path" buttons don't always seem to work (and you don't need them). If the program freezes up on you, click the "Refresh" button. If it's not working for you, please email me and let me know what's happening so we can figure it out. If it's not working, try using another browser or a different computer. 
    
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Friday 1/28 at 3 pm
  We had a great Zoom Meeting.  Here is the recording:  
  https://youtu.be/_dW1hutPUxI
• Dr. Tom Farr, Recently retired JPL Planetary Geologist who has worked on most all the important planetary exploration missions for the past 40 years (most of the space programs history).  He also teaches our 1 unit NASA Missions class.  Join us to say hello and to ask him questions about NASA planetary exploration.
• Z2 Discussion Zoom Meeting with Scientist/Alumni, 3 pm Fri 1/28

Week 3

• Watch Lecture on Cosmology (The Expanding Universe)
  FULL Video (2hrs18min)
• Read Chapter 3 from the Hawking Book:  The Expanding Universe
  Hawking Ch3 Highlighted pdf
• D3(BH) Weekly Discussion
• Activity: Light, Temperature, and Color
• Video: Stephen Hawking (55min) (PBS Stephen Hawking A Personal Journey)
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Friday Feb 4 at 3 pm
  We had a great Zoom Meeting.  Here is the recording:  
  https://youtu.be/MCW_VyWCab8
  
• Dr. Isabel Lipartito recently defended her PhD in (Astro)Physics from UCSB and will share with the class her journey in science and the challenges women in STEM face in a competative male dominated academic field. Her areas of research at UCSB include binary, cluster, and exoplanet studies, and she has co-hosted many "Astronomy on Tap" events with Las Cumbres Global Observatory in Santa Barbara (pre-pandemic of course). She is currently working as a Senior Systems Integration and Test Engineer at Lockheed Martin.
• Z3 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 3 pm Fri 2/4

Week 4

• Watch Lecture on the "Last Three Minutes"
  FULL Video (16min), Goes over the reading on this
• Read the Last Three Minutes
  Discusses thermodynamics, thermodynamic heat death, and Olber's Paradox
• Video: A bit about Atoms (4min)
  We need to understand what an atom is so we can talk about creation of all elements in the Universe.
• Watch Lecture on the "First Three Minutes"
  FULL Video (34min), Goes over the reading on this
• Read the First Three Minutes (here is link to entire book, First Three Minutes ALL, if you want it)
  The "Big Bang" Inflationary Cosmological Model  (Detailed breakdown of events)
• D4(BH) Weekly Discussion
• Crash Course #42: The Big Bang (10min)
• Watch Lecture on Ch 8 of the Hawking Book - the Origin & Fate of the Universe (OPTIONAL - Not required, but super interesting)
  FULL Video (1hr16min), Goes over the reading on this
  (Oops, I forgot to redo the audio on the first two slides, so don't let that throw you off.)
• Read Ch 8 of Hawking Book (OPTIONAL - Not required, but of course super interesting)
  A more advanced treatment of the Big Bang Inflationary Model and the profound philosophical implications
• Video: Crash Course in Nuclear Physics (10min) OPTIONAL - Not required, but of course super interesting!
  Explains more advanced properties of atoms including alpha, beta, and gamma decay.
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Thursday Feb 10 at 1 pm
  We had a great Zoom Meeting.  Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/mp4g0DQQnlE
  • Dr. Philip Lubin, Professor, Researcher, UCSB Experimental Cosmology and Directed Energy. Phil has been a principal investigator with both the COBE and PLANCK CMB Mapping Missions and has worked with high altitude balloon projects and South Pole projects. Click here to see current Exp Cosm Lab Projects. He has lead many cutting edge and innovative experimental endeavors with digital image processing and directed energy Planetary Defense, using lasers to deflect or destroy meteoroids, asteroids and comets (before they get us), and to use lasers to propel microchip sized spacecraft to nearby stars at 20% the speed of light (and maybe with microorganisms hitching a ride). Click here for more info on Phil's education, teaching, and research background.
  • TIMINGS:
    0 - 0:47   Introductions
    0:47 - 53:28   Cosmology with COBE and PLANCK
    53:40 - 1:09:11   Student Question: STARLIGHT, WATERCRAFT, and ET (sending microchip spacecraft to stars using lasers)
    1:09:11 - 1:23:24   Student Question: What about relativistic mass?
    1:23:24 - End   Discussion with class about talk
• Z4 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 1 pm Thrs Feb 10

