Arrow of Time

Students will explore the development of complexity in the universe on scales as small as subatomic particles to scales as large as the entire universe. The emphasis will be on how the development of complex structures determines the direction of time in a way not seen in basic physical laws that are time symmetric. Topics may include the creation of everything from the expansion of the universe, the synthesis of elements from the detritus of the Big Bang, their collection into planets, and the subsequent development of complex life. Emphasis will be on our understanding of some but not all of these phenomena in the context of modern astrophysics and microbiology and the way in which these developments define a direction for time.