PHYS 155 -- Phys Behind Internet

Computer chip used in University of Alabama EPSCoR program, Courtesy NSF [link]

Expanded course description

The Internet is a network of millions of computers capable of exchanging data files containing information. The technology that makes this possible is the result of the efforts of tens of thousands of physicists, engineers, and computer scientists over more than a hundred years. The development of the Internet is an amazing story of the transformation of fundamental physics discoveries into practical systems.

This course is a non- science major's introduction to the physical concepts that explain how information is stored, transmitted, processed, and retrieved. Fundamental issues in physics will be discussed using only elementary math and simple algebra.

Group: SCI

Offered 200604.

Syllabus

Although syllabi can change from term to term, a syllabus may provide further information about typical instances of this course.