Christopher Newport University
David Student Union 180
Newport News, VA 23606
(757) 594-8083
StudyAbroad@cnu.edu
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Deadlines
Spring: October 15
Fall: April 1
Summer: March 1
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United Kingdom

Paths of Development in Mathematics and Physics at the time of the French Revolution

Term To Study: Summer 2022
Application Deadline: Nov 30, 2021
Program Starts: Jun 07, 2022
Program Ends: Jun 26, 2022
Program Category: Multi-Country
Program Type: Faculty-led
Program Fee: $4,000
Link 1: Payment Information Form
Program Countries:

Program Locations:

France Paris
United Kingdom Cambridge, Edinburgh
Contact Phone: 757-594-8513
Contact Name: Dr. Mihaela Dobrescu & Dr. David Heddle
Contact Email: mihaela.dobrescu@cnu.edu
What is Included: Airfare, accommodations, some meals, international health insurance, and group activities
What is not Included: Tuition (3 credits), most meals, travel insurance, and personal expenses  

3 credits of tuition is:
$1,284 In-State Tuition & Fees
$2,841 Out-of-State Tuition & Fees

COVID-19 testing or quarantine (if applicable)
Documents: 
study_abroad_flyer_22.pdf
Program Description

MATH 395 Special Topics OR PHYS 395

The major institution supporting research in mathematics and physics in the 18th century Europe was the French Académie des Sciences, founded in Paris in 1666 by Jean-Baptiste Colbert. Mathematicians and scientists from all over Europe, including Euler and Lagrange, entered regularly its prize competitions, hoping to win the challenges and the corresponding recognition, and ultimately to become members of the prestigious academy. In 1793, major institutions in France including the Academy of Sciences, were shut down by the Revolutionary Convention. Some scientists did not survive the reign of terror, but others, including Lagrange, did. In 1795 the Institute National des Sciences was established, and alongside L’Ecole Normale and L’École Polytechnique, institutions that would play a vital role in the development of mathematics and physics. Fourier, who started his studies at L’Ecole Normale attending Lagrange and Laplace lectures, put the foundations of an extremely rich area of research in mathematics that carries his name, Fourier Analysis. Lagrange together with Euler developed a new calculus, called variational calculus, which not only opened the door for new physics; it permitted the reformulation of existing theory, such as Newtonian mechanics, in a more elegant manner.
In this course, we will follow the paths in the history of mathematics leading to the development of variational calculus, differential equations, and approximation theory based on works of D’Alembert, Euler, Fourier, Lagrange, and Laplace. We will start the course at CNU, continue it in Paris, and complete it in Great Britain where the mathematics developed on the continent during the French Revolution made its way across the channel and opened the door for new applications. This transition relied heavily on the work of Mary Summerville, in Edinburgh, who progressed from solving math puzzles from the Ladies’ Diary to The Mechanism of the Heavens, ultimately playing a vital role by interpreting and translating Laplace’s works into English. On the pure physics side, aided by Summerville’s translations, Hamilton in Cambridge reformulated mechanics and Maxwell, who split his career between Edinburgh and Cambridge, unified electricity and magnetism in his famous set of partial differential equations. We will conclude the course in Great Britain with an introduction into these advances in physics.
Students will learn to apply course material to the larger world, to improve mathematical thinking and problem solving skills, to recognize the existence of cultural differences and acknowledge the perspectives and practices of others by exploring the monumental works of the giants of the 18th century scientists.

**COVID-19 Notice**
Travel and Entry Requirements:
Each country has established entry requirements and travel restrictions set for foreign visitors and their citizens. The Study Abroad Office is monitoring the policies of many countries to advise students for study abroad. Any country can change their regulations at any time. We encourage all students and their families to monitor the situation in the location(s) to assess if they wish to continue with study abroad. To view the current COVID-19 response for a specific country, we recommend starting with the U.S. State Department (travel.state.gov) and the U.S. Embassy COVID-19 webpage for the country or countries of interest.

Vaccination Requirement: Christopher Newport University requires students to have the COVID-19 vaccination. The Study Abroad Office will assume each student has been vaccinated when advising, so students must tell the office staff if they are not vaccinated. Many countries have opened their borders to vaccinated travelers with continued levels of on the ground preventative measures (masking, distancing, etc.). An unvaccinated student may be able to travel, but there could be additional testing requirements, quarantine time during arrival, and/or there may be restrictions to certain group activities. In some cases, an unvaccinated student may not be permitted to enter a country. There is a cost for testing, quarantine time, and/or early arrival for quarantine, which may differ by location. Any costs associated with traveling as an unvaccinated person will be an out of pocket expense for the student. Christopher Newport University will not cover the costs associated with these expenses.



**Passport Notice**
Application & Renewal: The U.S. State Department is backlogged with passport application and renewals. The routine processing time is currently up to 18 weeks and expedited services is up to 12 weeks. We highly recommend apply or renewing your passport as soon as possible. Most countries require at least 6 months remaining time on your passport expiration from your intended date of departure. Example: If your passport expires December 1, 2022, you would need to renew your passport to travel in the summer 2022.

Quick Facts

Population: 63047162
Capital: London
Per-capita GDP: $ 36600
Size: 243610 km2
Time Zone: (GMT) Dublin

US State Department

Travel Warning: YES
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Christopher Newport University Study Abroad Office