On Tuesday, Mar. 3, 2020, Prof. Jason Ellis gave a guest lecture in the Modern Physics (PHYS 2443ID) class. You can watch it above. The topic is science fiction in which physics is important and fundamental to the story. In relation to this, he will discuss:
- definitions of science fiction and hard science fiction
- gedankenexperiment
- implications of science and technology on individuals and society
In preparation for the class, here are some readings and other resources that will be referenced in the discussion:
- Andrew Fraknoi’s “Science Fiction Stories with Good Astronomy & Physics: A Topical Index”
- Tom Godwin’s “The Cold Equations”
- Joe Haldeman’s “You Can Never Go Back” [a story cut from the published version of The Forever War]
- Kim Stanley Robinson’s “A Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions” and “The Lucky Strike”
- Isaac Asimiov’s “Nightfall”
- Samuel R. Delany’s “Aye, and Gomorrah”
- Cleve Cartmill’s “Deadline”
- Douglas Adams’ The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency
- Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar
- Startalk Radio, May 30, 2019, Topic: Science Fiction and Society [Host: Neil deGrasse Tyson, Co-Host: Chuck Nice, Guests: Gale Anne Hurd, Jason Ellis, and Janine Krippner]
Link to Prof. Ellis’ Google Slides Presentation.
Science Fiction Students are Interested In
Isaac Asimov
Strugatsky Brothers
Starship Troopers
Cosmos: A Spacetime Ody
Fringe
The Three Body Problem
Rick and Morty
