Nov. 3, 2017 at 9:30 a.m. in Rm 107 of the Education Building
at Brandon University
From Einstein's Twins
to Schrodinger's Cat:
Theoretical physics made understandable by all.
Description:
This lecture will focus on the 20th century’s 2 great advances in theoretical physics: relativity theory and quantum theory. The theories of special and general relativity changed our view of space and time and led to a host of strange ideas: that time can slow down, that lengths can contract, that ‘black holes’ exist in the fabric of spacetime, and that the universe is expanding. Quantum theory banished forever the classical notion that the world is deterministic: taking a peek into the box to check up on the cat can have drastic repercussions!
The talk will be understandable by all.
Presenter:
Jeff Williams
Dr. Jeff Williams obtained a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in mathematical physics from the University of Birmingham in England. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Brussels University in Belgium and has published numerous articles on theoretical particle physics and relativity. After coming to Canada, he taught at various universities from Nova Scotia to British Columbia before moving to Brandon in 1986. He is currently a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Brandon University.
This lecture will focus on the 20th century’s 2 great advances in theoretical physics: relativity theory and quantum theory. The theories of special and general relativity changed our view of space and time and led to a host of strange ideas: that time can slow down, that lengths can contract, that ‘black holes’ exist in the fabric of spacetime, and that the universe is expanding. Quantum theory banished forever the classical notion that the world is deterministic: taking a peek into the box to check up on the cat can have drastic repercussions!
The talk will be understandable by all.
Presenter:
Jeff Williams
Dr. Jeff Williams obtained a B.Sc. and Ph.D. in mathematical physics from the University of Birmingham in England. He was a postdoctoral fellow at Brussels University in Belgium and has published numerous articles on theoretical particle physics and relativity. After coming to Canada, he taught at various universities from Nova Scotia to British Columbia before moving to Brandon in 1986. He is currently a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science at Brandon University.