PHY 180B: Nuclear Weapons & Society
Culler 226
11:15 — 12:30 T R
| This is a tentative schedule, subject to change. Please consult prior to every class period to verify assignment. |
| (Last Modified: 4/16/2013) |
| January 15 | Introduction Course Description Syllabus | A Chronology | |||||||||||||||||
| January 17 | What was new in the world of physics in the late nineteenth century?Crookes' Tube | Nuclear Dawn, Chapter 1. Begin reading Hiroshima. Rare Photo | |||||||||||||||||
| January 22 | Who was Ernest Rutherford, and what were some of his contributions to the new physics?
Ernest Rutherford | Uranium decay sequence Mining Uranium Mining in W.Va. Solvay Conference, 1911 | |||||||||||||||||
| January 24 | What are "elements"? What is "inside" of a nucleus?The Periodic Table | The Manhattan Project: Making the Atomic Bomb, Part 1: 1919-1939 | |||||||||||||||||
| January 29 | What is "inside" of a nucleus (part2)?Nuclear physics in the 30's. | Energy from Fission 1 Energy from Fission 2 Gamma Rays | |||||||||||||||||
| January 31 | What was the state of warcraft in the late 19th & early 20th centuries? What precipitated WWI? Machine Guns | All Quiet on the Western Front Chaim Weizmann | |||||||||||||||||
| February 5 | How did the "peace" after WWI give rise to WWII?
FYI, who would you think Princeton freshmen would vote "greatest living person" in 1939? (Hint: Einstein had been on campus since 1933.) Click HERE to find out... WWI: A war that changed the world | Anecdote from Compton's memoir | |||||||||||||||||
In contrast to the policy following WWI, that following WWII was incredibly benign. One could even say thatThe most important commencement address in modern American history occurred June 5, 1947, at Harvard, when Secretary of State and former Army Chief of Staff George Marshall delivered the talk that became the basis for the Marshall Plan. Nobody anticipated how momentous Marshall's address would be. He spoke for just 12 minutes, and all he said to Harvard President James Conant in advance was that he intended "to make a few remarks in appreciation of the honor and perhaps a little more." | |||||||||||||||||||
What role did "technology" have in WWII?Bombing Techniques | |||||||||||||||||||
| February 7 | Special Event: Viewing of Oliver Stone's Untold History of the United StatesVideo | ||||||||||||||||||
| February 12 | What do all the "ism"s really mean? MarxismNOTE: What I'd like to see is a brief description of each of the above, and a little discussion about how they differ from one another. How would you characterize the following quote? Labor is prior to, and independent of, capital. Capital is only the fruit of labor, and could never have existed if labor had not first existed. Labor is the superior of capital, and deserves much the higher consideration.(Please do not "look up" the quote.) | ||||||||||||||||||
| February 14 | How did the Manhattan Project come about?The Nuclear age | Nuclear Dawn, Chapter 2. Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb The Manhattan Project: Making the Atomic Bomb | |||||||||||||||||
| February 19 | Who was J. Robert Oppenheimer? What happened at Los Alamos?Critical Mass |
Nuclear Dawn, Chapter 3. The Los Alamos Primer Serber's Obituary The Smyth Report How to Build a Bomb Start reading Bomb Power | |||||||||||||||||
| February 21 | How did the allied powers prepare for the end of the war and the subsequent post-war period?D-day | D-day video | |||||||||||||||||
| February 26 | How did the end of the war come about?Trinity TestWhat were the effects of dropping the atomic bombs? This will include a discussion of Hiroshima. | Nuclear Dawn, Chapters 4, 5, & 6. Rare Photo | |||||||||||||||||
| February 28 | How is radiation, and radiation exposure, measured? What is radiation sickness? How does radiation kill?What are rads, rems, Curies, Seiverts, etc.? | Dosage received from US bomb tests Radiation Dosage Chart | |||||||||||||||||
| March 5 | In-Class Discussion: Was it morally acceptable to use nuclear weapons against Japan? | One point of view | |||||||||||||||||
| March 7 | Mid-Term Quiz | ||||||||||||||||||
| March 12 | SPRING BREAK | ||||||||||||||||||
| March 14 | SPRING BREAK | ||||||||||||||||||
| March 19 | Special Day: Video | ||||||||||||||||||
| March 21 | What was the political climate at the end of the war?Opposition by scientists | Nuclear Dawn, Chapters 7-10. Bomb Power, Chapters 1-4. | |||||||||||||||||
| March 26 | What were the attitudes within the American Political establishment regarding "the bomb" as the Cold War unfolded? What were our policies, and how did they evolve?This will include a discussion of Bomb Power | Bomb Power There are some interesting articles in these Conference Proceedings | |||||||||||||||||
| March 28 | How was the Hydrogen Bomb developed?
