Nice! This will make a good companion to Arfken & Weber
Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
11–20 of 44 posts
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#12We're in something of an autodidacticism boom. I have yet to see anyone, in years, actually become proficient at college-level math/physics without formal instruction, just by doing self-study with tutorials like pdfs and videos. There will always be major knowledge gaps or roadblocks/impasses of understanding, like notation or clarification needed. This is not to say it cannot be done but I have to see anyone do it.
The key ingredient in a formal course is the formal examination. Be it graded exercises or a written or oral exam. It forces studying at a level where you can reproduce and explain the key concepts and results and apply them to something new. In theory one can do that also with self-study. Most people don't, they just watch some youtube video or read a Wikipedia page, and then they think they have understood somethin…
If there's a method to feel the pressure of classroom test or the requirement of finishing a project would really help home DIY learning.
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#13We're in something of an autodidacticism boom. I have yet to see anyone, in years, actually become proficient at college-level math/physics without formal instruction, just by doing self-study with tutorials like pdfs and videos. There will always be major knowledge gaps or roadblocks/impasses of understanding, like notation or clarification needed. This is not to say it cannot be done but I have to see anyone do it.
”but I have to see anyone do it” This is a strange take. Why or how would you ever see someone do it? It is very unlikely you would be aware of them. I do concur most ppl I’ve seen lacking formal education in physics - no matter how smart - do have some gaps in their knowledge. There seems to be something of a tacit knowledge transfer involved - but I have no clue what it is. Maybe physicists radiate physics particle…
It begins when you realise all the physics examples are toy models, and reality is basically unmodellable. That physics is not mathematics, and the rules of inference in physics cases are the rules of reality -- not of mathematics. That what guarentees your modelling works is observation, that "hand waving" is something one does to force one's thinking to be empirical.
I suspect people who learn physics via the textbooks end up learning some paralllel reality which is closed-form and models engineered trinkets.
Physics isnt mathematics, and it isnt engineering. I think this is communicated in how its performed, in the emotional tensor of its practice. A good physicist has a healthy contempt of both.
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#14Reading the numerous lecture notes on mathematical methods used in physics that are available online is like reading stories about love: it never gets old, and each time you learn something new!
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#15We're in something of an autodidacticism boom. I have yet to see anyone, in years, actually become proficient at college-level math/physics without formal instruction, just by doing self-study with tutorials like pdfs and videos. There will always be major knowledge gaps or roadblocks/impasses of understanding, like notation or clarification needed. This is not to say it cannot be done but I have to see anyone do it.
The key thing is doing the exercise problems; most textbooks have them at the end of each chapter. Yes, it takes time. Yes, you will struggle, and it's hard work going through them. But it's really the only way to make sure you really understand the subject at a sufficient level vs. you believing you understand it because you watched some videos.
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#16We're in something of an autodidacticism boom. I have yet to see anyone, in years, actually become proficient at college-level math/physics without formal instruction, just by doing self-study with tutorials like pdfs and videos. There will always be major knowledge gaps or roadblocks/impasses of understanding, like notation or clarification needed. This is not to say it cannot be done but I have to see anyone do it.
The issue is a lack of credential means you are putting in a lot of effort to teach yourself something hard, with little evidence to show you understand the material. If universities simply offered a for credit exam where learners had to self teach I reckon we would see a lot more success stories.
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#17We're in something of an autodidacticism boom. I have yet to see anyone, in years, actually become proficient at college-level math/physics without formal instruction, just by doing self-study with tutorials like pdfs and videos. There will always be major knowledge gaps or roadblocks/impasses of understanding, like notation or clarification needed. This is not to say it cannot be done but I have to see anyone do it.
People who write game engines easily fall in this category. Especially when they start thinking about fluids, fibers, cloth, fire, etc. it's high level math and physics under 60fps constraints
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#18Reading the numerous lecture notes on mathematical methods used in physics that are available online is like reading stories about love: it never gets old, and each time you learn something new!
Mathematics is one of our love stories?
Yes! All the endings are happy and the unfinished stories are utterly fascinating. And there are already so many stories with happy endings!
Mathematics is our best bildungsroman
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#19We're in something of an autodidacticism boom. I have yet to see anyone, in years, actually become proficient at college-level math/physics without formal instruction, just by doing self-study with tutorials like pdfs and videos. There will always be major knowledge gaps or roadblocks/impasses of understanding, like notation or clarification needed. This is not to say it cannot be done but I have to see anyone do it.
Math Academy has solved this.
Re: Mathematical Methods for Physics [pdf]
#20Reading the numerous lecture notes on mathematical methods used in physics that are available online is like reading stories about love: it never gets old, and each time you learn something new!
Mathematics is one of our love stories? Yes! All the endings are happy and the unfinished stories are utterly fascinating. And there are already so many stories with happy endings! Mathematics is our best bildungsroman
> Yes! All the endings are happy and the unfinished stories are utterly fascinating.
I'm not sure the practice of mathematical research supports that all the endings are happy, but definitely all the journeys are interesting.