1. • Class details
   

2. • Overview
   

3. • Syllabus
   

4. • Term paper
   

5. • Guidance
   

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

Week 9

Week 10

Week 11

What would it be like to encounter Earth for the first time?

How would you make sense of what you saw?

This course is designed to show basic physical principles and mathematical techniques can be applied to understand a huge part of what goes on in the Earth System. Why is Earth habitable? What is the atmosphere made of? How does the magnetic field protect us? Why do rivers have the shape they do? How does a batholith cool? Why is there a jet stream in the atmosphere and a gulf stream in the ocean? How does ice flow? Why is death valley hot? How can we know what’s inside the Earth? Why are many mountain belts linear? What drives plate tectonics?

The course uses an investigative approach. Concepts and tools will be introduced as necessary to solve each problem as it arises. The courses progresses from what can be seen from space to what requires detailed ground-based observations. The course includes a basic, context-related introduction to thermodynamics and the basic equations of classical physics governing potentials, diffusion, wave propagation, and planetary-scale fluid flow:

       

12.30-1.30, MTWTh in JHN 026

Friday Lab, 12.30-2.20, JHN 011

Prerequisites: Phys 122 or 115/118, Math 126.