Hardest Physics Classes I've Taken in Undergrad
TLDRIn this video, a physics master's student reflects on the three most challenging physics courses taken during their academic journey. The first, classical mechanics, proved tough due to a transition from biology to physics, requiring a shift from memorization to critical thinking. Thermodynamics, the second course, presented complexities in understanding macroscopic and microscopic interactions, involving intricate equations and state functions. The third, atomic physics, was challenging due to simultaneously taking it with a prerequisite quantum mechanics course, demanding a rapid adaptation to new concepts and advanced problem-solving. The student emphasizes the importance of a strong mathematical foundation and critical thinking in physics, sharing insights on how each challenging course contributed to their overall understanding and appreciation of the subject.
Takeaways
- 💻 Classical Mechanics challenges students to move beyond memorization to critical thinking, emphasizing the importance of understanding over rote learning.
- 🔫 The transition from a Biology to Physics major illustrates the adaptability required in academia and highlights the stark differences in learning approaches between disciplines.
- 🤷♂ Thermodynamics splits into two main sections: the macroscopic view of thermodynamic quantities and the microscopic perspective offered by Statistical Mechanics.
- 📖 Thermodynamics laws humorously encapsulate the inherent limitations in energy transfer and utilization, providing a succinct overview of the discipline's foundational principles.
- 🔍 Statistical Mechanics is favored in graduate studies over classical Thermodynamics, indicating a trend towards the microscopic understanding of thermodynamic processes.
- 🚀 Atomic Physics as a senior course requires a strong foundation in Quantum Mechanics, underscoring the importance of prerequisites in advanced studies.
- 📚 Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics are intricately linked, with the latter deepening understanding and application of concepts learned in the former.
- 🔬 Variational methods in Atomic Physics demonstrate the iterative process of scientific inquiry, emphasizing approximation and refinement towards accurate solutions.
- 👨🔬 The intimate class size in advanced physics courses facilitates in-depth discussion and personalized learning, illustrating the benefits of small group education in complex subjects.
- 📱 The personal journey from struggling with foundational courses to excelling in advanced topics showcases the value of persistence, adaptability, and continuous learning in academic success.
Q & A
Why did the speaker find Classical Mechanics challenging?
-The speaker found Classical Mechanics challenging because it was the first upper-level course that demanded critical thinking and moved away from the memorization-based mentality that was sufficient for lower-level physics courses.
What is the main difference between university physics and classical mechanics in terms of problem-solving?
-In university physics, many physical quantities like air resistance and friction can be neglected, but in classical mechanics, these simplifications are withdrawn, and one must derive equations on the go, considering more complex factors like linear and quadratic air resistance.
How did the speaker describe their experience with the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics sections of Classical Mechanics?
-The speaker found these sections interesting but had not yet developed the mathematical rigor to fully appreciate concepts like the calculus of variations at the time.
What are some of the key concepts studied in Thermodynamics?
-Thermodynamics focuses on the macroscopic description of quantities such as temperature, entropy, enthalpy, volume, and pressure, and how they relate to work and energy, encapsulated by the zeroth, first, second, and third laws of thermodynamics.
Why did the speaker struggle with the Thermodynamics section of the course?
-The speaker struggled because solving problems in thermodynamics requires the use of concepts like partial and total derivatives, and the equations change depending on the equation of state being used, which was not always clear.
How does Statistical Mechanics differ from Thermodynamics?
-Statistical Mechanics allows for the microscopic description of thermodynamic processes and enables the derivation of equations of state statistically from the energy of particles.
What was the speaker's experience with Atomic Physics?
-The speaker found Atomic Physics difficult due to the prerequisite of having taken Quantum Mechanics, which they were concurrently studying, leading to a lack of intuition and understanding of the material. However, by the end of the course, they had a better grasp of the concepts.
How did the speaker's experience with Atomic Physics affect their understanding of Quantum Mechanics?
