The paper allows the student to investigate a topic related to this
course in more depth. Note that the phrase "related to this course" covers a
lot of ground.
There are alternatives to the usual paper written for other courses. Two
that have been used by some students in the past are:
- A class presentation
- A group project
A random list of possible topics for the paper
This listing is only intended to stimulate some ideas. I do not
necessarily expect or want to see any papers on any of these topics.
For some topics I can supply some access to the literature;
- The Newton-Leibniz argument about absolute space and time.
- The development of the number zero in mathematics.
- Newton's alchemical investigations.
- Why was Giordano Bruno burnt at the stake?
- Leibniz: "Music is a hidden practice of the soul that does not know
that is is dealing with mathematics."
- Did Thomas Kuhn badly over-simplify how scientific progress
occurs?
- Does the left brain or the right brain do physics?
- The Hopi language and modern relativistic conceptions.
- Descartes' revelation of analytical geometry.
- Evolution, cosmology, creationism.
- Mechanistic atomistic paradigms in traditional psychology.
- "Scientific" evaluation of paranormal effects.
- Which of the dreams in Einstein's Dreams is the most
consistent with special relativity?
- Experimental status of the measurements of the "dark matter" content
of the universe.
- Chaotic systems and weather forecasting.
- Pauli's conjecture that some of our basic mathematical intuitions are
Jungian archetypes.
- Epistemology and ontology in quantum mechanics.
This page last revised 08/28/00
(m/d/y).