A place to relax, enjoy some coffee and cookies, and explore ideas about our physical universe... for science and non-science types!

Whose Line is it Anyway? -- How We Know that Space and Time are Curved

Dr. Donald Spector,
Professor of Physics
Hobart and William Smith Colleges

What is space?   What is time?   To answer these questions, Albert Einstein developed the theory of relativity.   Einstein demonstrated that space and time are curved, and that this curving is what we ordinarily call gravity.   On Monday, February 28, at 7:30pm in the Emerson Suites, Prof. Donald Spector of Hobart and William Smith Colleges will discuss what Einstein meant by this, and how we know that Einstein was right.   By the end of the evening, everyone will understand why space and time must be curved!

The Physics Café is a campus-wide lecture series sponsored by the Physics Department of Ithaca College. The idea is to grab and hold the attention of science and non-science majors by offering talks on exciting and accessible current topics in physics, such as the time-warping properties of black holes, or the exploration of planet mars.   The talks are presented in a café environment, where coffee is served and students and physicists can informally discuss new ideas.

There are no pre-requisites! No requirements! Everyone is welcome!   Starbucks coffee (caffeinated and decaf.) will be served, along with cookies and biscuits. An informal talk-back session with the speaker will immediately follow each presentation. The Physics Café takes place at the beginning of each semester, before the workload gets heavy, and while students and faculty are not preoccupied with prelims. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Contact: Professor Beth Ellen Clark Joseph
Center for Natural Sciences, Room 267
607 274 3968