Week 5

• Watch Lecture on Space & Time (Ch 2 of Hawking Book)
  FULL Video (1hr49min), SHORT Video (1hr39min)
• Read Chapter 2 from the Hawking Book:  Space & Time
  Hawking Ch2 Highlighted pdf
• Hawking References the Apollo Feather Dropping Experiment on the Moon:
  YouTube Video of Apollo 15 on Moon (1min)
• D5(BH) Weekly Discussion
• Lecture on Special Relativity Supplemental Readings by T.M. Helliwell (OPTIONAL - Not required, but super interesting)
  FULL Video (1hr7min)
• Supplemental Readings by Relativity by T.M. Helliwell, Professor Emeritus, Harvey Mudd College (OPTIONAL - Not required, but super interesting)
  Special Relativity: The Physics of High Speeds (Ch 2-6)
• Activity: Weight on Other Worlds
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Thursday Feb 17 at 5 pm
  We had a great Zoom Meeting.  Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/UGRM8Str43c
  • Amalu Shimamura, Jessica Macfarlane, and Sabrina Wagner all were students here at SBCC.  All three graduated with degrees in physics and now all work at an innovative company called Freedom Photonics here in Santa Barbara. The company specializes in advanced semiconductor photonic component technology, has it's own specialized patents, and is designing and building lasers that will be used in space based operations in orbit and perhaps on the Moon.  They will share with us about their educational journey, the challenges with underrepresentation in upper division physics at UCSB and Berkeley, and the work they all do at Freedom Photonics. Feel free to contact them directly by email (sabiwags@gmail.com, jlmacfarlane@berkeley.edu) or Facebook (Amalu Islandvillage).
• Z5 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 5 pm Thrs Feb 17

Week 6

• Watch Lecture on the book Flatland / Sphereland, and Higher Dimensions
  FULL Video (1hr33min)
• Read the following shortened version of the book Flatland
  Flatland/Sphereland Readings pdf
• D6(BH) Weekly Discussion
• Lecture on General Relativity Supplemental Readings by T.M. Helliwell (OPTIONAL - Not required, but super interesting)
  FULL Video (47min)
• Supplemental Readings of General Relativity by T.M. Helliwell, Professor Emeritus, Harvey Mudd College (OPTIONAL - Not required, but super interesting)
  General Relativity: The Theory of Gravity
• V6(BH) Imagining the Tenth Dimension (12min) (WATCH ONLY FIRST 12 MINUTES)
  For the this movie "Imagining 10 Dimensions" please pay specific attention to the two sections listed below.
  • 1:55-2:55 WORMHOLES, which explains how you can bend space into higher dimensions
  • 2:55-4:16 HOW TIME IS THE 4th DIMENSION, an explanation to help us understand TIME as a Dimension
    Flatland treats the 4th Dimension as a SPATIEL DIMENSION, but Einstein says it's a TEMPORAL DIMENSION (a special type of dimension, TIME)
• V6(BH) Video Flatland Trailer (2min)
• V6(BH) Video Albert Einstein (58min)
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Friday Feb 25 at 4 pm
  We had a great Zoom Meeting.  Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/ogH7z73pMl0
  • Jason Barrios, former student at SBCC who is now completing a major in Physics at UCSB and working toward a PhD in experimental astro-particle physics. He is also the tutor for our class and very knowledgeable with many of the advanced topics we have been discussing. Don't hesitate to reach out to him. For our Zoom Chat he will share with us some very amazing internship experiences he has had over the past few years. We want to encourage SBCC Students to look into internship opportunities NOW, not later. There are many programs specifically directed toward Community College students and the opportunities and experiences are very valuable. Jason can speak toward this first-hand. Jason can speak toward this first-hand. If you have questions about his research projects and/or internship experiences, or just to say hello, you can email him at jabarrios19@gmail.com.
• Z6 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 4 pm Fri Feb 25

Week 7

• Watch Lecture on Quantum Mechanics (Ch 4 of Hawking Book)
  FULL Video (1hr18min)
• Read Chapter 4 from the Hawking Book:  The Uncertainty Principle
  HawkingBookCh4QM.pdf
• D7(BH) Weekly Discussion
• V7 Video Einstein Explains Relativity (2min)
• V7 Video Dr Quantum (5min)
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Thr Mar 3 at 7 pm (Extra Credit if you attend LIVE)
  We had a great Zoom Meeting. Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/subGVjUCuKA
  
