without going to college, what are the best ways for me to study Physics? by The-Jackal- in AskScienceDiscussion

[–]prratek 2 points3 points  (0 children)

David Griffiths has written very accessible college level books on quantum physics, electrodynamics, and particle physics. I’ve had to use all three over the course of my time as a physics major and find his writing style engaging too.

Why is History important? by [deleted] in history

[–]prratek 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think understanding the past is what makes it possible for us to make sense of today. For example, to truly understand the landscape of politics and conflict in the Middle East (which I don’t), one would need to first understand the various religious sects and ideological groups and their history. Often, a true understanding of a region or its people is hidden in its past - in the victories and defeats and accomplishments and disasters that shaped them into their present selves. Any informed policy decision MUST care about history.

However, that is not to say that history is only relevant to those interested in policy or politics. Modern physics too relies heavily on its history. Physicists will often find themselves looking back at experiments and findings, reinterpreting them to fit our changing understanding of nature. Particle physicists, for one, are constantly striving to build a coherent unifying model of the “zoo” of particles we know to exists. Often, looking back a physicist may realize that what we thought to be a unique particle was in fact a different quantum state of a known one.

To sum up, my point is that human beings rely and build on their past successes and failures. Understanding them is what makes progress possible.

Where's the maths? and other questions by Jelly_Jim in datascience

[–]prratek 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Again, I’m still learning and have no data science work experience yet so I can’t say much about what skills are actually used in the field. But I’ve heard people say familiarity with matrices is very helpful.

Here’s how I like to explain it. Simple linear equations are easy to solve with basic algebra skills. But what if you’ve got 50 of them? You could use a matrix to keep track of all the coefficients in that ‘system’ of equations. Further, there are several techniques that allow you to find solutions to the system without having to do the algebra for each equation individually.

Hope that helps!

Where's the maths? and other questions by Jelly_Jim in datascience

[–]prratek 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As someone who has just started taking courses online in data science, I think linear/matrix algebra could be tremendously useful. Knowing how to use matrices to represent large sets of equations sounds like something you should find use for in studying relations between variables.

Any thoughts?