-The speaker's experience with Atomic Physics made Quantum Mechanics easier as they became familiar with concepts like wavefunctions, variational methods, and perturbation theory through the application in atomic systems.
What advice does the speaker give regarding taking challenging courses?
-The speaker advises against taking classes before being qualified, as their experience with Classical Mechanics and Atomic Physics was more challenging due to a weaker math background and concurrent study of prerequisite courses.
What strategies helped the speaker in their thermodynamics class?
-The speaker noticed that quantities derived in thermodynamics often followed similar derivation methods. Understanding this pattern could have improved their experience in the class.
What are some key takeaways from the speaker's experiences with these physics courses?
-The speaker's experiences highlight the importance of developing a strong math background, the ability to think critically, and the value of understanding the underlying motivations behind derivations in physics courses.
Outlines
🎓 Reflecting on Challenging Physics Courses
The speaker, a master's student in physics, shares their experiences with the most difficult physics courses they've encountered. They preface their discussion by acknowledging that their experiences may not align with others due to varying mathematical backgrounds. The speaker explains that their initial background in biology led to a memorization-based approach to learning, which was insufficient for upper-level physics courses like classical mechanics. They found classical mechanics particularly challenging as it required a shift to critical thinking and understanding complex concepts like air resistance and friction, which were simplified in lower-level university physics. The speaker also discusses their struggles with thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, highlighting the mathematical rigor and the application of concepts like partial and total derivatives.
🌪️ Navigating Quantum Mechanics and Atomic Physics
The speaker delves into the challenges of taking quantum mechanics and atomic physics concurrently, despite the前者 being a prerequisite for the latter. They describe the initial difficulty in understanding multi-electron atoms and the lack of intuition for the subject matter. However, by the end of the course, the speaker had gained a better grasp of the material, attributing this to the practical problem-solving approach used in atomic physics. The course covered advanced topics such as wavefunctions, variational methods, and perturbation theory, which were new concepts for the speaker. They conclude with advice for students: to avoid taking classes before meeting the prerequisites and to focus on developing a strong mathematical foundation to better understand and appreciate the complexities of physics.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Classical Mechanics
💡Thermodynamics
💡Statistical Mechanics
💡Atomic Physics
💡Quantum Mechanics
💡Schrodinger Equation
💡Stern-Gerlach Experiment
💡Wavefunction
💡Variational Methods
💡Perturbation Theory
💡Critical Thinking
Highlights
The speaker is in their final semester of completing a master's in physics.
The speaker initially started as a biology major before switching to physics due to a lack of interest in memorization.
Classical mechanics was challenging because it required a shift from memorization to critical thinking.
In classical mechanics, simplifications made in university physics, such as neglecting air resistance, are withdrawn.
The speaker found the later sections of classical mechanics, involving Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics, interesting but struggled due to lack of mathematical rigor.
Thermodynamics is split into two sections: thermodynamics and statistical mechanics.
Thermodynamics involves the macroscopic description of physical quantities and their interplay with work and energy.
Solving problems in thermodynamics requires the use of partial derivatives and total derivatives, which the speaker found challenging.
Statistical mechanics allows for the microscopic description of thermodynamic processes and the derivation of equations of state statistically.
The speaker attributes their grade in the course to their performance in the statistical mechanics section.
Boltzmann and Ehrenfest, both students of statistical and thermodynamics, had tragic life stories.
Atomic physics is a 400-level senior course that the speaker took, which was challenging due to its prerequisites.
The speaker took atomic physics and quantum mechanics simultaneously, which was demanding.
The class in atomic physics was taught by a theoretical atomic physicist, which added to the difficulty.
The speaker had to learn to solve the Schrodinger equation in three dimensions at the start of the semester.
By the final exam, the speaker had a better understanding of the physics concepts taught in the atomic physics class.
Atomic physics involves guessing wavefunctions and using variational methods to improve these guesses.
The speaker suggests that having a stronger math background could have improved their experience in classical mechanics.
The speaker advises against taking a class before being qualified, based on their experience with atomic physics.
Transcripts
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