  • Jared Goldberg, UCSB PhD candidate in Stellar Evolution.  He probably knows more intimate details about the star Betelgeuse than you do of your loved ones.  Jared did his undergraduate double major in "Physics and Philosophy" at Claremont McKenna College and took numerous courses from Harvey Mudd (where I went to school).  He di a summer undergrad research fellowship at Caltech (another example of the value of internship experiences).  Upon completion of his PhD he will join the Center for Computational Astrophysics in NYC as a Flatiron Research Fellow coming fall.  Jared can offer insight and perspective on the differences between small liberal arts colleges vs large research institutions (both are good, but what are the pros and cons).  Jared also has been teaching the Astronomy Lab courses for us here at SBCC for several years, and perhaps due to being a 3d degree black belt in Karate, he usually wins all arguments (though he credits his philosophy degree for that).  Please join us for a lively conversation about exploding stars and the varied educational paths available to students in STEM at smaller schools vs bigger schools. Jared can be reached at jgoldberg1@pipeline.sbcc.edu.
• Z7 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 7 pm Thr Mar 3

Week 8

• Watch Lecture on the book QED by Richard Feynman
  FULL Video (43min)
• Read the Excerpts from the Introduction to QED by Richard Feynman
  FeynmanQED.pdf
• Watch Lecture on Particle Physics (Ch 5 of Hawking Book)
  FULL Video (1hr19min)
• Read Chapter 5 from the Hawking Book:  Elementary Particles and the Forces of Nature
  HawkingBookCh5.pdf
• D8(BH) Weekly Discussion
• C8(BH) Crash Course #29: Low Mass Stars
• V8 Video Bill Gates Best Teacher Never Had (2min)
• V8 Video Feynman Understanding QM (1min)
• V8 Video Feynman on Algebra (1 min)
• V8 Video Feynman Flower (2min)
• V8 Video Feynman QED Intro (6min)
• EC8 Video Feynman Sum Over Histories (16min)
• V8 Video CERN's LHC + Plans for Future (13min)
• V8 Video LHC Discovery of New Particle (watch only first 3min of 11 min video)
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Fri Mar 11 at 3 pm (Extra Credit if you attend LIVE)
  We had a great Zoom Meeting. Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/Yzbw5NMLyPI
  
  • Former SBCC student and Astronomy Club Officer, Zarina Dhillon has transferred to Claremont McKenna College with a passion for math! Three years ago she was a pre-professional ballet dancer who had never taken a college math class! Within two years she was tutoring (Astronomy, Calculus 1 &2, and Statistics), doing NSF summer internships in STEM, and graduated from SBCC with honors and with 8 degrees! She now has a full ride scholarship at CMC and hopes to continue her graduate studies in education and math. Join us for a lively conversation where Zarina will share with us her strategies for a successful transfer and advice on educational pursuits. You can contact her with questions at dhillonzarina@gmail.com. She was also the recipient of several SBCC scholarships - you can read her essay on the SBCC Foundation Website.
    https://www.sbccfoundation.org/alumni-stories/?fbclid=IwAR1V96vK9EZHQdqK3mbr-Yr0oH74GOCn4L4GQS-Lzl3whSWhM0zNuwrZaPY
• Z8 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 3 pm Fri Mar 11
  

