Introductory Superhuman Physics, Tuesday Fourth Period [9-9]
"Last week was obligatory," Jean-Paul said at the beginning of this week's class. "This week is mundane. Do not worry, we will get to the fun stuff shortly. This is basic physics, a very abbreviated rundown. If you are interested in the complexities, you are in the wrong class.
"I know I talk very quickly and this will make taking notes annoying, so most of this is in the handouts at your desks." Jean-Paul began to pace in front of his desk, his feet a few inches off the floor the entire time.
"First, there is gravity. Gravity exists, and it affects everything. This is a fact. All objects with mass attract each other; objects with larger mass attract each other more than objects with smaller mass. Hence the Earth revolves around the sun; hence our feet stick to the earth. What goes up, must come down. For the purposes of this conversation, disregard my feet. Then there are the laws of conservation of mass and energy which state that energy and mass can neither be created or destroyed. Another law of thermodynamics--the second, I believe--grossly simplified, states that a system will move toward chaos, not order, and this cannot be reversed. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force, and objects at rest stay at rest unless acted on by an outside force. Frequently this force is friction, more on it at another time. Einstein's relativity: energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. And nothing can move faster than the speed of light. These are the laws by which the universe is governed, children. Without them, everything falls apart."
Jean-Paul stopped pacing, turned to face the class, and grinned. "And we are going to spend the next few months exploring the many, many ways they get broken. Are there any questions?"
"I know I talk very quickly and this will make taking notes annoying, so most of this is in the handouts at your desks." Jean-Paul began to pace in front of his desk, his feet a few inches off the floor the entire time.
"First, there is gravity. Gravity exists, and it affects everything. This is a fact. All objects with mass attract each other; objects with larger mass attract each other more than objects with smaller mass. Hence the Earth revolves around the sun; hence our feet stick to the earth. What goes up, must come down. For the purposes of this conversation, disregard my feet. Then there are the laws of conservation of mass and energy which state that energy and mass can neither be created or destroyed. Another law of thermodynamics--the second, I believe--grossly simplified, states that a system will move toward chaos, not order, and this cannot be reversed. Objects in motion tend to stay in motion unless acted on by an outside force, and objects at rest stay at rest unless acted on by an outside force. Frequently this force is friction, more on it at another time. Einstein's relativity: energy equals mass times the speed of light squared. And nothing can move faster than the speed of light. These are the laws by which the universe is governed, children. Without them, everything falls apart."
Jean-Paul stopped pacing, turned to face the class, and grinned. "And we are going to spend the next few months exploring the many, many ways they get broken. Are there any questions?"