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Course Info for PHYS - 111 - 01, Spring 2024
Class number: 2930 Title: The Quantum Frontier Department: Physics
Career: Undergraduate Component: Lecture Session: Regular
Instructor's Permission Required: No Grading Basis: Regular Units: 1.00
Enrollment limited to 19 Current enrollment: 10 Available seats: 9
Start date: Monday, January 22, 2024 End date: Friday, May 10, 2024 Mode of Instruction: In Person
Schedule: TR: 10:50AM-12:05PM, MC - 313 Instructor(s): Branning, David
Prerequisite(s): None
Distribution Requirement: Meets Natural Science Requirement
Note: Seat reservations: 4 seats for seniors, 5 seats for juniors, 5 for sophomores, 5 for first-years.
Course Description:
In the early twentieth century, the theory known as Quantum Mechanics revolutionized our understanding of nature and paved the way for a century of discovery and innovation. But even today, as we continue to build new technologies at the frontier of "quantum information processing," the mysteries at the heart of the quantum world persist. Does Heisenberg's uncertainty principle mean that we can never truly understand the universe? Using basic algebra and geometry, we will explore the theoretical principles of Quantum Mechanics, the experiments that led to its creation, the debates about its interpretation, and some modern applications such as quantum cryptography, quantum computation, and quantum sensing. (This course does not count toward the physics major.)