Objective: The goal of this assignment is to give you an opportunity to select and research a specific area of physics, or a specific physicist.  You should choose an area or person that suits your interests.  Your paper will contain two parts.  The first part will be either historical or biographical, giving a qualitative background to the physics or physicist.  The second part will be a more rigorous investigation of some of the physics related to your topic.  An example would be a biographical look at Albert Einstein, coupled with a detailed introduction to his special theory of relativity.  I expect that you will seek my assistance with your investigation, and I will be glad to help you tackle some of the mathematics, or discuss some of the philosophy pertaining to your specific area.  You will be expected to use several (more than two non-Web based) sources which I can help you locate, which you will discuss in an annotated bibliography.  If you have any doubts about what comprises plagiarism,  please see me for clarification (this has been a serious problem in past years, and has resulted in some very unpleasant situations.) I suggest that you treat this investigation as another topic in this course, which requires steady research over time for adequate comprehension.

Details: The length of this paper will be at least 8 double spaced pages, plus an annotated bibliography.  This includes equations, but not large diagrams or pictures (which should be placed in an appendix.)  Roughly half should be historical or biographical, and roughly half should be focused on the details of the physics.  The paper may be handed in any day before April school vacation, and will count as a fourth quarter grade.  There will be no extensions unless specifically authorized.  I suggest that you meet with me periodically to discuss your progress.  Note: while you may be given an occasional day at the library for research, the bulk of your research time will pursued by you independently outside of class.  Therefore it is imperative that you plan your time wisely, and do not try to cram the assignment into the final weeks.  I will be glad to set up individual appointments to discuss your paper topic after school, during my free periods, or during class problem solving days.

In addition you will synthesize your paper into a one page summary (again, half devoted to each part), which should be single spaced.  This will be handed in with your paper.  I will then copy each summary for every student, so you can have a catalogue of the entire class’s research.

Possible Topics:  I list here the last names of many physicists, as well as many topics in physics.  Many of the topics are broad, and might possibly be split between two people, provided the avenues of research are different.  But each student must choose a different topic.  On Friday, I will collect topics from students.  If there are overlaps, we can discuss ways to split the topics.  I encourage you to develop your own topic idea as well (which I may or may not accept).  You must have a topic by Friday or I will assign you one.  The more carefully you choose the topic, the more you will enjoy the project!  Please come and talk to me, and I can help you choose a topic that parallels your interests and hobbies.  Successful previous topics have included: the physics of golf, the philosophy of Zeno, the physics of horseback riding, designing and building a violin, geometry in higher dimensions, the physics of yo-yo’s,  the Manhattan project, ...etc.

Physicists                                                           Areas of Physics