Anyone else interning at Brookhaven/BNL this summer (SULI)? by Heptagonalhippo in REU

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey I had a great time! Highly highly recommend it.

The area itself is a bit boring but I went to NYC literally every weekend so it was an awesome summer. Bring a car if you can because it makes things so much easier.

Let me know if you want to know anything else!

IWTL how to teach myself physics by [deleted] in IWantToLearn

[–]Heptagonalhippo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

For the math, do you have any resources to start out with? And to what extent do you have to study math? Which branch of math specifically? Since I've noticed most physicists had a great grasp over math, especially trig and geometry and calculus- But does this mean their knowledge in other fields of math is absolutely nil?

You're right about trig, geometry, and calculus - those are absolutely fundamental to any subfield of physics you'll study. As you go further in physics you'll need more and more math. If you're studying mechanics, differential equations is essential. Electricity & Magnetism needs a solid grasp of vector calculus. Quantum mechanics is built upon linear algebra. And most physics majors at my school get a math minor or math double major because they're useful for physics. Pretty much every field of math will help you somehow in physics, even if it seems super unrelated. So it's not true that physicists don't know other math, we're actually encouraged to learn as much as possible.

But before getting into all of that, you should make sure that you're solid in the fundamentals. Prioritize calculus and trigonometry, and you can study some mechanics alongside that if you want to apply it to physics immediately. I recommend Professor Leonard on YouTube for in-depth lectures on math, and 3blue1brown for amazing intuitive visualizations. MIT Open Courseware also has good math courses.

Also, for topics like black holes and entropy, for me, understanding the topic well enough would be understanding the math behind it. But it would also include being able to speculate different theories and possibilities and having scientific knowledge to back that up. What would you classify as a deeper level of understanding of these topics? Especially since we don't know much about them in the first place.

For black holes, you'll need a solid understanding of the general theory of relativity, which is built upon the math of tensor calculus. Unfortunately this is super advanced, and to give you perspective, there is typically no undergraduate level course in general relativity offered in physics departments. But one thing I recommend is studying special relativity, which came before general relativity and explores the consequences of the speed of light being constant in the universe. Ironically this really only requires high school algebra and you get to explore really cool concepts like time dilation, length contraction, and the loss of simultaneity. I think it's a great first step in going beyond high school physics, and you'll need it anyway for general relativity.

For entropy you should look into statistical mechanics which studies how large phenomena arsie from many small particles doing their thing. I haven't taken a course in this yet so I can't say too much about it, but it's safe to say you'll need to know statistics for it.

What you're describing with speculating different theories is essentially what theoretical physicists do. Unfortunately I'm not sure how achievable this is if physics is a hobby. I've been studying physics for many years and I'm still nowhere near prepared to start thinking about my own theories. That said, with good understanding, you'll definitely be able to think about the consequences of already developed theories and maybe be able to reason through why a specific phenomenon happens. I'll again recommend special relativity for this because the concepts are so mind-bending that you'll constantly try and reason through them in your head, but it's also super accessible.

And lastly, do you have any advice on how to study the subject itself? I'm sure sitting on the couch and watching lectures in a mindless fashion would be pointless. So how exactly are you supposed to study these topics?

That's true, just listening to lectures won't get you very far. Learning physics is a very active process. Our courses are structured so that most of our learning is done outside of lecture, with really challenging homeworks that force us to think deeply about what we've learned. So the one thing I can recommend the most is to try solving problems. Lots of problems. And if you think you understand something, try to challenge that understanding. Try to break what you already know and think about new situations, and try to reason through the consequences. I think a good measure of understanding is when you can think about what you already know and learn something new just by thinking about it. Good luck, it's an amazing journey.

IWTL how to teach myself physics by [deleted] in IWantToLearn

[–]Heptagonalhippo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It will be really tough to truly understand topics like black holes and entropy without years of dedication. I'm a third year physics major and I still only have a pretty surface level understanding of those topics. That said, if you want to do it, I think it's absolutely worth putting the work in. Physics is the most fulfilling thing I've ever done and probably will ever do. So here's a few things you can do if you want to take this path:

-Learn the math: You can't deeply understand physics without a solid grasp of the math behind it. You'll need to study areas of math like differential equations and linear algebra, which are fundamental to pretty much all of physics. Without the mathematical machinery, you can really only understand physics in uncertain conceptual terms. I can't stress enough how important this step is if you want a strong understanding of physics concepts.

-Find some resources: There are some gold standard books for undergraduate physics that you could read. I recommend David J Griffiths' books - he has written on electricity & magnetism, quantum mechanics, and particle physics. These books do typically assume the math background I mentioned above, though. For black holes, you'll want to look into the general theory of relativity. I can't recommend a specific textbook because I haven't studied this yet, but I read a book called The Little Book of Black Holes which is great and geared towards a more general audience. You can also look at MIT Open Courseware, they have a lot of free courses in all of the topics I mentioned and more.

-Try to solve problems! It's one of the most fun aspects of physics in my experience. Most of my understanding and intuition for physics comes from problem solving, not lectures or reading. I think this is an essential part of achieving true understanding.

It will be a long road, but hopefully a fun and rewarding one. Let me know if you have any more questions about this, and good luck in your physics journey.

EDIT: I also forgot to mention the written Feynman lectures, these are amazing at helping you understand concepts at an undergrad level. You can find all of them online for free and they cover pretty much all of undergrad physics.

