LIMITED SEATS AVAILABLE
 
How old can a commercial airplane be and still fly safely? Why does the toilet water spin counterclockwise when it's flushed? When do we need to account for air resistance or gravity when solving physics problems? Physicists and engineers employed in both research and industrial careers to manage large projects rely on being able to make quick estimates of quantities even when limited data is available. This course will teach students how to read and think about data on a logarithmic scale. Students will be trained to perform quick estimates of quantities of interest for a variety of different problems, including a longer example students will work through on designing a solar sail for spacecraft propulsion. Time permitting, the course will discuss a related and powerful concept for understanding behavior of physical systems across scales, dimensionless quantities. To get the most out of the course, students should have an excellent handle on arithmetic and basic algebra and some prior exposure to scientific notation. Some prior exposure to basic physics, such as setting up force balance or conservation equations, is also useful, but not necessary. 
 
This class would be ideal for middle and high school students. However, if you have a younger student who is interested, just let us know - we are happy to accommodate gifted youth.