The paper will consist of a critical discussion of either some physical phenomenon or of an invention important to humanity which depends on the principles of physics in a non-trivial way. The paper should show how such a phenomenon or device works. A draft version of your paper will be peer-reviewed by your classmates. I expect of order 10 typewritten double-spaced pages. References should be made to material used to construct the paper and should be given in some standard form -- I don't care which. However, at least three references for this paper should be ``library'' as opposed to WWW references.

Please read (and abide by) these recommendations when writing your paper.

Due dates are as follows:

• Approval of topics by me: 3 Feb.
• Two paper copies of draft version of paper due: 19 Mar.
• Reviews due: 2 Apr.
• Final version of paper due: Monday 30 April. (hard deadline!).

Suggestions for possible subjects are as follows:

• Lasers. -- Nathaniel Miller
• Nuclear reactors. -- Thomas Peoples
• Bipolar transistors.
• Field effect transistors.
• Conductors and insulators.
• Black holes. -- Zak Nelson
• Neutron stars. -- Austin DeHart
• Quasars. -- Avery Ngo
• Interstellar gases and magnetic fields.
• Star formation. -- Ethan Risley
• Nuclear fusion. -- Laura Freeman
• Superfluids.
• Radio interferometry.
• Parity non-conservation.
• Neutrinos.
• Radioactive dating.
• Atomic bomb.
• Hydrogen bomb.
• Bose-Einstein condensates. -- Michael Apers
• The observable effects of general relativity.
• The automobile ignition.
• Cathode ray tubes.
• Liquid crystals.
• Magnetic recording.
• Doppler radar.
• Particle accelerators.
• X-ray machines.
• Nuclear magnetic resonance.
• Shell model of the nucleus.
• Geiger counters.
• Scintillation counters.
• Effects of nuclear radiation on life.
• Alpha, beta, and gamma decay.
• Radios.
• Big bang.
• Holograms.
• Jet propulsion.
• How precipitation forms.
• Physics of greenhouse effect.
• Formation of solar system. -- Angelica Vargas
• The atmosphere of Jupiter.
• Ion engines and space exploration.
• Comets.
• Large-scale Structure of the universe.
• Solar wind.
• Stellar evolution. -- Bhavik Bhakta
• Telescopes. -- Veronica Pierce
• Storm lightning. -- Christina Nevarez
• Volcanic lightning.
• Active galactic nuclei.
• Transistors.
• Earth's magnetic field.
• Physics of flight.
• Gamma ray bursts.
• Principle of least action.
• Cloud physics.
• Galaxy formation. -- Janek Turk
• Ion engines and space exploration.
• Gravitational waves.
• Biological physics.
• Pulsars.
• Hurricanes.
• Nuclear space propulsion.
• Structure of atomic nuclei.
• Collisions.

There will be one person per topic --- first come, first serve on ``hot'' topics! Let me know what you want to do before the deadline.