The forces of the Universe govern our lives. Thanks to gravity, electromagnetism, the strong nuclear force, and the weak nuclear force, we have a Universe that is capable of supporting life. Without these forces, nothing interesting would exist! In this self-paced class, we will discuss the four fundamental forces and their interactions. We will also learn about grand unification and mention a few of the theories of everything (there are many proposed theories of everything). Along the way, we will learn about the Standard Model of particle physics, the inverse square law, the nuclear fusion process in the Sun, what virtual particles are, and how to read Feynman diagrams. 


All of the questions asked in the syllabus will be addressed in this club along with many more! There will also be the opportunity for class discussions on the message board. This is a place where the students can ask questions and share their curiosities. Every week there will be a ~15-20 minute PowerPoint style lecture with video and demonstrations that can be replayed as many times as desired/necessary to grasp the material. There is also a quiz for each of the first four classes which should take approximately 10-30 minutes each to complete which will be graded. For the last week, There will be a cumulative final exam consisting of 20 questions to test for student comprehension. The final exam should take around 15-45 minutes to complete which will also be graded. Students should have an interest in physics and/or astronomy before joining this club. It is not advisable to sign up a learner who is not interested in this material as it can be challenging. Only basic algebra skills and an understanding of scientific notation are required.