The Philosophy of Time
Hofweber, Thomas - University of Michigan
2003-02-01 10:30:00-5:00
Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan - 170 Dennison
Duration: 00:44:58

This talk will explore whether or not the present is philosophically special, if there is an important difference between past, present, and future, and how the semantics of tense in natural language might help with such questions. This is the first in a series of three lectures on time developed as part of the Rackham Summer Interdisciplinary Institute.

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The Arrow of Time in Physics
McKay, Timothy - University of Michigan
2003-02-08 10:30:00-5:00
Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan - 170 Dennison
Duration: 00:49:23

Time in the world around us marches inexorably forward, yet the lawns of physics make little distinction between past and future. We will explore solutions to this seeming contradiction.

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The Timing of Biological Evolution
Cooper, Vaughn - University of Michigan
2003-02-15 10:30:00-04:00
Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan - 170 Dennison
Duration: 00:40:06

Evolution, the process of biological change, takes place on many time scales. Some living fossils remain virtually unchanged for hundreds of millions of years, while each winter brings a newly adapted flu bug. This lecture will explore new experiments and ideas about time in evolution. It is the third in a series of lectures on time developed as part of the Rackham Summer Interdisciplinary Institute.

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The Physics of Nothing
David Gerdes - University of Michigan
2002-03-15 10:30:00-04:00
Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan - 170 Dennison
Duration: 00:55:06

The vacuum, empty space, turns out to be a complicated and dynamic place, the stage for some of the greatest mysteries in physics. This talk will describe our current understanding of the vacuum, and what we may learn from it in the next ten years about the origin of mass and the fate of the Universe.

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Radioactivity: Go Blue!
Griffin, Henry - University of Michigan
2003-03-22 10:30:00-04:00
Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan - 170 Dennison
Duration: 00:56:17

In spite of the title of this session, the radiations associated with radioactivity are rarely visible. We will explore the various types of radioactivity and the detectors that can see the radiations

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Radioactivity: What's the Use?
Griffin, Henry - University of Michigan
2003-03-29 10:30:00-04:00
Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan - 170 Dennison
Duration: 00:56:46

Dating in geology and archeology. Chemical tracers. Sterilization of medical implants. Imaging. And more.

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Dark Matter in Cosmology
Freese, Katie - University of Michigan
2003-04-05 10:30:00-04:00
Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan - 170 Dennison
Duration: 01:00:00

The new millennium has brought a revolution in cosmology. We now have extensive observational confirmation for the Big Bang, yet major questions remain. What is the dark matter that makes up most of the mass in the universe, and what is the dark energy which is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate?

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Dark Energy in Cosmology
Freese, Katie - University of Michigan
2003-04-12 10:30:00-04:00
Ann Arbor, MI - University of Michigan - 170 Dennison
Duration: 00:51:03

The new millennium has brought a revolution in cosmology. We now have extensive observational confirmation for the Big Bang, yet major questions remain. What is the dark matter that makes up most of the mass in the universe, and what is the dark energy which is causing the expansion of the universe to accelerate?

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