Questions tagged [education]
How is physics taught and learned. Teaching strategies, class examples and demonstrations; learning resources, career advice, etc. For explicit problems, use the 'homework' tag instead.
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Does Earth really have two high-tide bulges on opposite sides?
The bit that makes sense – tidal forces
My physics teacher explained that most tidal effect is caused by the Moon rotating around the Earth, and some also by the Sun.
They said that in the Earth - ...
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What is a field, really?
There was a reason why I constantly failed physics at school and university, and that reason was, apart from the fact I was immensely lazy, that I mentally refused to "believe" more advanced ...
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Simple check for the global shape of the Earth
I have been on a date recently, and everything went fine until the moment the girl has told me that the Earth is flat. After realizing she was not trolling me, and trying to provide her with a couple ...
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How do I explain to a six year old why people on the other side of the Earth don't fall off? [closed]
Today a friend's six year old sister asked me the question "why don't people on the other side of the earth fall off?". I tried to explain that the Earth is a huge sphere and there's a special force ...
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Reading the Feynman lectures in 2012
The Feynman lectures are universally admired, it seems, but also a half-century old.
Taking them as a source for self-study, what compensation for their age, if any, should today's reader undertake? ...
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How can we see an atom now? What was the scale of this equipment?
I've just seen this on the news - Single Trapped Atom Captures Science Photography Competition's top prize.
Credit: David Nadlinger via EPSRC
I am not a Physics major but I believe I do know the ...
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Why quantum mechanics?
Imagine you're teaching a first course on quantum mechanics in which your students are well-versed in classical mechanics, but have never seen any quantum before. How would you motivate the subject ...
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What is a good introductory book on quantum mechanics?
I'm really interested in quantum theory and would like to learn all that I can about it. I've followed a few tutorials and read a few books but none satisfied me completely. I'm looking for ...
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Best books for mathematical background?
What are the best textbooks to read for the mathematical background you need for modern physics, such as, string theory?
Some subjects off the top of my head that probably need covering:
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List of freely available physics books
I'm trying to amass a list of physics books with open-source licenses, like Creative Commons, GPL, etc. The books can be about a particular field in physics or about physics in general.
What are ...
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Lev Landau's "Theoretical Minimum"
The great russian physicist Lev Landau developed a famous entry exam to test his students. This "Theoretical Minimum" contained everything he considered elementary for a young theoretical physicist. ...
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What is the simplest way to prove the Earth is round?
Assume you've come in contact with a tribe of people cut off from the rest of the world, or you've gone back in time several thousand years, or (more likely) you've got a numbskull cousin.
How would ...
tQuarella
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What are the prerequisites to studying general relativity? [closed]
This question recently appeared on Slashdot:
Slashdot posts a fair number of physics stories. Many of us, myself included, don't have the background to understand them. So I'd like to ask the ...
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Books for Condensed Matter after Ashcroft/Mermin
What are some good condensed matter physics books that can fill the gap between Ashcroft & Mermin and research papers? Suggestions for any specialized topics (such as superconductivity, CFT, ...
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Explaining UV radiation to a 6 year old
My (just completed) PhD involved a considerable amount of research involved with the detection of solar UV radiation. This generated quite a bit of interest, especially when I was conducting my ...
user29350
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What physics paper would a high school student be able to read?
I'm looking for a physics paper which a typical high school student who is new to physics would be able to read and grasp the general idea of the purpose, setup and results, if not the details. To be ...
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Explaining to a five year old - why don't bubbles run like water
My five-year old daughter was asking about astronauts the other day and why they float in space. After me showing her a few bits on the kids section on the NASA web site I started explaining about the ...
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How should a physics student study mathematics? [closed]
Note: I will expand this question with more specific points when I have my own internet connection and more time (we're moving in, so I'm at a friend's house).
This question is broad, involved, and ...
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What's the standard "roadmap" to learning quantum physics? [closed]
I'm really interested in quantum physics and would like to learn more. However, I don't know where to start and in what order I should learn things. So, ideally I'm looking for some sort of roadmap of ...
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Classic home experiments for an 8-year-old child [closed]
My 8-year-old daughter's school report says that she's good at understanding the basic science she's doing, but she's having trouble seeing how experimental results lead to conclusions. Specifically, ...
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Partial derivative notation in thermodynamics
Most thermodynamics textbooks introduce a notation for partial derivatives that seems redundant to students who have already studied multivariable calculus. Moreover, the authors do not dwell on the ...
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Why don't we use rapidity instead of velocity? [closed]
In school we learn that we can add velocities together, and then later on we learn that it's not correct and that there is a speed limit. Why create all this confusion when we could just use rapidity ...
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Can Newton's laws of motion be proved (mathematically or analytically) or are they just axioms?
Today I was watching Professor Walter Lewin's lecture on Newton's laws of motion. While defining Newton's first, second and third law he asked "Can Newton's laws of motion be proved?" and according ...
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What is the math knowledge necessary for starting Quantum Mechanics?
Could someone experienced in the field tell me what the minimal math knowledge one must obtain in order to grasp the introductory Quantum Mechanics book/course?
I do have math knowledge but I must ...
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Easy to perform quantitative experiments at home [closed]
What are some easy to perform physics experiments that can be done at home (with not too much special equipment) and that allow to actually measure/plot data and draw conclusions from it?
