Gift Ideas for Physics Lovers - My Cousin & Me

[Jow]

My cousin, like me, is interested in physics. She, also like me, aspires to become a physicist. For Christmas she wanted a telescope, unfortunately, the one she wanted was $2000, and her mother was not willing to buy her something so expensive as they had just recently returned from a very expensive vacation. Anyway, her mother has come to me asking what she should get her daughter. I have already recommended a copy of the Feynman Lectures but other than that I couldn't think of anything else. What would you give someone like me or my cousin?

 

[seaofghosts]

Is she nerdy in general? I would love a lot of things from http://www.thinkgeek.com/ or Innovatoys.

 

[tiny-tim]

… For Christmas she wanted a telescope, unfortunately, the one she wanted was $2000 …

(how old is she?)

i don't buy this

if she asked for a telescope, she isn't interested in physics, she's interested in looking at the stars (etc)

i can't see anything non-star-related satisfying her

i say, buy her a really cheap telescope and a really good camera that she can attach, and encourage her to take up photography!

 

[leroyjenkens]

if she asked for a telescope, she isn't interested in physics, she's interested in looking at the stars

I'm interested in looking at stars, and I'm interested in physics. You can be interested in both.

Or maybe she's a genius and she likes to personally calculate different characteristics about the orbits of planets.

 

[seaofghosts]

I'm interested in looking at stars, and I'm interested in physics. You can be interested in both.

I'm the same. I was drawn to physics because I wanted to be an astronomer as a kid, and while I'm now more interested in nuclear and particle physics, I still can't help but look up at night, take trips to observatories, etc.

 

[Pythagorean]

OP either has more context than us and she is interested in physics, or OP is generalizing star-gazing as an interest in physics. Hard to tell from OP.

I'm looking for something to get my 3 year old that's not a meaningless plastic toy. Could augment her duplo lego collection...

 

[Topher925]

How about a TI-89?

 

[Jow]

How about a TI-89?

She has one

 

[Jow]

if she asked for a telescope, she isn't interested in physics, she's interested in looking at the stars (etc)

My Grandmother's nephew wanted to be an astronomer when he was young, now he is a physicist...

 

[trueo]

I'm the same. I was drawn to physics because I wanted to be an astronomer as a kid, and while I'm now more interested in nuclear and particle physics, I still can't help but look up at night, take trips to observatories, etc.