If you’re interested in physics or math (or a few other subjects) and want to read the actual papers then you can easily do so. In my field (cosmology) there is no need to subscribe to expensive journals to read papers. We just go to the eprint (electronically printed) server arxiv.org where you can look up any paper you want without paying. It is free and legal. arXiv is run by Cornell University and has papers from the past 20 years on there.
Continue reading “arXiv”String Theory
It’s cool! It’s Flashy! IT COULD UNIFY THE FOUR FORCES!?!?!
IT’S STRING THEORY!
What’s this interesting theory that mesmerizes the public and physicists alike? Continue reading “String Theory”
Programming in Physics
Programing is a skill that I have advocated in my post here. It is a useful tool in life and is used everyday by physicists researching all sorts of fields. Biophysicists (physicists who use their skills to study biology, many conduct studies of radiation on biological systems which is important for medical work) can develop software to help map neurons in the brain. High energy particle physics can program tools to help look at how particles interact in a detector. Even the Large Hadron Collider has their own software to simulate and help monitor the inner workings of the collider. There are countless programs used by physicists, from simulations to interfacing with electronic equipment, all of which need to be made from scratch or heavily modified to fit the particular research need of the physicists.
So what programing language do they use? Continue reading “Programming in Physics”
Teaching Myself Quantum Field Theory
Quantum field theory (or QFT) is the combination of Einstein’s special relativity and quantum mechanics. Knowledge of both of these are a must in order to study QFT. There are many resources to learning both, and while I do not have a favorite special relativity resources, for quantum mechanics I prefer A Modern Approach to Quantum Mechanics by John S. Townsend. Quantum field theory is used everyday in many fields of physics. Originally particle physics was the field that employed QFT the most, it has become big in cosmology (my field) and condensed matter.
So in this blog post I will share with you my plans for study quantum field theory (which I will update a bit in the beginning as I see what materials I can reasonably get my hands on). I will then post updates to my progress and my thoughts on how to teach yourself quantum field theory. I will then post a final writeup of my thoughts on how the whole process went down. Continue reading “Teaching Myself Quantum Field Theory”
The Physics of Superheroes Review
The Physics of Superheroes is a book by James Kakalios that goes over the physics behinds some of the powers of various super heroes such as Spiderman, Superman, or the Flash. The book covers a decent amount of basic physics and can be used to learn some basic principles. No prior science or comic book background is required, you can just pick the book up and start reading.
Continue reading “The Physics of Superheroes Review”