Week 9

• Video Lecture (28min) of me going over this weeks assignments and specifically discussing the Pros & Cons of nuclear technology and discussing the optional links to specific incidences of nuclear mishaps (see link given below).
• Watch Lecture on Women In Science and Madame Marie Curie
  FULL Video (45min)
• Read the Excerpts from the books on Women in Science and the biography of Madame Curie
  • 50WomenInScience
  • 10WomenInScience
  • MadameCurie
• Watch Lecture on the Radium Girls
  FULL Video (22min)
• Read selected readings from the book Radium Girls
  RadiumGirls.pdf
• Nuclear Accidents and Incidents (Wikipedia link that goes with Video Lecture up top)
• A4 Radioisotope Age Dating (docx, pdf)
• D9(BH) Weekly Discussion
• C9 Crash Course #31: High Mass Stars
• V9 Video Marie Curie (5min)
• V9 Video Marie Curie Historical Summary (13min)
• V9 Video Radium Girls Documentary (21min)
• V9 Video Chernobyl Disaster DocuSeries Trailer (2min)
• [OPTIONAL] Radium Girls productions and opening monologue (from the play).  There are hundreds of excerpts and scenes.  Just a sampling so you can see what a powerful influence this story has and how the story is being told in theater. 
  • 10 Minute Documentary - Similar to the 20 minute one that is assigned
  • Movie trailer of the Radium Girls - Looks like a movie might be coming out soon
  • Riverfront Playhouse - First minute does part of the monologue with mixture of historical pics and pics of the cast
  • Sheldon Vexler Theater - Some historical photos, and you meet the cast, for their rendition of the play
  • Univ of South Carolina - Scenes from their play
  • CSU Production Callback - Catherine's opening monologue
• [OPTIONAL] Specific incidents from Nuclear Accidents and Incidents List worth drawing attention to (so many to pick from, these are just a few of many horrifying examples)!
  • 1940's experiments on human subjects ages 4-69 often without their knowledge or consent.
  • 1945-1946 Two physicists die at Manhattan Project due to carelessness (Harry Daghlian and Louis Slotin)
  • 1950 aircraft crash resulted in jettisoning of Nuclear Warhead over US (this is a true story). Nuclear core was removed just before jettisoning, plane crashed and 12 of 17 crewmembers survived.
  • 1961 B52 Crash in US carrying two nuclear bombs with one almost detonating (another true story)
  • 1961 Soviet Nuclear Submarine volunteers fix pipes (but later die)
  • 1966 another B52 Crash off the coast of Spain, 4 nuclear bombs on board, 2 of which exploded (non-nuclear) disbursing the nuclear material contaminating the area.
  • 1968 B52 crash, 4 nuclear bombs ruptured and radioactive material disbursed.
  • 1978 physicist puts head in particle accelerator beam (he survives)
  • 1986 Soviet submarine accident, seaman saves the crew but dies in the process.
  • Colloidal Silver Blue Man (this isn't related to radiation and he didn't get sick, but it's so crazy I had to include it). Condition is called Argyria.  Here he is on the Oprah show.
• [OPTIONAL] Large Scale Nuclear Meltdowns (with the potential to kill millions).  These are true stories.  We were lucky.  In each case, the devastation could have been much much worse (watch the HBO DocuSeries - it's a wake up call)!
  • RATED WORST NUCLEAR DISSASTER EVER! 
    Charnobyl Nuclear Power Plant (Ukraine) Disaster (significant loss of life)
    --HBO DocuSeries is very very powerful. Trailor.
  • RATED SECOND WORST NUCLEAR DIASSASTER EVER!
    Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant (Japan) Disaster
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Wed Mar 16 at 10 am
  We had a great Zoom Meeting. Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/4ylbnN2MMoU
  • Professor Emeritus Fred Marschak was instrumental in building up SBCC's Astronomy Program.  He developed many of our courses and built up from scratch the Astronomy Lab program, equipment, pedagogy and resources. He also developed the SB Museum's Astronomy Program and founded the SBAU. I myself took his class while in high school and he trained me on the planetarium and inspired me to be a teacher when I was fresh out of College.  Fred is now retired (sortof) and lives back East with his wife and two cats, but continues to be heavily involved with planetarium productions and and outreach programs in astronomy.  Fred will share with us his career highlights in astronomy education and will offer advice for anyone interested in continuing with on a path involving astronomy education and/or with an interest in astronomy professionally or personally.  His legacy lives on in the form of the annual $1000 Fred Marschak Astronomy Scholarship offered by our school/department to students involved with our astronomy club and programs.  You can contact Fred directly at fredmarschak@gmail.com.
• Z9 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 10 am Wed Mar 16