Fusion (D + T → 4He + n) | ||||||||||||||||||
| A History of Nuclear Weapons Detonations | |||||||||||||||||||
| April 2 | How have nuclear weapons proliferated? Who has them, and how many? What is the role of nuclear reactors in proliferation? United States | Start reading Nuclear Terrorism Historical Deployments Current US Inventory India's Missiles | |||||||||||||||||
| April 4 | What treaties have been implemented to curtail the nuclear arms race and/or the proliferation of weapons? What are the common threads running through these treaties?LTBT | Conference Proceedings A Different Point of View | |||||||||||||||||
| April 9 | How safe are nuclear reactors?Three Mile Island What are the designs of nuclear reactors? Is there a "safe" nuclear reactor? Fermi's "pile" | Japan's Nuclear Meltdown Rocky Flats, CO Regulating the Regulators All Reactors Flawed Fermi's Pile How to Build a Nuclear Reactor | |||||||||||||||||
| On February 9, 2012, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved the nation's first nuclear power plant since 1978, the year before the Three Mile Island accident in Pennsylvania. The commission approved the license on a 4-1 vote over the objections of environmentalists and the NRC's own chairman, Gregory Jaczko, who stated that he couldn't vote for the licensing without a commitment from the owner that it would make safety changes prompted by the March 2011 nuclear disaster in Japan. Atlanta-based Southern Co. will build two reactors at its Plant Vogtle site near Augusta, at a cost of $14 billion, to begin operating in 2016 and 2017. | |||||||||||||||||||
| April 11 | What is the status of the Israeli nuclear program? How has Israel attempted to thwart other nations in the region from acquiring nuclear weapons?The Osirak reactor | NY Times article Attack on Iran? Enrichment cascade Iran's centrifuges | |||||||||||||||||
| April 16 | Video: Countdown to Zero, Part 1 | India-Pakistan Conflict | |||||||||||||||||
| Topic for Position Paper: What is your position regarding the "Iran situation"? You should include a statement of your "red line" — that is, what would it take for you to advocate preemptive intervention? And, specifically, what would you advocate? Total destruction of all facilities, limited destruction of some facilities to create delay, or what? And, most importantly, would you advocate the use conventional or nuclear weapons? | |||||||||||||||||||
| April 18 | Video: Countdown to Zero, Part 2 Topic for Position Paper: Imagine that you are in a position of authority with respect to planning and implementation of plans regarding emergency response for the West coast. To what extent could a common plan be designed? That is, an earthquake, a tsunami, or even a nuclear detonation would appear to have many similarities — is this true, or just a superficial likeness? What about a catastrophe that is predictable? That is, you have reliable information that a terrorist attack WILL take place, or that an asteroid WILL impact southern California. What plans might you implement to mitigate the disaster? To assist you, you might read the Draft of the EPA's Protective Action Guides and Planning Guidance for Radiological Incidents | ||||||||||||||||||
| April 23 | Is it inevitable that a terrorist organization will acquire and use a nuclear weapon? | Nuclear Terrorism, Chapters 1 - 5. | |||||||||||||||||
| April 25 | Is the use of a nuclear weapon by terrorists preventable? How much are you willing to give up for the sake of "security"? | Nuclear Terrorism, Chapters 6 - 8. | |||||||||||||||||
| April 30 | What is the Survivability of a Nuclear Detonation?This will be a discussion of the Government document Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation, plus any other information you bring to class. | Planning Guidance for Response to a Nuclear Detonation. Nuke your city! | |||||||||||||||||
| May 2 | Quiz 2 | ||||||||||||||||||
| May 7 | FINAL EXAM - 12:30 | ||||||||||||||||||
