Education Definition and 517 Threads

I always liked the idea of starting relativity discussions with the idea that your father could travel at a substantial fraction of the speed of light and return back at roughly the same age as you. This makes time dilation seem interesting, and drives curiosity in students. But I'm struggling...

Senior undergraduate and AP tutor in physics! Here to discuss problems and career opportunities.

Before you read this I must make a request that you read the whole thing if you start because my thoughts may be disorganized or there may be at least one part you find you could respond to. thank you! I'm not too sure if this is the right place to post, but I'm proceeding regardless. I love...

Hi everyone, I work at a small high school that does one-on-one teaching with students who often have some kind of attention related learning difficulty or have trouble in a large classroom. The physics and chemistry courses I have been teaching have very inadequate lab sections and we have very...

If you could change the way we educate people, what would you do? I leave this as a general open-ended question.

Perhaps this isn’t the place to ask, but I was just looking to hear opinions from some people on here about my situation. I’ve been out of school for 4 years now, having left to enlist with the Air Force. While in school I was majoring in Physics/Mathematics. I was a B student in Physics 1, 2...

MinutePhysics is attempting to produce a series of video lessons on Special Relativity, using an approach, according to the video, that will be different and "simpler" than the traditional method that SR has been taught in schools. Since we often get questions on here about this topic...

Already in my mind I envision designing, and to have produced a unique design of boat. I know right now from the get go, that my design is going to be simple, inexpensive, but I am going to give it that which will make it special. I will give it certain features that will make it very...

Hi there, I'm looking for some interesting activities regarding nuclear physics in high school. I already have: - building a cloud chamber with dry ice or peltier modules - simulating radioactive decay with dice - simulating Rutherford's experiment hitting with glass marbles a hidden target...

Hello. I am a teacher about to wrap up his fifth year in May. I started at the very bottom, teaching at risk and worked my way up with the help of my former teachers. I now teach AP Physics 1 and IB Mathematics SL. The whole experience has left me jaded. I gave it my all: my personality, my...

I was looking at my student status today and saw that I'm now a Sophomore, although I haven't started my major yet (have completed almost all the gen ed requirements). What struck me as odd was that in purely doing gen ed requirements, it raised me a full class rank, and took a full school year...

Okay, so I think I get the whole sex metaphor for coaxial connectors. I recently started buying SMA plumbing after I discovered RG-58 is essentially transparent in the FM band for my application. Now, typically a "male" designator refers to a connector having a little conducting protuberance...

I tried to start many books/video courses to learn QFT but this failed because of many factors, including my weak math/physics background, laziness, lack of time, lack of persistence, just to count some. The whole blame is on me, no doubt. Still, if I was able to learn QM to some extent...

For what I know, there is a very big difference (if not a gap) between how math and physics are studied in USA/Canada vs in the Europe (and I am afraid not only in the Europe, but nearly the whole world, Africa and South America included). What makes North American education special is that...

I am not a teacher, but I have made an interesting observation regarding classical mechanics education. It is surprisingly common that even students at academic level do not seem to fully understand Newton's third law (action and reaction) and confuse it with Newton's second law...

Which programming language would you like being taught if you were a very young person (5 to 7 years old), as a first programming language? Worded differently, which programming language would you like to teach to your son/daughter if he/she was that age? I've heard about Scratch and Logo. Then...

We have already seen topics on this forums discussing Physics degree as education and not job training, and that some physics graduates do get jobs but not necessarily as physicists, and that physics majors need to take a selection of practical courses to become marketable; and that internships...

Education is a lifelong goal, for me. I have rarely met anyone who doesn't need to educate themselves more on a subject or matter, otherwise, we're in the twilight zone of sages and masters, which are rare and few. Even Aristotle, who one of my philosophy teachers told me, was the last man who...

Forgive my rather philosophical posted question; but, having been in college for little more than a year, I can't but help to feel that what was once considered a noble goal of 'conditioning the soul' (as Plato might say) via education has instead been turned into the gratification of wants and...

I hope to one day help engineering students by having a wealth of videos that cover the "weed-out" courses (in the first two years of engineering curriculum). Does anyone have any suggestions on how I can make these videos be the best that they can be? I plan to do narrated powerpoints, but I...

Background about myself (Can be skipped) I'm a gifted math student in the 11th grade, I studied Differential Calculus 2 years ago and I did pretty well in it, unfortunately I'm not studying math a lot these days, but I've gained a lot of experiences in life that made me more mature than I was 2...

I am applying to universities soon and the one subject that I would like to have in any area of study is physics, if I were to study pure physics than I would specialize in applied physics. I know that there aren't many jobs in specifically research areas which would be a dream job, so what...

I have thinking about this issue quite a lot recently; Imagine a class of students where students don't ask any questions to teacher; All of the communication is only from teacher to students. ( I myself have attended such classes when I was a student.) In such class why teacher can not be...

Currently enrolled at a regional campus to complete basic core courses for my B.S. in Physics with a research concentration. I have completed over 40 credit hours while I was also in high school, and am starting my first semester of classes toward my major. After this semester, however, that...

Hello, I'm about to start my last year of bachelor degree in physics, and in a few months I would like to have a clear idea of where I want to go for my master degree. My dream since I started university is to pursue theoretical physics, in which specific field, that remains for me to...

So, I am majoring in Electrical engineering, and probably doing a decent amount of Physics and Computer science courses until I can no longer squeeze it into my schedule. In the far future, I definitely plan to work in industry, and hopefully in R&D type engineering work. Will I ever in my...

