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So you want to learn physics (2021)

susanrigetti.com

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Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#141

Post by [deleted] »

BenFranklin100 wrote: post #68
ak_111 wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That is some dedication, well done. Interesting to know more about your career and where this lead to if you continued down the physics path.

I went on to earn a doctorate in biophysics and then began a career developing instrumentation for biomedical research. While I no longer work directly in the field of physics, the physical intuition and reasoning abilities honed by a physics education has allowed me to successfully lead teams consisting of electrical and mechanical engineers, while serving as the liaison to biologists and doctors. I regard a physics…

[deleted]

Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#143

Post by computerfriend »

monster_group wrote: post #67
computerfriend wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Excellent discipline. What topic are you focussing on?

I have been working on quantum physics since March of this year and am hoping to complete the whole text book (Townsend) by end of the year. Then on to special relativity -> classical field theory in 2024, general relativity and QFT in 2025 and 2026 - at least that's the plan.

Enjoy the journey.

Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#144

Post by j7ake »

remote_phone wrote: post #46
qsort wrote: post #3

A point that's rightfully emphasized by the author: > Solving problems is the only way to understand physics. There's no way around it. This generalizes well to other fields. I don't want to discourage anybody from trying to educate themselves in a difficult field (be it physics or something else), but that's a very common and immediately visible problem with autodidacts. If you haven't worked through enough hard pro…

In college, I was always the first one out of my friends to “get” a concept, like fast Fourier transforms, anything with signal processing or even coding or any labs we had to do etc so I would spend time teaching them in the library. However I never did any of the exercises, mostly due to laziness and not arrogance. They would get A’s and I would get C’s and D’s. I emphasize this story to my kids because knowing isn…

Especially these days, the bar for “knowing” Fourier transforms is simply a 7 minute video from 3blue1brown.

The gap between knowers and doers will only get larger as math explainers improve their content.

Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#145

Post by the_g0d_f4ther »

LYK-love wrote: post #78

After reading this blog, I'm ashamed. I just graduated from college. In my high school, the education of physics was so boring and tiresome that I even hated it at one point. For this reason, I chose computer science rather than physics as my major in college. Later, I gradually became interested in physics, however, due to the lack of good enough study habits, atmosphere and courage (which is a self-deprecating way…

I feel the same way about pursuing CS instead of Physics. But at some point, a pragmatic solution had to be made. So don’t go hard on yourself for that, you probably would have felt the same way about CS too.

Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#146

Post by gandalfgreybeer »

sizzzzlerz wrote: post #134
antegamisou wrote: post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Halliday & Resnick Fundamentals of Physics is what we used in AP as well as in freshman year at college. Covers most sections one needs to be familiar with to be physics literate (solid/fluid mechanics, waves, thermo, electromagnetism, optics, relativity).

Is that still in print? That was the physics book we used my freshman year, in 1974. It was a great book. I’m still sorry I sold it.

Still used in as an undergraduate in 2013

Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#147

Post by gandalfgreybeer »

libraryofbabel wrote: post #38
bluish29 wrote: post #37

> Classical Electrodynamics by Jackson (essential). This is the bible of classical electrodynamics, and everyone who works through either loves it or hates it (I loved it). I agree that there is a division between who loves that book (like the author) and the majority of the graduate students who had nightmares (and sometimes still gets). I like this goodreads review of the book [1] > A soul crushing technical manual…

Well yes, but curious what book you would recommend instead for graduate electrodynamics? Note that she already recommends first studying Griffith's Introduction to Electrodynamics at the undergraduate level (and that one is a true pleasure to read imho).

Zangwill should be the new Jackson. Covers mostly the same problems and topics but you can actually get through it.

Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#148

Post by praveen9920 »

“Resnik- Halliday” and “IE Irodov” the two books changed physics for me. One simplified physics for everyday and made it relatable and one showed me how to think about solving physics problems.

P.S I mostly self taught physics for my own interest. Not sure if these books are under grad level.

Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#149

Post by qnzy »

amluto wrote: post #65

This has the same omission that my undergrad program had: continuum mechanics. Even just the very basics (pressure, velocity, etc in a moving, non-equilibrium system) and translating between the terminology used by different science and engineering fields (static pressure, total pressure, velocity pressure, stagnation pressure, hydrostatic pressure, dynamic pressure, plain old pressure, head, oh my!) is very useful.…

Introduction to the Physics of Fluids and Solids by James Trefil might be interesting for you.

Re: So you want to learn physics (2021)

#150

Post by Zecc »

cgh wrote: post #83

To help with some of the math required by general relativity, there's a good series on YouTube by the user "eigenchris" on tensor calculus, which I found helpful for a geometric intuition of what's going on. He also has a series on GR itself, which I haven't watched yet. If you're interested in learning GR and want specific information on the area of differential geometry you'll need to understand it, then this serie…

> there's a good series on YouTube by the user "eigenchris" on tensor calculus

To save someone else a search: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ptMTLzV4-I&list=PLJHszsWbB6...

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