My son is ...
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What errors would one learn from Eliezer Yudkowsky's introduction to quantum physics?
Eliezer Yudkowsky wrote an introduction to quantum physics from a strictly realist standpoint. However, he has no qualifications in the subject and it is not his specialty. Does it paint an accurate ...
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Physical and Geometrical interpretation of Differential Forms
I have a doubt about the physical and geometrical interpretation of differential forms. I've been studying differential forms on Spivak's Calculus on Manifolds, but my real intent is to use those ...
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Where should a physicist go to learn chemistry?
I took an introductory chemistry course long ago, but the rules seemed arbitrary, and I've forgotten most of what I learned. Now that I have an undergraduate education in physics, I should be able to ...
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How to learn physics effectively and efficiently [closed]
How do you effectively study physics? How does one read a physics book instead or just staring at it for hours?
(Apologies in advance if the question is ill-posed or too subjective in its current ...
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What is your simplest explanation of string theory?
How would you explain string theory to non-physicists such as myself? I'm especially interested in how plausible is it and what is needed to successfully prove it?
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Learning physics online?
I'm thinking of following some kind of education in physics online. I have a master degree in Computer Science and have reasonable good knowledge in physics. I would like a program of 1-2 years and I'...
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Difference between momentum and kinetic energy
From a mathematical point of view it seems to be clear what's the difference between momentum and $mv$ and kinetic energy $\frac{1}{2} m v^2$. Now my problem is the following: Suppose you want to ...
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The scope of physics, as taught in modern times
I am asking this question based on my recent experience as a physics major at a well-known school of science and engineering. My basic question is,
Why does the field of physics (at least at an ...
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Explaining how we cannot account for changing acceleration questions without calculus
For context, I am a high school physics teacher.
I am teaching students about the basics of electromagnetic force between two point charges. The equation we use is $F=\frac{kq_1q_2}{r^2}$.
This gives ...
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Is there a physics Puzzles site like Project Euler?
I am looking for a site that publishing riddles and problems such as Project Euler
publishes problems in computer science. Is there any similar site that is hardcore in the area of physics?
This ...
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Why is the potential energy of a spring the same when it is compressed and stretched?
I'm giving a high school lecture and I want to introduce the potential energy of a spring. My students have not learned the Hooke's Law and the notion of integral is too advanced. I'm really trying to ...
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Help! An 8 year old asked me how to build a nuclear power plant [closed]
I would really like to give an explanation similar to this one.
Here's my current recipe:
(i) Mine uranium, for example take a rock from here (picture of uranium mine in Kazakhstan).
(ii) Put the ...
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Starting a physics Ph.D. at 60? [closed]
Decades ago I was in a physics Ph.D. program, made a hash of things, and quite rightly was dropped from the program. Since then I've had a very satisfying career as a computer programmer, and picked ...
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Books that develop interest & critical thinking among high school students
I heard about Yakov Perelman and his books. I just finished reading his two volumes of Physics for Entertainment. What a delightful read! What a splendid author. This is the exact book I've been ...
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Graduate Physics Problems Books
Need to brush up on my late-undergrad and early-grad physics and was wondering if anyone can recommend books or lecture notes (hard copy, or on-line) that also have solutions.
Two that I have come ...
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Linear algebra for quantum physics
A week ago I asked people on this site what mathematical background was needed for understanding Quantum Physics, and most of you mentioned Linear Algebra, so I decided to conduct a self-study of ...
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Self Teaching QFT
I am currently in the process of teaching myself QFT. It is not an easy task. I have armed myself with many of the standard textbooks. However, I am slow learner. I get stuck on a thousand ...
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How do you start learning physics by yourself? [closed]
I think this question has its place here because I am sure some of you are "self-taught experts" and can guide me a little through this process.
Considering that :
I don't have any physics scholar ...
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Trouble with classical mechanics self-learning (How to avoid going down the Physics rabbit hole?) [duplicate]
I'm a retired police officer trying to learn classical mechanics on my own. I have gone through many links on the Internet including the classical mechanics quick reference textbooks from Physics ...
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Why is introductory physics not taught in a more "axiomatic" way?
I am engineer who was taught the standard four semester, two-year physics courses from Halliday and Resnick's book. However, after reading the insightful answers here (e.g. Ron Maimon's awesome ...
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Is force the current of momentum?
I have met the expression that force is the current of momentum. At Google I have found only a few papers where force is described that way.
Is this a valid, useful definition?
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PhD Research Areas in String Theory [closed]
I'm thinking of applying to do a PhD in String Theory, starting in September 2013. I'm gradually learning more about the subject through external reading, but still most papers are impenetrable! Could ...
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What does it take to understand Maxwell's equations? [closed]
Assume I want to learn math and physics enough to reach a level where I understand Maxwell's equations (The terms and reasoning in the equations I.e. why they "work"). What would I have to learn in ...
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Book recommendations for fluid dynamics self-study
I have my bachelors degree in engineering science: computer science, option electrotechnic. I have a good understanding of basic mechanics and dynamics, calculus (differential equations).
The books I'...
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What is the simplest way to prove that Earth orbits the Sun?
Assume you're talking to someone ignorant of the basic facts of astronomy.
How would you prove to them that Earth orbits the Sun? Similarly, how would you prove to them that the Moon orbits Earth?
tQuarella