- #1
JB321
- 6
- 2
Hello,
I am beginning my senior year at small, private, liberal arts high school. As part of my senior year, I am required to take a class in which I compose a 20 page thesis on any topic of my choosing and present my paper to a panel who will ask questions. I am in the early stages and have yet to choose my topic. I am very interested in quantum mechanics but am nervous to take up an issue in this area for several reasons:
1) I have been teaching myself quantum physics for about 3 months now and my knowledge on the subject is at best beginner level. I am nervous that there are no topics in this area that will be accessible to someone my age. The highest math course that I have completed is pre-cal. I think that I might be able to wrestle with some topics that are philosophical rather than practical but I don't enjoy the former near as much as the latter.
2) The paper is only allowed to be 20 pages and must be controversial and understandable to the general adult audience. My initial thought is that I would be unable to unpack a quantum issue in 20 pages and it is even less likely that the average audience would comprehend it.
3) I want to enjoy the topic! I have to write this paper for two full semesters so I want to choose a topic that really excites me.
So far the main area that I think I would be able to write on is determinism in quantum mechanics. I understand that this idea might have been completely destroyed by John Bell and it might not be a feasible route to take. Also this is almost strictly philosophical and I would most likely become disinterested in a few weeks.
As you can probably tell, I'm stuck and in need of some advice. Is it reasonable for someone of my knowledge to compose a paper on quantum physics? Do you have any suggestions for possible topics that I could look into? Any help would be greatly appreciated! I apologize if I posted this thread in the wrong section, I hope it will be overlooked this once :)
Thanks in advance,
JB
I am beginning my senior year at small, private, liberal arts high school. As part of my senior year, I am required to take a class in which I compose a 20 page thesis on any topic of my choosing and present my paper to a panel who will ask questions. I am in the early stages and have yet to choose my topic. I am very interested in quantum mechanics but am nervous to take up an issue in this area for several reasons:
1) I have been teaching myself quantum physics for about 3 months now and my knowledge on the subject is at best beginner level. I am nervous that there are no topics in this area that will be accessible to someone my age. The highest math course that I have completed is pre-cal. I think that I might be able to wrestle with some topics that are philosophical rather than practical but I don't enjoy the former near as much as the latter.
2) The paper is only allowed to be 20 pages and must be controversial and understandable to the general adult audience. My initial thought is that I would be unable to unpack a quantum issue in 20 pages and it is even less likely that the average audience would comprehend it.
3) I want to enjoy the topic! I have to write this paper for two full semesters so I want to choose a topic that really excites me.
So far the main area that I think I would be able to write on is determinism in quantum mechanics. I understand that this idea might have been completely destroyed by John Bell and it might not be a feasible route to take. Also this is almost strictly philosophical and I would most likely become disinterested in a few weeks.
As you can probably tell, I'm stuck and in need of some advice. Is it reasonable for someone of my knowledge to compose a paper on quantum physics? Do you have any suggestions for possible topics that I could look into? Any help would be greatly appreciated! I apologize if I posted this thread in the wrong section, I hope it will be overlooked this once :)
Thanks in advance,
JB