GNED 1300
Dr. Bachrach

Paper #1

Draft due to Rachel by midnight September 19
Paper due to Dr. Bachrach at the start of class on September 26

Possible Topics

• How did the Prime Meridian get established?
• How did railroads operate prior to the establishment of uniform time zones?
• The evolving international date line
• History of the calendar
• Calendar systems of non-western civilizations
• Alternate time/calendar systems, such as the one used during the French Revolutiomn
• History of very accurate time measuring devices
• How do we measure very ancient times?
• Origin/history of daylight savings time
• Why did the USA recently alter the operational dates of daylight savings time?
• The reaction to Einstein’s theory of special relativity
• The reaction to Einstein’s theory of general relativity
• Experimental support for the theory of special relativity
• Experimental support for the theory of general relativity
• Theories of time travel (NOT science fiction accounts of time travel)
• The impact of the Michelson-Morley experiment
• Current ideas of the expanding vs contracting universe
• Current ideas of the curvature of the universe
• The relationship between time and longitude measurement
• Theories of faster-than-light travel (again NOT science fiction accounts of fast travel)
• Others? - You are encouraged to come up with your own topic but clear it with Dr. Bachrach first