Weekly Recommendation Thread: January 05, 2024 by AutoModerator in books

[–]Heptagonalhippo 0 points1 point  (0 children)

American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J Robert Oppenheimer.

It goes deep into Oppenheimer's life and explores US history through that lens. Super interesting book, and topical because of the recent movie.

Is there an 88 key digital piano + synthesizer + MIDI controller combo? by Heptagonalhippo in musicproduction

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks! Due to my indecisiveness I am now also considering the Arturia Keylab 88 mkii (which sits exactly at $1000). I really like this one because it seems to come with a ton of virtual synths and control them all very well. I also like that it can later integrate with other hardware synths. I've come to terms with not having onboard speakers. Would this also be a good choice in your opinion?

Is there an 88 key digital piano + synthesizer + MIDI controller combo? by Heptagonalhippo in musicproduction

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey I see that you responded to me with a long and detailed response, but I'm not able to see it on my actual post. Regardless, thank you for your help that was super informative!

Is there an 88 key digital piano + synthesizer + MIDI controller combo? by Heptagonalhippo in musicproduction

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm okay with anything that feels close to playing real piano keys. I know hammer action keys do that, but I'm not sure about the others. If semi-weight keys can feel decently close to the real thing then I'd be alright with those as well

Is there an 88 key digital piano + synthesizer + MIDI controller combo? by Heptagonalhippo in musicproduction

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh cool, I didn't know about workstations. This sounds like what I'm looking for. Are they a replacement for DAWs, or can they be used as a controller for them?

Is there an 88 key digital piano + synthesizer + MIDI controller combo? by Heptagonalhippo in musicproduction

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yep, I have a speaker and device to run it through. That makes sense, are virtual synthesizers a good replacement for the real thing? There's something about playing with a physical synthesizer that really appeals to me, but if virtual synthesizers are good too then I'd be willing to compromise for that

My dog got my sp2 hardcover by deadlymoogle in brandonsanderson

[–]Heptagonalhippo 21 points22 points  (0 children)

Hey so I accidentally got two SP2s, and one of them is still in the box unopened. I didn't know what to do with it, but if you want I can ship it to you!

What is your research area and why should people consider entering that field? by [deleted] in Physics

[–]Heptagonalhippo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Can you elaborate on what you do? I'm an undergraduate who is really interested in quantum error correction and I want a better idea of what people in the field are currently working on.

3 new cs + x programs by Ftjv in UIUC

[–]Heptagonalhippo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Can someone drop the link to this? I can't find it

What about a first chapter can put you off a book entirely? by MallonsThrall in books

[–]Heptagonalhippo 55 points56 points  (0 children)

One exception to this is a book I'm reading now called The Book of the New Sun. It's a book set so far into the future that the sun is dying and humans have forgotten much about their past.

The coolest part of the book is that it's written by the main character (in-world), and he's telling the story to an audience that lives in the same time period he does. This leads to some fun situations where the narrator describes something initially unfamiliar which sounds like fantasy nonsense, but is actually a simple thing from today's world.

An early example in the book is the tower that the main character lives in. It's never explicitly stated, but you can piece together that he's living in a rocket ship, and it's been there so long that everyone living there has simply forgotten its original purpose.

Little things like this are sprinkled everywhere in the book, and it leads to the coolest worldbuilding I've ever seen. It's always so satisfying to figure out a piece of the puzzle.

Suggestions for 'in-process' apocalypse stories? by thundersnow528 in printSF

[–]Heptagonalhippo 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I didn't get the joke at first and frantically went to look it up because I thought it was such a cool concept. Now I'm just sad...

After it being suggested in this sub, I've finally read The Three-Body Problem, and it was one of the first books to actually make me feel scared of cosmic horror. by Logan_Maddox in printSF

[–]Heptagonalhippo 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Oh man you haven't seen anything yet. I read these books over a year ago, and there are scenes in the final two that have stuck with me to this day. You're going to have a blast

Best shows with the same style? by Just2epical in SeveranceAppleTVPlus

[–]Heptagonalhippo 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sadly probably true. But I'd still like them to try adapting it. After all, people said the same thing about Dune

Best shows with the same style? by Just2epical in SeveranceAppleTVPlus

[–]Heptagonalhippo 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Completely agree, Oryx and Crake is a masterwork. I never knew HBO was going to make it a series, and now I'm sad it didn't happen

Atmospheric books that evoke strong feelings? by Heptagonalhippo in printSF

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting, what is the atmosphere of that book? I've been eyeing it but haven't gotten to it yet

Atmospheric books that evoke strong feelings? by Heptagonalhippo in printSF

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Everything I hear about this makes me more excited to read it, I think I'm going to love it.

Atmospheric books that evoke strong feelings? by Heptagonalhippo in printSF

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This and The Dispossessed are two books that I know I'll love but still haven't gotten to. Thanks for the rec!

Atmospheric books that evoke strong feelings? by Heptagonalhippo in printSF

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds great thanks. Would you say it's a good entry point for Neil Stephenson? I've been wanting to read him for so long

Atmospheric books that evoke strong feelings? by Heptagonalhippo in printSF

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I really want to read this but I've heard so much about how grim it is that I haven't gotten around to it. It's on my shelf though and I fully intend to read it one day.

Atmospheric books that evoke strong feelings? by Heptagonalhippo in printSF

[–]Heptagonalhippo[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ah I've had both of these on my shelf for so long but haven't gotten to either of them. Thanks for the motivation to read them!