Class News: (Last Updated: Wednesday, July 23) This is the homepage for Physics 342, a course designed to prepare Physics majors for research in Physics and Astronomy, not only in a general sense, but in particular, laying the groundwork for their senior research projects. Course Bulletin Description: The course will prepare students for independent undergraduate research. The students will be introduced to the literature search process, common research techniques, safety aspects, faculty research interests and applications of science in industry. Prerequisite: None
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On January 28, 1986, the Space Shtutle Challenger exploded 72 seconds after launch, killing all seven astronauts on board, As a member of the Presidental Rogers Commission lookin into the cause of the Challenger Disaster, Richard Feynman (1918 – 1988) was a vocal critic of the disconnect between NASA's engineers and management. Specifically, he noted the completely unrealistic space shuttle reliability estimates of one catastrophic failure per 10,000 launches (or one failure per 274 years!) . He warned in his appendix to the commission's report: "For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled." When setting up any research project in Physics or Astronomy, this is probably a good maxim to keep in mind, even if the consequences are not as catastrophic. |
