| SCTM 2B91 Special Topic in Science/Technology/Mathematics: What is Time? 0.50 Credit(s) Academic Course |
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| Prerequisite: 3.0 credits of first-year studio and 1.0 credit of first-year liberal arts & sciences (including the Writing course with a minimum passing grade of 60%). |
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| The concept of time has intrigued thinkers from all ages. The impact of measuring and marking time intervals on the development of human culture, and our understanding of the world around us, cannot be understated. The drive to measure and understand time led ancient peoples to a very sophisticated knowledge of the sky; from that knowledge emerged accurate calendars, as well as mathematics itself. We will look at time from ancient to modern contexts: topics include sky calendars, timekeeping devices, and the arrow of time. We will look at how changing concepts of time drove changes in physics, and vice-versa. Newton’s Clockwork Universe was built on laws completely based on the notion of an absolute and external time. Whereas for Einstein, time was no longer an absolute quantity, and instead depended on one’s frame of reference. We will examine current controversial notions of time, including the idea that time may not be real, but instead is emergent from a timeless configuration of all possible “nows”. This course may include a visit to the Perimeter Institute and/or guest lectures by scientists from the Perimeter Institute. Work for the course includes building a clock, researching current scientific views on time which incorporate ideas from Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, and creating a time-based artwork. |
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| Notes: This "Special Topic" course provides more advanced analysis of a topic of general interest or relevance. This course fulfills 0.5 credit toward the Liberal Arts & Sciences requirements for a BFA or BDes. |
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