Algebra, trigonometry, and calculus are used without apology. If you have serious ambitions in science, you must become competent in applying mathematics to the physical world. In the laboratory that accompanies this course you will learn to include estimates of uncertainty in all your measurements. This gives you a deeper understanding of the reliability of quantitative scientific knowledge. You start with Einstein's theory of relativity, progress through an introduction to the quantum mechanics of Bohr, Heisenberg, and Schroedinger, and move on to study the fundamentals of nuclear and elementary particle physics.
Relativity theory clarifies the distinction between relative and absolute.
During the introduction to quantum mechanics you learn that very small bits of matter like atoms, protons, neutrons, and electrons behave differently than large bits of matter we handle in everyday life. Atoms are not like tiny little stones. Instead, they are more like fluid wavy things that spread out through space and interact discretely with each other. Individual interactions are not completely predictable, but some interactions are more probable than others. Quantum mechanics tells you what is possible and how probable the possible is.