What are the interdisciplinary interests of a soon-to-be physics student?

[Existoic]

New member.

I am a soon to be confirmed physics student at the university of Helsinki in southern Finland. Awaiting the signature and a notification from the Dean of Science here. This is a rather stressful time for me.

My studies in math, social sciences, various fields of philosophy and history are very broad, but with the exception of history, econ history and econ, not very
deep. I am an ardent defender of the enlightenment, and I can sometimes be seen hanging around philosophy forums where I am mostly disappointed by the quality of discussion and trying to score minor points by presenting major abstract concepts. I like the clever use of a simple vocabulary. And the way extremely simple assumptions can give rise to fantastically complicated emerging systems.

I'm a naturalist at heart, and started out as as a physics student ten years ago. I did military service for one year and transferred faculties in order to study macro-econ stuff. Some time after I lost my self to depression. I did study a lot of pure math a couple of years ago.

I started thinking of coming back to physics when during a swedish course the crazy cat lady who was teaching complained of radio waves making her ill, and the rest of the class (beautiful, intelligent, young and strong) had no concept of how ludicrous that complaint was.

My interests are centered on running towards my problems and not away from them (-Thor, Thor: Ragnarok). These at the moment include tensor calculus, thermophysics homework and getting a tooth pulled tomorrow. Next period, if I am approved of by the power that is, I will have my first computational physics course, and that appears an intimidating prospect.

I'm right now reading Euler's Elements and Euclid's Elements, Hackworth's About Face and Price of Honor. I'm a Jordan Peterson fan, but I feel like I might have got the most plausible gain of him now. I watch lectures online. I like Feynman videos and I'm not sure, but I think I have read most of the books he has written for public consumption. I can't stomach pop-science books, but I make an exception for that guy. Everything is made of atoms.

It is with the idea of forming for myself a broad perspective into physics that I have come to this Forum. Mostly to read and thereby to see the minds of others at work. And because philosophy forums after some of my comments regarding the Kavanaugh controversy doesn't feel like the place to be right now.

A few days ago I thought I could begin a detached discussion about the cultural nature of public sexual abuse allegations.

I was wrong. And now I am here. Thanks.

 

[phinds]

Welcome to the forum. As you have presumably gathered by now, we don't discuss politics or philosophy here, just established science. But we do that REALLY well.

If you haven't read the rules, you should. They actually matter here.

 

[Existoic]

Looking around I don't really see a context where a discussion on philosophy or politics might take place. This seems like a rather carefully constructed and organised board.

I'm enjoying the engineering section. And some pure math problem is making my head ache and reminding me of why I decided against a math degree.

 

[phinds]

Looking around I don't really see a context where a discussion on philosophy or politics might take place. This seems like a rather carefully constructed and organised board.

Yep.

I'm enjoying the engineering section. And some pure math problem is making my head ache and reminding me of why I decided against a math degree.

I often find that in the math problems I don't even understand the QUESTION, let alone have any idea how to get an answer.