Einstein without Tears - 6 week course

This non-technical, non-mathematical introduction to some of the most awe-inspiring ideas from the work of Albert Einstein is designed for people with little or no science background.  If you’ve been intrigued by Einstein (who was Time magazine’s “Person of the Century” in 1999), but have been scared away by thoughts of pages filled with equations, this is the class for you!  We’ll explain everything with analogies, clear photos and diagrams, and touches of humor

You will come away from this course with a new appreciation of the physical world and its behavior under extreme conditions. You’ll also see why Einstein’s theories continue to fascinate both scientists and science fiction fans today. Our goal is to give a concise overview of Einstein’s ideas, and show how modern science (especially astronomy) has now confirmed the bizarre predictions of his theories.

Along the way you will come to understand such weird notions as: why there is no such thing as a universal “now;” how space itself can bend and warp; that there are at least two ways to do realistic time travel; how giant black holes can form in space (we'll explain just what those are); and - in the latest triumph for Einstein - the existence of gravity waves (whose discovery got the Nobel prize a few years ago.) 

Click here to read more about the course and register

Instructor: Andrew Fraknoi retired as Chair of the Astronomy Department at Foothill College in 2017.

Three easy steps to register:

1. Sign in or create a free account at: https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/account/signin.aspx
2. Join the Institute at: https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/course/course.aspx?catId=14 (a modest fee)
3. Register for the class at: https://www.campusce.net/sfsu/course/course.aspx?C=1177&pc=138&mc=0&sc=0