CrysPhys said:
No, your restatement is actually counter to the spirit of my Post #7. I'm an advocate of what some writers have expressed as "curiosity-driven science" . They aren't structured laboratory exercises geared towards college and university physics students.
Again, we lack key background information on the OP. But if you can't afford a microscope, start with a magnifier. If you can't afford a telescope, start with a pair of binoculars. If you can't afford an oscilloscope, start with a multimeter. ....
Some science can be done without specialized equipment at all, aptly named "kitchen science". Interested in phase transformations? Start by attempting to grow rock candy crystals from sucrose (ordinary sugar) solutions in water. Compare that with attempting to grow rock salt crystals from sodium chloride (ordinary table salt) solutions in water.
Whenever a newbie posts, "I've developed a passion for physics.", I often ask, "What triggerred this passion?". And quite often I get no answer, a nebulous answer, or even a hostile response. I'm looking for specific, concrete triggers. To me, passion for physics (or other science) starts with a moment (or moments) of wonderment. And the most glorious moments are often serendipitous.
I like this approach a lot. It's kind of how I try to navigate my life in general. I can't afford, or do a lot of things in my current situation - unemployed, physically disabled, and my disability leaves me housebound - so like you said, it comes to breaking down to what you
can do right now.
My passion for physics started very young, I think. A group of professors came to our school when I was maybe seven or eight, and I watched a lecture about the moon. It left me with such wonder and awe that I'll never forget it. I remember re-reading articles about space in the newspapers over and over and watching every space or physics related program on Discovery (although I was so young, I couldn't follow it very well) since then.
Ever since then I've been wanting to know how the fundamental nature of the universe works, why things are. My father was also a man of science so he told me things that left me fascinated. I watched every documentary and pop science show on Discovery Channel but I got frustrated that they never actually told me the mechanics underneath, the math, the reasoning and so on - it's all very surface level.
As I stated above, my school didn't teach science subjects. But the spark never died; it just lived in whatever scraps I could get.
Since becoming an adult and getting the ability to self-study, I've been reading books about physics, trying to do a few free online courses, and finally chasing that passion. Hence my forum post :)
As for kitchen science - I was so absolutely into the idea of doing science experiments but was never really allowed. We did only a few, and those stuck with me. One was when my father and I were outside and I was trying to light a piece of paper with a magnifying lens in the sun on a hot day. He then told me that black colored surfaces heat faster. I didn't believe him. So he printed out a piece of paper with text on it in black, and put it in the sun, and it caught fire quicker than the white paper around it. That left me with so much awe, I still remember it very well.
Apologies if this post got a little bit long. It's more experiences like that that I'm after.