Hi, I am really very interested in learning physics and becoming researcher or scientist. But I have few problems like I am not good at maths at all I can remember formulas and constants value. I am not at all interested in electricity and magnetism. I don't really know what am I good at. I...

It goes without question that the top schools of most countries are pretty good, but how do we compare the average and bad universities from different countries? I often hear (especially on this forum) that bad and average universities in the US (and the west in general) are usually still...

As a 14 year old, my access to resources is limited to what I can find on my phone or occasionally in the library. With this consideration, can anyone recommend some good online resource for learning quantum physics and nuclear physics. I already have the background knowledge, I understand...

I came across this article about the near absence of continuum mechanics in university-level physics education: http://www.troian.caltech.edu/papers/Gollub_PhysToday_Dec03.pdf I have wondered this issue myself: why is continuum mechanics mainly studied by engineers rather than physicists, even...

Background: I live in the U.S. and I am in 7th grade, 13 years old. I have mild ADHD I don't really hate math, per se, but I can't help thinking that I'm unfit to do anything related to mathematics. I enjoy geometry and abstract scientific problems, but struggle in areas such as basic equations...

Mostly PhysicsForums is about . . . well, physics and its sub-specialities, plus math and so forth. However we have a fair number of threads concerning the role of scientists, science, and critical thinking in a democracy where expertise is unevenly spread, unevenly valued, and often questioned...

Hi, How important is undergraduate education in terms of following a specific physics directory? Right now I am on track to take 3-4 upper division classes that will allow me to earn a B.S. in astrophysics. What if I wanted to focus on theoretical or quantum physics for a PhD (assuming I get...

Good Afternoon. My name is Nicolas Beltran. I am a high school student who would really like your advice on an issue I have. It has always been my dream to study physics, however I never saw it as a feasible choice because in my country, Colombia, there are little to few options in which true...

Inclusive education has rightly been the trumpet charge of education. I am aware of exclusionary curriculum in the arts, sport, music. STEM subjects are only exclusive when applied to girls. What would a full exclusion STEM school look like that only the proven elite students were enrolled...

I just signed up today. I'm here because I've been using MOC's (Massive Online Courses) and other forms of online learning for a while now. A key flaw with any form of self learning is the lack of interfacing with your instructor/teacher. I browsed this website for a bit and quickly concluded it...

Hello, I want to find the best free textbook for my algebra-based intro physics courses. Currently I am using Physics-Principles with Applications by Giancoli and I am a bit reluctant to move to open source since I have gotten used to the instructor resources that comes with my current...

Greeting fellow physicists, I have been having some questions from my AP Physics C: Mechanics students about the direction of friction in rolling. Here are a few situations. 1. For a wheel that is accelerating to the right while rolling smoothly, it must also be rotating clockwise. In order to...

I have been learning how to read scientific Russian, and my reading material is the Soviet high school math textbook Algebra and Beginning Analysis, (1976), edited by Kolmogorov. (I've seen the title also translated as Algebra and Elements of Analysis). The Russian title is Алгебра и Начала...

Hi Everyone, I am currently going through the interview process for several medical physics M.S. programs. I have a very hard time getting a read on how various programs compare. I was hoping that any of you with academic or professional experience in the field could give some advice. As of...

Hi, this fall I'll be attending university for Theoretical Physics (Canada). I'm hoping to continue education to graduate level, and become a physicist myself. Firstly, I'm wondering what I should have under my belt, to not only be successful in school but also become an expert in physics...

When I was a high school student education wars were raging over student use of basic calculators. What do you guys think about how much tech students should have access to in; Early years Middle school High school Undergraduate. I am primarily talking but not limited to math & science in...

Hi everyone! What is the difference between coherent and elastic scattering. Maybe the elastic scattering implies that there is not loss of energy, whereas the coherent scattering implies that the wavelength of a ray (or rays) is the same before and after the scattering? Thank you in advance.

Currently I'm undergrad in Mathematics and confused about getting a Phd. I'm not interested in academia. I'm more interested in startups or jobs in the industry. The only thing that is making me to do PhD is solving research problems. Say I'm reading a machine learning book or QFT book or a...

I apologize for asking a question that has been asked trillions of times. I've searched the PF for many links, however, I didn't find something good. Let's suppose, a person named Arthur. This guy is a 12th grade student. He is able to do Halliday Resnick Walker. He has slight background in...

Hello Physics Forums! I realize that only I can answer my own question, but I was wondering if someone could help me answer my own question. First off, I want to major in Education. There is no question about that. However, I am stuck between majoring in Physics and English. I feel like I'm...

I am currently a high school student with the SAT score of 1230/1600( i know it's really bad) due to which I can not get into any good university so should I apply for 3-2 engineering programs? I am also not sure which engineering to do so it will also give me time to think. So can you guys...

Hello fellow physics enthusiasts! Apologies in advance, I wanted to make the most out of this post and so it ended up being quite long + detailed. I thank you for your patience and any efforts to help! What I'm looking for: TWO good Quantum Mechanics textbooks for the rest of my undergraduate...

Hello all, I'm enrolled at an Australian university that offers mathematics. However, I want to fast track my education by enrolling in units over the holidays ( late Nov to early March). The problem, however, is that my institution does not offer advanced second or third year units. I'm...

I'm currently at crossroads about what field I should head into for university. I'd appreciate any advice about what would be a good direction to head into based on my interests and goals. If I had to name my favorite subject, it would most likely be either mathematics or physics. I've pursued...