The module will introduce the basic concepts of theoretical physics and science in general. Concepts we will explore include analytical thinking, reduction, and scientific methods; theories, model building and mathematics; testing and prediction; data and noise; experiment, data analysis, and confirmation/rejection; the validity of models; Incremental changes of theories, large modifications, paradigm shifts; common lore; outliers, puzzles, trends, statistics; and science vs. pseudo science.
These concepts will be illustrated by examples mainly from drawn from physics, classical mechanics, relativity, quantum mechanics, particle physics and quantum field theory, but also from other fields. Some of the examples will be more technical, and some of them historical.