- #1
Antiphon
- 1,686
- 4
I see a disturbing thing nowadays.
Today's budding physics students are necessarily exposed to quantum concepts early on. Because of limited time of course there isn't enough time spent on classical physics. And I think it's a big problem.
The main problem is that a student trying to come to grips with some physical process will immediately try to explain it in quantum terms when a perfectly good classical explanation would be much better. The quantum formulation can actually be a big time waster.
Typical example: the reflection of light from a window. The classical explanation of this is elegant; that you must balence the electric and magnetic fields on either side of an interface; that any imbalance gives rise to a new wave (reflected wave).
To explain the reflected light from a window to a new student by invoking photons as either entering or bouncing out with some probability seems like a downright disservice.
What could or should be done about this?
(this isn't unique to physics. It happens in engineering too.)
Today's budding physics students are necessarily exposed to quantum concepts early on. Because of limited time of course there isn't enough time spent on classical physics. And I think it's a big problem.
The main problem is that a student trying to come to grips with some physical process will immediately try to explain it in quantum terms when a perfectly good classical explanation would be much better. The quantum formulation can actually be a big time waster.
Typical example: the reflection of light from a window. The classical explanation of this is elegant; that you must balence the electric and magnetic fields on either side of an interface; that any imbalance gives rise to a new wave (reflected wave).
To explain the reflected light from a window to a new student by invoking photons as either entering or bouncing out with some probability seems like a downright disservice.
What could or should be done about this?
(this isn't unique to physics. It happens in engineering too.)