Physics
312: Relativity and Cosmology
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The Project
The general guidelines are that the project should:
In some way demonstrate your understanding of topics covered in this course.
Be written in your own words.
Be about the same amount of work as a term paper.
Include references to outside sources as appropriate for the project.
Projects will be graded on a combination of creativity, initiative, and the understanding of course material (and outside reading) that they demonstrate. The rule of thumb should be that your project should be something that you are proud of and not something that is quickly thrown together.
Each project must be approved by me, so you need to discuss your project with me before you begin. You are welcome to continue to consult with me while you work on your project.
Each of you need to settle on a project with me by March 24 (shortly after Spring Break). Obviously, you should come and talk to me even earlier in order to bounce a few ideas around before making a final decision. It is a good idea to start thinking about your project early!!! You will be asked to give a (very) short presentation about your project at the end of the semester. The projects are due at the start of class on Thursday, April 26.Some suggestions for projects are:
A standard report/term paper on a topic related to relativity, gravity, or cosmology.
Building a set of relativity/cosmology web pages either as an electronic "term paper" or for educational purposes.
Writing a piece of code that demonstrates some important aspect of gravity, relativity, or cosmology.
A "magazine article" dealing with some of the topics discussed in this course.
The project is an opportunity for you to get what you want out of this course and to extend the course in a direction that you would like it to go. I will therefore expect that your project will demonstrate either substantial creativity on your part or some further reading beyond
what we will cover in class. This reading can be from books or magazines such as Scientific American, Physics World, or Physics Today. For example, you might wish to study one of the following topics in more detail:
Black holes (their structure, collisions, or hawking radiation)
The big bang
Higher dimensional theories of physics (Kaluza-Klein theories or `braneworlds')
Experimental tests of relativity, or experiments in cosmology.
Gravitational waves
Closed Timelike Curves (aka `time machines')
Wormholes
Feel free to talk with me about where and how to locate references on these and other subjects. The project must be your own work. In particular, wholesale copying of entire sentences from your sources is not allowed. In addition, you must reference all sources you use in your project.