Modern Physics: Special Relativity (Spring 2012)

As the end of the series nears Professor Susskind ties up some loose ends that have presented themselves over the course of the quarter. (June 18, 2012)

Leonard Susskind discusses plane electromagnetic waves in regards to Maxwell's equations. He then looks for Lagrangian formulations of Maxwell's equations in order to support the laws of conservation. (June 11, 2012)

Leonard Susskind covers more topics in electromagnetism and relativity, including dynamics of the electric and magnetic field and the related effect of charges on the electromagnetic field. (June 5, 2012)

Leonard Susskind reviews some of the heavy mathematics from the previous lecture and discusses how at times complicated mathematics is the only way to explain high level physics, briefly sharing his thoughts on how and where math and nature come together. (May 21, 2012)

Leonard Susskind dives into topics of electromagnetism and how it relates to quantum mechanics. This includes fields, particles, and many of the other topics that have been previously discussed. (May 14, 2012)

Leonard Susskind answers a question regarding material covered in the previous lecture. Following his explanation he continues into the concepts of fields and particles as they exist in special relativity. (May 7, 2012)

Leonard Susskind moves into the topic of fields and field theory. For the most part he will focus on classical field theory, but occasionally will relate it to some of the concepts from quantum mechanics. (April 30, 2012)

Leonard Susskind begins to discuss particle mechanics and the role that they play in the special theory of relativity. This includes how particles move, the idea of momentum, and some topics on energy. (April 23, 2012)

Leonard Susskind starts with a brief review of what was discussed in the first lecture -- specifically the use of vectors and spin in three dimensional space and in relation to special relativity. The lecture also brings into play more complex systems that use special relativity. (April 16, 2012)

In the first lecture of the series Leonard Susskind discusses the concepts that will be covered throughout the course. The major components of the course will be looking at the concepts of special relativity and field theory. (April 9, 2012)