Week 10

• Watch Lecture on Hawking Book Ch 6 on Black Holes
  FULL Video (2hr10min)
• Read Ch 6 from the Hawking Book:  Black Holes
  HawkingBookCh6.pdf
• D10(BH) Weekly Discussion
• C10 Crash Course #30: White Dwarfs and Planetary Nebulae
• V10 LIGO How it Works (9min)
• V10 LIGO Latest Black Hole Mergers (11min)
• V10 LCO Kilonova (5min)
• V10 Neutron Star Merger Causes Rare Kilonova, Gravitational Waves (4min)
• [OPTIONAL] Black Holes & Quasars (7min)
  Supermassive black holes are central to our understanding of how galaxies formed. Quasars are the super-high-energy burst of supermassive black holes forming at the center of galaxies in the early universe. 
• [OPTIONAL] Supermassive Black Holes (9min)
  Our galaxy, like other spiral galaxies, has a central supermassive black hole (SMBH). 
• [OPTIONAL] Ultramassive Black Holes (10min)
  Supermassive black holes control star formation in galaxies. But bigger than supermassive black holes are ULTRAmassive black holes. 
• Web Link with Black Hole animations and simulations
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Thr Mar 31 at 10 am
  We had a great Zoom Meeting. Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/hdx1e1ch2rk
  • Iair (pronounced, "ya-eer") Arcavi is an astronomer at Tel Aviv University in Israel. He earned his PhD in astrophysics from the Weizmann Institute of Science, and was later a NASA Einstein Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of California Santa Barbara. Iair has been using the robotic telescopes of Las Cumbres Observatory, networked around the globe, to catch fleeting astronomical events such as exploding supernovae, stars torn apart by supermassive black holes, and the flare made by merging neutron stars, known as a kilonova. Iair is also an amateur photographer and enjoys an addiction to chocolate. Iair was very involved with our SBCC Astronomy Club for several years while working here in the US. He arranged special tours for us of the Las Cumbres facilities and telescopes. He has a passion and an interest in science education and we were sad to lose him when he returned to his teaching/research post in Israel.
  • YouTube Video featuring Iair Arcavi and his research at Las Cumbres Observatory (Iair at 0:30, 1:45, etc)
    https://youtu.be/aLCl2PpV-wo
• Z10 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 10 am Thr Mar 31

Week 11

• Watch Lecture on Hawking Book Ch 7 on Thermodynamics of Black Holes
  FULL Video (2hr43min)
• Read Ch 7 from the Hawking Book:  Black Holes Ain't So Black
  HawkingBookCh7.pdf
• D11(BH) Weekly Discussion
• V11 Black Hole Thermodynamics (7min)
• [OPTIONAL] Thermodynamics of Black Holes! Undergraduate Research Paper by Erin O'Connor (who's that?)
  These are the Appendices of my research paper and give's an overview of the thermodynamics of Black Holes, and shows the equations and addresses some of the more advanced concepts.  You are not responsible for any of this.
• [OPTIONAL] Very In-Depth Advanced and well produced video on deriving the Hawking Radiation equations.
• [OPTIONAL] Sci News Article on Hawking Paradox! Wow!  New developments all the time!  Contrary to what Hawking says in his book, the famous "Black Holes have no Hair" Theorem by John Wheeler has been shown to be wrong and that Black Holes actually do have quantum mechanical "hair" after all (if you know what I mean).
• C11 Crash Course #32: Neutron Stars
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Fri Apr 8 at 3 pm
  We had a great Zoom Meeting. Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/nfLo4SgdXuw
  • Joseph "Zippy" Connell is finishing up his PhD in theoretical particle physics at UC Santa Cruz and has enjoyed teaching physics classes while in graduate school. He grew up in Hawaii and his science career started at SBCC when he took, and then tutored astronomy and its lab, physics, and math. After transferring to UCSB and completing his bachelor's degree, he moved to Santa Cruz for graduate school, bigger surf, and more access to Nature. His research includes searching for new fundamental particles called Higgs bosons, and student-focused teaching practices (as opposed to the traditional curriculum-based approach). In his free time, he surfs (a lot), writes songs, gardens, and delves into new hobbies such as painting, cloudspotting, and pouring wine.
• Z11 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 3pm Fri April 8

Week 12

• Watch Lecture on Hawking Book Ch 9 on The Arrow of Time (about entropy and time)
  FULL Video (1hr6min)
  
• Read Ch 9 from the Hawking Book:  The Arrow of Time
  HawkingBookCh9.pdf
• Watch Lecture on Schrodinger's Cat (about entropy and cats)
  FULL Video (41min)
• Read about Schrodinger's Cat (Wikipedia Article)
  SchrödingerCatWikipedia.pdf
• D12(BH) Weekly Discussion
  
