By checking the box below, I certify that I have read the instructions and policies and agree to follow them.:

I have read the instructions and agree to follow OLLI's policies.

Name:

Robert Price

Address (Street address goes on first line. OK to leave second line blank if you do not need it.):

Redacted

Medford, OR

Phone:

Redacted

Email:

pricerip(at)gmail.com

Have you taught a course at OLLI at SOU in the past three years?:

Yes

Course title:

Why Johnny can't QM: An Interpretation-free QM

How many class sessions do you propose to teach? Minimum is 2. Maximum is 10. Click the box to see all the options.:

10

Is this a completely new OLLI at SOU course?:

Yes

Description of new content for previously taught courses. This question is optional. Skip it if your course is a repeat with no new content. :

Course description for Curriculum Committee:

About one hundred years ago we learned that our natural language, senses, and logic are poorly

suited for understanding Reality, which is governed by Quantum Mechanics. Unfortunately, we

institutionalized a pseudo-understanding grounded in classical motifs that engender all manner of

unfortunate unintended consequences.

The challenge is to develop a coherent narrative that avoids the pitfalls of pseudoscience while

developing a "Modern" approach to understanding Reality. The core theme of this class is: The

world doesn't work the way it appears to work, but we can deal with this while leaving aside the

mathematical esoterica often included in such presentations.

The only prerequisite for this class is your willingness to question classically defined proclivities

and preconceptions while emphasizing "the how" rather than "the why" of natural phenomena, and

being open to the notion that science is grounded in its theoretical rather than its experimental

methods.

Your plan :

The class will consist of three segments:

3 to 4 sessions concerning: How did our unreliable perception of reality develop?

.......................... will be an attempt to explore how, over thousands of millennia, we developed our classical view of Reality.

3 to 4 sessions concerning: Why do we cling to our unreliable perception of reality?

.......................... will cover the Early 1900s challenge: The "Dark Clouds on the Horizon" in the late 1800s were about how knowledge didn't match reality. The developments of the early 1900s were about reconciling laboratory measurements with theory. The class emphasis will highlight the mistakes that are made by "modern philosophers" that adhere tenaciously to ancient truths and prejudices.

4 to 2 sessions concerning: Can we remodel our perception of reality?

.......................... will cover Today's challenge: The "Dark Clouds on the Horizon" now are about understanding how a classical conceptualization misrepresents reality and how we can develop an approach that emphasizes a reconciliation of theory with "understanding" an Interpretation-free Quantum Mechanics.

This ten week class will serve as a model for the structure (as well as the substance) of subsequent classes. The central theme might best be summarized by the words, "From (classical) over-simplification emerges a pervasive reductionist fallacy." To correct these central errors requires we return to the drawing board.

Qualifications:

My PhD was conferred in 1979 as the result of course work and a dissertation vetted by a committee of members of the Particle and Nuclear Physics subdivision of the Department of Physics at Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona.

I specialized in describing only the most elementary of processes in the universe.

Is there a second instructor?:

No

Name: Second Instructor:

Address: Second Instructor (Street address goes on first line. OK to leave second line blank if you do not need it.):

Phone: Second Instructor:

Email: Second Instructor:

Has the second instructor taught a course at OLLI at SOU in the past three years?:

Qualifications for second instructor:

How do you suggest we categorize your course? Click the box to see all the options.:

Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Course description exactly as you want it to read in the catalog. You must complete this section. Forms that merely reference previous courses taught or say “see above” will be returned to the instructor for completion.:

Over the span of several decades I have become convinced that sans extensive mathematics it is still possible to grasp the most salient features of, the very foundation of our existence, quantum mechanics. The experience of delving into this realm produces rewards beyond measure and is unconstrained by the petty artificial barriers institutionalized for the sake of academic hegemony: In short, this topic is as interdisciplinary as it gets.

The only prerequisite for this class is your willingness to question classically defined proclivities

and preconceptions while emphasizing "the how" rather than "the why" of natural phenomena, and

being open to the notion that science is grounded in its theoretical rather than its experimental

methods.

My intent is to challenge you to apprehend the world on its own terms. Seeing it as it really is and avoid the seductive trap of magical and mystical thinking.

Additional information for the note (optional):

Statement of instructor qualifications exactly as you want it to read in the catalog. Please use complete sentences in the third person. You must complete this section. Forms that merely reference previous catalog information or say “see above” will be returned to the instructor for completion.:

Dr. Price has been learning about the foundations of our existence, Quantum Mechanics, for several decades. Dr. Price has spent his entire career teaching this subject to anyone that was interested in Quantum Mechanics. Once, some very kind students even created a senior special topics Elementary Particle Physics class for him to teach. One of those students decided to become an Elementary Particle Physicist as a result of this experience.

Location preference? Click the box to see all the options.:

Higher Education Center is my preference.

If your preference is to teach at a location(s) not listed above, or if you need a classroom with special equipment or that allows a particular activity, please explain. (optional):

What is the maximum number of students you would prefer? If you do not have a preference or will accept as many students as your classroom will hold, please type "flexible" in the box below.:

flexible

Please indicate the date you would like to start your course:

January 06, 2020

Are you flexible about the start date for your course?:

Yes

Please indicate dates you cannot teach, if any. (optional):

First Choice: Day:

no preference

First Choice: Time:

1:00 p.m. (or 1:30 if at ScienceWorks)

Second Choice: Day:

no preference

Second Choice: Time:

11:00 a.m. (or 11:30 if at ScienceWorks)

Third Choice: Day:

no preference

Third Choice: Time:

3:30 p.m. (or 4:00 if at ScienceWorks)

Is there anything else about your day and time preferences that you would like us to know? (optional):

Please indicate your preference for a class host.:

I would like assistance finding a host.

If you want or need a class host to provide special assistance, please describe. (optional):

Do you have a financial relationship or interest with any products or services which are a part of your course content? :

No

If you answered yes to the question above, please describe your financial relationship or interest.: