Randall D. Peters, PhD |
 |
Message from the Chairman
Mercer
University Physics Department
Randall D. Peters, PhD |
|
Welcome to the Mercer University Department of Physics, which has a long tradition. From the 1830's time frame of the University's first President, Professor of Physics Billington M Sanders, until the present; there have been many changes, not just in our department, but also in the science of physics itself. In the last 150 years, our profession has progressed from classical physics (1800's) to modern physics (early 1900's until about 1975), to our present post-modern era. The post-modern era is largely concerned with nonlinear phenomena that are basic to the new science of chaos and complexity. If it is permissible to describe much of earlier physics, including the modern era, by a single archetype--the simple harmonic oscillator; then much of our post-modern era is described by a different but related archetype--the rigid pendulum, which is a nonlinear oscillator when amplitudes of its motion are large. The application of new sensing technology to the pendulum; which is one of the oldest instruments of physics--provides considerable insight into principles that transcend the various disciplines of chaos and complexity.
This department is uniquely qualified to involve students in the study of many hallmark problems of the aforementioned eras. Through the diversity of our talented faculty, we hope to make physics increasingly relevant to the needs of Mercer students, as the university continues into the 21st century. To those students who form a relationship with the Physics Department; we pledge to share with you a contagious physics that is alive with the personalities of our faculty. We are additionally committed to excellence in every part of that complex process.
Mercer University provides unusual and unique opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience in advanced scientific instrumentation, and to collaborate in research with faculty members in various disciplines. This is the experience which a student can expect in the Department of Physics, and we welcome you to visit our webpage frequently in the future to gain better appreciation of such a claim. We hope that our homepage will be vibrant with its ability to give you insight into the exciting programs which we are planning.