• Watch one or both of these videos (they overlap a bit)
  [OPTIONAL] The Big Bang Theory: Schrodinger's Cat (with comedic intro)
  [OPTIONAL] The Big Bang Theory: Schrodinger's Cat (with comedic follow-up)
  These two videos overlap a bit, but they are both so good, had to post them both.  Don't miss out on Sheldon trying to explain Schrodinger's Cat to Penny at 2min33sec in first video (or at start of second video)!  It's completely accurate, and there you have it, I've been replaced.  No need for me to try and top that one!  You can can just watch the first 1min20sec of the second video, but the comedy leading up in the first video and the follow up in the second video are as good as it gets (and all completely accurate too - with regard to how Cal Tech students act - I know these people - they're for real - haha).
• V12 Schrödinger's Cat (2min)
• V12 What is The Schrödinger Equation, Exactly? (9min)
• Crash Course #33: Black Holes
• [OPTIONAL] Video: Schrödinger's cat: A thought experiment in quantum mechanics
• [OPTIONAL] Video: What is Schrödinger’s Cat?
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Wed April 13 at 7 pm
  We had a great Zoom Meeting. Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/x16XF94ofcc
  • Clara, Mistea, and Bree are three dynamic women in STEM who met through SBCC Astronomy Club involvement and now are at three different stages of their Educational path.  Each will share with us where they are at and what they are doing in working toward a STEM degree. Clara is a declared physics major at UCLA, Mistea is a declared physics major at Cal State San Francisco, and Bree is a declared physics/engineering major finishing up at SBCC and has been heavily involved with physics/engineering projects to build telescopes, launch cameras into space (yep... we at SBCC actually did that), and with other educational outreach programs events.  We will discuss the transfer experience and the many ways STEM majors can get involved with STEM activities and opportunities at every stage of their educational path.
• Z12 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 7pm Wed April 13

Week 13

• Watch Lecture on Hawking Book Ch 10 on Wormholes & Time Travel
  FULL Video (1hr9min)
• Read Ch 10 from the Hawking Book:  Wormholes & Time Travel
  HawkingBookCh10.pdf
• Watch Lecture on Copenhagen Interpretation
  FULL Video (33min)
• Video: What is Copenhagen Interpretation (2min)
  Audiopedia definition of the term
• Read about Copenhagen Interpretation (Wikipedia Article)
  CopenhagenInterpretation.pdf
• V13 Copenhagen vs Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (14min)
• The Quantum Experiment that Broke Reality (3min, starting at 7min30sec to 10min30sec)
  Video starts with the Double Slit Experiment, but then at 7min30sec talks about Copenhagen Interpretation.
• The Many Worlds of the Quantum Multiverse (13min)
  Video that talks about Schrodinger's Cat and the Quantum Multiverse.
• D13(BH) Weekly Discussion
• [OPTIONAL] Video: What was the Copenhagen Interpretation and the Schrödinger's Cat Experiment
  Great explanation by a teenage girl (even kids can figure this stuff out)
• [OPTIONAL] Video: Copenhagen Interpretation v.s. Many Worlds Theory
• C13 Crash Course #44: History of the Universe
  Great explanation by a teenage guy (even kids can figure this stuff out)
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Wed April 20 at 7 pm
  We had a great Zoom Meeting. Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/ITm4Wc8J4oM
  
  • Jatila Van der Veen has for the past 30 years been involved with cosmology research, has spearheaded numerous science education projects, and has taught astronomy for UCSB and SBCC. More recently she has been working with several exciting projects. One involves propelling small, 10-gram or less, wafer-sized satellites (wafersats) out of the Solar System using coherent beams of directed energy. The destination is our nearest neighbor, the Alpha Centauri System, around 4.2 light years away. One of our ideas was to send tiny critters – the nematode C. elegans and the tardigrades H. dujardini, out of the solar system on these wafersats. She has also been working with a group at UCSB working on lunar surface operations, in particular dust mitigation. As NASA prepares to send the first crew back to the Moon in 2024-25, one of the biggest challenges is how to reduce the dangers of the lunar regolith – the surface dust, churned up by billions of years of bombardment by large and microscopic meteorites. Please join us live to ask questions about these amazing projects. For Jatila's full bio, click here.
• Z13 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 7pm Wed April 20
  

