Recent content by mpresic3

  1. M

    Studying "Useful" vs. "Useless" Stuff in School

    You lost me at the first statement. I had to solve a partial differential equation at work before. New-hires at my workspace are encouraged to take courses to repair their mathematics and physics knowledge that their colleges did not develop sufficiently. I was fortunate enough to go to a...
  2. M

    Trying to review linear algebra after graduating

    I am having a hard time from your post finding out where your problem lies. On the one hand, you seem to think you think you can do homework problems and get about 85% on a test, indicating you think you have some mastery of the material. Then you mention the exam comes and you do not even...
  3. M

    Studying How to take notes for physics and math?

    As far as watching you tube videos OR taking notes. Why not watch you tube videos .AND. take notes. I took notes during several of my classes that were recorded for viewing at a future time. When watching many of the youtube videos with a class presentation, I notice many of the students are...
  4. M

    Studying How to take notes for physics and math?

    I last went to a lecture during covid, and obtained my last advanced degree over 10 years ago so the rules may gave changed. Back when I took core courses, the teachers used blackboard and chalk and whiteboards were just coming in. Assuming teachers are using white-boards or blackboards...
  5. M

    The changing physics curriculum in 1961

    It could be that what Morison is referring to is the "absolute differential calculus" which is more advanced than is typically taught to first year students.
  6. M

    QLD - Year 12 Chemistry Unit 3 and 4, IA2 student experiment suggestions please

    In my experience (now more than 50 years old), the titration experiment is easier. What could go wrong? I remember in my class, one group of students got the base directly from the reagent bottle, rather than the specially prepared solution from the teacher. Consequently, they could not...
  7. M

    Intro Physics “Fundamental University Physics” by Alonso and Finn - out of date?

    I cannot say for sure how much of Alonso and Finn is out of date, but I did run across it in a library one day. It looks like a good textbook. I was raised with Halliday/Resnick, and I thought this was instructive, but just browsing, I cannot say Alonso/Finn is worse. As far as learning...
  8. M

    Applied A question about mathematics textbooks for physicists

    What level of physics students are you addressing in your post. Freshman physics in college study calculus often as a co-requisite. The study physics concurrently. In a sense they are studying math first, although when I studied physics, physics was at 9:00 am, and Math was at 11:00. If...
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    Intro Physics Book Recommendations For a 13 Year Old

    I can recommend a recent book that presents exciting physics and chemistry at this level with one reservation. An excellent book that was recommended to me is, "Storm in a Teacup", by Helen Czerski. I think she has a TED talk on the internet so you may be able to see if you like her style...
  10. M

    B Deceptively simple geometry question on SAT test

    Actually d would be the "best" answer. 9/2 is closer to 4 than any of the other answers
  11. M

    B Deceptively simple geometry question on SAT test

    I did get this one right, but I think it was that I realized many years ago, Magellan's crew, in circum navigaing the globe saw one fewer sunsets. I thought about the voyage in a reference frame fixed to the stars and you can see that the number of times the Earth turns is one more than the...
  12. M

    Can Mathematical Models Explain Scenes from The Day the Earth Stood Still?

    Not long after the plaque become publically known, a cartoonist made a cartoon of a man-like person from Jupiter talking to a woman-like person from Jupiter, both of them impeccably dressed and the Jupiter man says, "See the Earthmen are just like us, only they don't wear clothes.
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    Studying Chemistry or physics - which one is more suitable for self-studying?

    Maybe you can tell us more of what you think is superfun about chemistry. Chemistry is a pretty broad area. For example, some textbooks start with naming compounds, and substances, and acids etc. If you like to memorize structures that make up acids, or radicals, sulfates vs sulfites etc, or...
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    Need Advice on studying in my first University Physics class

    You are not doing bad. You are getting 100 % on the homeworks and doing above average on the midterm. You are better than more than half the physics people in class. The fact is I have known a lot of math majors who try to do the physics. More often than not, they ahve a hard time doing...
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    Why are Physicists so informal with mathematics?

    Some quotes from prominent physicists: Weyl: Space is a field of linear operators. Heisenberg: Nonsense, Space is blue and birds fly through it. Asher Peres: Quantum phenomena occur in a laboratory, not a hilbert space. I forgot who said this but it was probably an experimentalist: " You...
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