Entry requirements

60 credits in physics, mathematics, and/or chemistry.

Learning outcomes

Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

• describe significant historical misconceptions in physics and explain how these misconceptions were corrected over time;

• analyse the role of failure in scientific discovery and evaluate how unintended discoveries have contributed to the development of physics;

• explain different aspects of, and the historical contexts surrounding, failures, accidents and misconceptions in physics;

• relate historical breakthroughs in physics to one another, drawing on independently acquired knowledge as well as information from presentations by fellow students and teachers;

• critically assess the ethical dimension of the driving forces behind scientific success;

• present a scientific topic at an advanced level, both orally and in writing;

• discuss the cases presented in the course, individually and in groups, thereby demonstrating an understanding of the scientific method, in particular the importance of hypothesis testing and the value of falsifying hypotheses in scientific progress.

Content

Background: An introduction to the development of science through historical misconceptions, mistakes and unintended discoveries in physics. The focus is on how theories, models and observations have at times led researchers astray, why this occurred, and how such errors have contributed to a deeper understanding. The role of the scientific method, the importance of hypothesis testing, and the ethical dimension of the driving forces behind scientific progress are also discussed.

Applications: In-depth case studies of specific historical examples in which the development of physics was shaped by incorrect ideas, experimental failures or misinterpreted phenomena. Through individually selected examples, students examine how such situations arose, how the problems were identified, why the models broke down, and what lessons can be drawn. In seminars and written reports, each case is analysed in its historical context and related to other scientific breakthroughs, as well as to the ways in which scientific knowledge is corrected and strengthened.

Instruction

Lectures and seminars with presentations on various topics.

Assessment

Active participation in the introductory and seminar sessions. Oral and written presentation of the selected topic.

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the assessment method indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.