Week 14

• T2Q(BH) Solutions (36min, only available for 1 week)
• Watch Lecture on Hawking Book Ch 11 on Grand Unification Theories
  FULL Video (1hr22min)
• Read Ch 11 from the Hawking Book:  The Unification of Physics
  HawkingBookCh11.pdf
• Read about String Theory (only first few highlighted pages, the rest is optional, but super interesting)
  LA Times 1999 articles featuring String Theory, plus excerpts from Brian Greene's book the Elegant Universe.
  ElegantUniverse.pdf
• D14(BH) Weekly Discussion
• [OPTIONAL] Big Bang Theory: Sheldon and Penny talk String Theory (starting at 2:45, but watch from beginning for fun, 5min total)
• [OPTIONAL] Big Bang Theory: Sheldon and Penny talk String Theory (starting at 1:16, but watch from beginning for fun, 4min total)
  
• [OPTIONAL] Big Bang Theory: Loop Quantum Gravity Vs String Theory (review of all the theories discussed in class, 3 min)
  Cringeworthy (sexist) comedic relief - watch at your own risk
• C14(BH) Crash Course #45: Deep Time
• A11a Activity Nebulae with WWT (docx, pdf)
  
• V14 String Theory with Brian Greene (10min)
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni, Thr April 28 at 5 pm (Extra Credit if you attend LIVE)
  We had a great Zoom Meeting. Here is the recording:
  https://youtu.be/urKowMxoBOA
  
  • Rob Geller teaches physics at UCSB, has done research with Black Holes, and is also the author of both a college level physics text and a college level math-based astronomy text.  Although he enjoys doing research and working on textbooks, he especially loves to teach and has won several teaching awards at UCSB.  In his spare time he rock climbs and we often philosophize about science, teaching, life, family, parallel universes, and how to keep our kids out of trouble!
• Z14 Discussion Zoom Chat with Scientist/Alumni, 5pm Thr April 28

Week 15

• Watch Lecture on Hawking Book Ch 12 - Conclusions
  FULL Video (44min)
• Read Ch 12 from the Hawking Book:  Conclusions
  HawkingBookCh12.pdf
• Watch Lecture on Astrobiology
  FULL Video (44min)
• Read Supplemental Readings on Astrobiology
  RareEarth.pdf
• D15(BH) Weekly Discussion
  
• C15(BH) Crash Course #46: Everything, Universe, & Life
• EC Lawrence Krauss Activity (Questions to go with video shown below)
• EC Lawrence Krauss: Video and Discussion (15min video)
• [OPTIONAL] The Sacred Depth's of Nature
  Found this at a garage sale.  A brilliant woman biochemist explains how you can get life from a primordial puddle.  Very compelling discussion with compelling human poignancy on the profound implications of one's life, time and space.
• [OPTIONAL] The Singularity (The Future of Computing and our own evolution)
  In the year 2045 computers are expected to surpass the computational power of the human brain.  What are the implications for life, humanity, and the evolution of life on Earth.
• [OPTIONAL] Einstein's Views on God
  A chapter from Walter Isaacson's brilliantly written biography of Einstein, with spiritual insights into one of histories greatest scientists and thinkers.
• [OPTIONAL] Suggested Readings and Glossary of Scientific Terms
  Additional readings provided in the Hawking book (but apparently not made available with the on-line version).  You can google lots of stuff, but these are the recommendations from Hawking himself.  Also a glossary of scientific terms.
• [OPTIONAL] The Big Bang Theory: Sheldon teaches Penny Physics (7min)
  In case you thought this class was hard... Cringeworthy (sexist) comedic relief - watch at your own risk
• [OPTIONAL] Big Bang Theory: The Nobel Prize Awards
  An excellent speech about what's important in science.
• EC Discussion NASA Talk by Jason Barrios (class tutor and Zoom Talk guest)
• EC Lawrence Krauss: Video and Discussion (15min video, discussion)
• Zoom Chat with Scientist / Alumni (Extra Credit if you attend LIVE)
  Meeting ID: 977 5426 1438, Passcode: 873684
  https://sbcc.zoom.us/j/97754261438?pwd=MlNJZXBpcGRNVk5XNjh5MG5sYjFSQT09
  
  • Not scheduled

Additional Video Links:

• Futuristic Video (hypothetical view of the future history of the universe)