I made it to Charlottesville, and am all checked in to the Econo Lodge, which is a little more Econo than I was expecting. It’s an old-school motel, with rooms that open right into the parking lot, the sort of place where the towels are tiny and scratchy, the pillows and mattresses are thin, and… Continue reading Dorky Poll: How Do You Like Your Waves?
Category: Physics
Good Talks Are Bosons
I’m leaving this afternoon for Charlottesville, VA and the 40th annual DAMOP conference. At this meeting, we will once again be confirming the prediction of the bosonic character of interesting talks. Bosons, as you know, are quantum particles that happily occupy the same state as other bosons, and as you can see from the meeting… Continue reading Good Talks Are Bosons
Sciences vs. Humanities, Primary vs. Secondary
Thoreau offers without qualification some observations about the different approach to books taken by sciences vs. humanities. Specifically, he notes that despite frequent claims that it is the Most Important Book Ever, nobody actually reads Newton’s Principia Mathematica This is totally different from humanities. In humanities, people make a point of reading the original thinkers.… Continue reading Sciences vs. Humanities, Primary vs. Secondary
Physics vs. Chemistry
The Experimental Error blog considers the difference between disciplines (via Tom): I often contemplate the differences between these two areas of study. Also, I hear fellow undergrads argue for one or the other, usually divided along the lines of their respective major. Anymore, I think they’re so interrelated that I find it hard to find… Continue reading Physics vs. Chemistry
What Should I Do in Charlottesville?
From Tuesday to Saturday, I will be at the 2009 DAMOP meeting at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA. I have been to Charlottesville three times before, and based on that experience, I know these things: The White Spot is worth a visit if you’re a fan of greasy spoon diners. Getting stuck in… Continue reading What Should I Do in Charlottesville?
The Logo Problem
Speaking of conferences (as we were a little while ago), the Female Science Professor has a post on the phenomenon of logos in talk slides: Do you put your institution’s logo in your talks and on your posters at conferences? If you put a logo in your talk, do you put the logo on every… Continue reading The Logo Problem
We Just Turned the Machine Off, and the Antimatter Went Away
I’m a little surprised that I haven’t seen bloggers commenting on Tom Hanks’s appearance on The Daily Show, in which he talks about CERN: The Daily Show With Jon Stewart M – Th 11p / 10c Tom Hanks thedailyshow.com Daily Show Full Episodes Economic Crisis Political Humor Everything he says is pretty much true, but… Continue reading We Just Turned the Machine Off, and the Antimatter Went Away
Making Physics Relevant
An example problem from today’s lecture: A sleep-deprived parent is warming a bottle for a midnight feeding. He places a bottle containing 250 ml of infant formula at 275K into 300 ml of water at 320 K. When the two liquids reach equilibrium, what is the temperature of the formula?
Would You Like Some Calculus With Your Physics?
It’s a nice demonstration of the oddity of the blogosphere that a libertarian political blog has become my go-to-source for thoughtful blogging about physics education. Thoreau had two good posts yesterday at Unqualified Offerings, one on the problems created by breaking down incorrect intuition, and another on the lack of calculus in calculus-based physics texts:… Continue reading Would You Like Some Calculus With Your Physics?
Dorkiest Family Vacation Ever
Via Michael Nielsen, a page documenting what I really hope is the dorkiest family vacation ever: Project GREAT: General Relativity Einstein/Essen Anniversary Test Clocks, Kids, and General Relativity on Mt Rainier: In September 2005 (for the 50th anniversary of the atomic clock and 100th anniversary of the theory of relativity) we took several cesium clocks… Continue reading Dorkiest Family Vacation Ever