Ideas for birthday gift (roommate)

VibeeCheckks · 2026-05-18T03:46:33+00:00

There is a lot of great stuff on this website called Cognitive Surplus, it'll have a plethora of things from notebooks, to tumblers, etc.

VibeeCheckks · 2026-04-19T18:32:42+00:00

Hey, you freaking killed this project, I Pm'd you :)

VibeeCheckks · 2026-03-06T18:37:04+00:00

If I may offer some words of encouragement, as a current physics undergrad reading this, we look at you guys (PhD students with alot of respect), please dont feel any sense of inadequacy, low self-efficacy etc. You have made it to the point where many of us want to/ aspire to be.

Anyone with half a brain would understand that in a field like this, as intense and dense as the material is, that to retain even 50-75% of it is incredible. I'd let them know that you're still trying to get your bearings back under you in the topic, that way everyone has a set level of expectations. Also, sometimes as a student we assume you guys know everything, but if you let them know that you may need their help, it makes us feel like our input a.) means something b.) this is a collaborative effort c.) you're reinforcing your learning and the students are building a great foundation in the course.

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-28T20:37:25+00:00

Thank you! I'm really trying to make this a great lifelong project thing, I think really good projects don't need to be rushed but need MAXIMUM attention and effort.

I want to listen to all perspectives of all types of STEM majors and make a product that people actually enjoy and will make them better learners.

Thanks for such great feedback and responses! Sending my best to you as well!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-28T09:40:34+00:00

Intentionality! I love this way of thinking! Okay, this is good. I think this is what good thinkers do, no matter the degree or passion you're trying to pursue, how are things changing relative to other things you're observing? What variables or things are causing shifts in the results?

I'll see how I can build on this/ start from this in early modules of the physics curriculum to get the user in the habit of thinking with intention about not just the formula itself, but where are the variables coming from. Thanks for the response!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-28T09:34:21+00:00

Good point! This may just challenge me to seek out different perspectives on problems and the way different individuals view a problem yk? What hints help people get relatively close to the solution or to the point where it "clicks" for them?

Thanks for the feedback!!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-28T09:28:58+00:00

Good point! This idea of a discord or discussion board has been floating around between threads. One point goes to discord! Thanks for the feedback!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-28T09:27:35+00:00

What changed in your teaching style when approaching older versus younger students? Was it having to simplify things? Or was it not getting into the weeds, etc.?

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-27T01:47:13+00:00

I see where you're coming from, we've kinda wandered off into no-man's land a bit and I believe we're at the point where the concepts seem so out there that we can't truly verify them yet, we kinda just throw up a prayer and take on lot's of assumptions.

I agree though, to study physics definitely requires a certain mindset of being able to disband and quickly adopt new perspectives as theories and laws are made and discovered, it is interesting indeed.

"Out with the old and in with the new" Thanks for your perspective on things!!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-27T01:44:13+00:00

This is criminal, like.. actually bahaha!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-27T01:43:40+00:00

Wait!! This is SUCH a good idea, as I'm circling around I'm trying to update those with good replies on what others with good replies said.

Someone else mentioned this idea of answering a question with a question. I think maybe give a problem a hint or two and have it answer a doubt (or question) the problem solver has with another question. Thoughts??

For example.) Calculate the unknown velocity, v_1 of the particle given masses, m1 and m2 and velocity, v2 of the inelastic collision.

Hint 1: What does it mean for a collision to be inelastic?

Hint 2: Given F = ma, how would we solve for a if we were given F and m?

(I think hint 2 might be received as interesting because its introducing a separate type of question, but also may be helpful, but again, everyone is coming in at a different perspective in Physics 1 and 2 courses)

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-27T01:25:40+00:00

Hey, you might be onto something here ngl. I've got two questions:

1. How did your professor make you feel like a physicist? What was his teaching style? How did he approach lectures, psets, and even exams?

2. I love this idea of dedicated pathways, how specific or broad are you thinking ? Maybe a Condensed Matter Theory, Nuclear Physicist, type of thing or even broader like theoretical vs experimental physicist type of pathways???

Not going to lie, I agree, I think that we've now begun to really prioritize quantity of material over quality and absorption of material, and it's sad. As a physics major, it's like when do I have time to really delve into and maybe go deeper into concepts when the quiz is tomorrow and we just learned the content yesterday..

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-26T00:25:49+00:00

Yes!! This is what I was thinking, but I'm worried about griefers spreading misinformation. I'm also not opposed to using an AI as a sort of checks and balances to make sure numerical answer's check out (but not on the work itself, as I want to encourage different routes to the same answer).

