The Chart of the Nuclides

Class Description

This four‑hour class offers an accessible but substantial journey through the development of nuclear physics, beginning with tracing the field’s foundations through Marie and Pierre Curie’s studies of radioactive decay and early models of the atomic nucleus, then Maria Goeppert Mayer’s groundbreaking work on the nuclear shell model and the chart of the nuclides. We will examine Rutherford’s gold‑foil experiment, the discovery of the neutron, and the resulting understanding of nuclear transformations, before moving into the conceptual framework of the Yukawa potential and the forces that bind the nucleus together. The session concludes by reflecting on how themes from theology and psychology occasionally surface in physics—shaping metaphors, motivating inquiry, and influencing how scientists interpret the structure and meaning of the physical world. Wednesdays, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm In person: B4 Class limit: 15