Program Overview

Program Overview

The Physics: Journey into Modern Physics (Frontiers I) program is an immersive course that delves into the fascinating world of modern physics and optics. This program explores the commonalities between time travel, black holes, and human vision, all of which are governed by the rules of modern physics and optics.

Course Content

The program covers a range of topics, including:

• How NASA sends spacecraft across the solar system to land on Mars
• The hidden fingerprints of atoms revealed through spectroscopy
• The forgotten tech behind old TVs (cathode-ray tubes)
• Black holes: where gravity wins, light vanishes, and spacetime itself collapses
• The incredible physics of human vision

Learning Experience

This is not a traditional sit-and-listen course. Instead, students will experience:

• Visualizations and demonstrations
• Hands-on experiments
• Tours of active research labs at WPI
• An introduction to programming with VPythonno prior experience needed

Program Outcome

By the end of the course, every student, including total beginners, will design, code, and present their own interactive physics simulation. This program offers a unique opportunity for students to look at reality in a whole new way.