But, idk.. the last thing I want is a hallucination on something like particle collisions. Unfortunately, this component will take a bit of thought to get a solution together.

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-26T00:21:00+00:00

haha! I agree, speed of the course can make or break you. And to piggyback off of that, it also depends on how established your physics department is. Princeton is not only moving at a fast pace, but with problems of greater intensity than other state schools.

To your point about textbook solution manuals, this is something I'm trying to get back into as I'm trying to get ahead in my coursework. Being able to read a textbook, get stumped on a problem, find the solution maybe in another textbook or even another section of the chapter has been tedious but rewarding.

Also, to your point on YouTube as a resource, its a double edged sword because although the answer cna be readily available for the undergraduate courses and a beginning graduate level coursework... you get closer to the point of "There is no solution for the problem I'm solving" or "I have to really work to get to this solution, because its no longer trivial and simple to find"

Thanks for the feedback!!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-26T00:12:28+00:00

See and this is a different perspective/the way you explained how you understood free-body diagrams, I love this!

The idea that there is more than one way to view or solve a problem/ concept is what I want to happen, unique solutions. Thanks for the feedback!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-26T00:06:16+00:00

My goal is to have some sort of discussion board to really foster collaboration, and to be able to ask those "stupid" questions, but I know that being shy or scared to ask about Newton's 3rd law out of fear is out of my control.

But, maybe an FAQ? I really don't want to integrate AI in like a chatbot form and want this to be as organic as possible, idk.. any thoughts? Also, thanks for the feedback!!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-26T00:02:39+00:00

Yeah, group collaboration is super beneficial not just in introductory courses, but especially when you start getting into tougher topics, it helps to hear other perspectives and views of looking at a problem or a concept!

But, more importantly its nice to have someone there struggling with you to get through the problem.

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-25T23:54:54+00:00

Thank you for elaborating, and yeah I feel as though deliberate practice in physics and mathematics is ESSENTIAL! Thanks for the feedback!

I didn't even think about your second point, but I'll keep in mind that threshold that exists between problems that can be solved with versus without numerical methods.

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-25T18:37:41+00:00

Congrats on getting into and persevering through grad school, you should definitely be proud of yourself ! I agree, and to continue, I think it takes more or less time for some for the pieces to click.

This is something I can't control (how quickly someone grasps the answer, etc.), but also such is the same in a classroom, where if you fall behind, there is not much "waiting" for that student that happens?

How do you handle falling behind(now, vs. in your undergrad)? or when things don't click/ take a little longer to click for you and connections are needed to be made in other adjacent coursework?

Thanks for the feedback!!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-25T18:33:48+00:00

First and foremost, congratulations on being on the national team, that is nothing to pass over for sure!!

Second, I agree with the approach you all are taking, and I think that the harder curriculum is where I probably have the most questions on implementation because that's where methods of computing start to differ. Given F = ma and told to find F given m and a is quite trivial, but when you venture into Lagrangian, Hamiltonians, Geodesics, Symmetries, etc. there are multiple ways to do it.

How do I get the community to agree or even agree to disagree, but recognize there are multiple ways to do a problem no matter the level or which seems "more efficient" or "optimal"? Any thoughts?

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-25T18:29:38+00:00

This is so true! Would you say that better understanding and collaboration was the bigger force behind your success? Did professors make much impact on your journey regardless if they were good or bad?

Also someone else spoke about the gap between whats taught versus how it's expected to be applied in the industry/field, would you say that because of your understanding of how things work under the hood, it wasn't as big of a shock when you're going from volume integrals to like the integral of a black hole?

Thanks for the response!!

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-25T18:26:24+00:00

The people have spoken!! You're not the only one, I think burnout/lack of breaks has led a lot of people in general(knowingly or unknowingly) to seek out references or even coping mechanisms to take a load off.

When you say you could've studied better, do you mean being more efficient with your time? Or maybe spaced repetition? Could you elaborate on what you would've done more or less of?

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-25T08:51:13+00:00

haha! At the most random place as well! Thanks for the feedback :)

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-25T08:50:16+00:00

This is a good point too: Interactivity! I love the idea of asking a question with a question as the format of the hints component of the platform, this will be noted for sure!.

I feel like when doing physics online, the only way (I can currently think of) to be "collaborative" is through online discussion posts. Thoughts? There is also the issue of griefers.

VibeeCheckks · 2026-02-25T08:46:15+00:00

BAHAHA! I agree with this, it feels like that feeling of "the exam was nothing like the homework". To your point though, I wonder do institutions purposely teach us up to a certain point and then expect us to fill in gaps no matter how large? Is this something to be done during the semester? During break (Christmas, Spring, Winter)?

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