When learning physics, are these things necessary to know?

[ActuallyImad]

I should have titled this: What kind of information should I know before going into physics education, and are the things listed below among them?

I have a notepad dedicated to physics, as reading things isn't really enough to embed things in my knowledge, everything I want to learn, I write down rather than just read. There are lots of pages dedicated to different things, but an example of some of the things I've written down are:

phyiscal constants, G, c
mass of electron/proton/neutron
Pi, Tau,

Lots and lots of symbols, from
λ = wavelength / Cosmo. constant
to
= field strength

I don't yet know all of these things off the top of my head, and I know theres no need to know the mass of particles to the full extent of decimal places known, but with time I hope to know them to some degree, and I think I should know the symbols if I really want to get comfortable with physics. I'm no expert but I'm also by no means a complete rookie, more of a keen learner for the last 2 years or so.

What things should someone who wants to get higher physics education should know, before starting higher education? If anyone is kind enough to have a long conversation with me about this, feel free to PM me and we can talk somewhere good for both us.

Big ol' thank you to anyone kind enough to help!

- Imad

Edited February 6, 2015 by ActuallyImad

[Mordred]

Calculus

Differential geometry

 

Including the mathematics and terminology. Examples.

 

Rotation transformation

Symmetry

Time reversal symmetry

Etc etc

 

Most of the terminology in describing any interactions heavily uses mathematic terminalogy.

 

Learning the symbols you mentioned included.

 

My signature has numerous articles and links I would add

 

 

 

http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/

 

For the mathematics in particle physics for free

 

http://arxiv.org/abs/0810.3328

A Simple Introduction to Particle

Physics

 

Part 2 is here

http://arxiv.org/abs/0908.1395

 

Here is an intro SR

This is a basic math level textbook free, there is also a paid version for hardcopy

http://www.lightandmatter.com/sr/

 

Here is one on lie algebra groups and representations. (Handy for particle physics)

 

http://arxiv.org/abs/math-ph/0005032

 

 

Here is a good vector calculus book.

 

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBsQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mecmath.net%2Fcalc3book.pdf&rct=j&q=vector%20calculus%20pdf&ei=toC0VIfCEIaoogS104KoCA&usg=AFQjCNHaZioCHqqCO924EPbzoMQrUS2fIg&sig2=uAzhUQQ0eu4MpH9HM78yyg&bvm=bv.83339334,d.eXY

 

Here is an intro for differential geometry

 

 

http://samizdat.mines.edu/difgeom/Shr3b.pdf

 

As mentioned my signature has numerous articles on the wikidot link.

 

Some free textbook style links included.

 

I would also study extensively thermodynamics. Ideal gas laws are commonly used.

[swansont]

Learning the concepts is far more important than memorizing the constants. You'll pick up the ones you use most often, but they are things you can look up.

 

When someone called out Einstein for not knowing the speed of sound, Einstein replied "[i do not] carry such information in my mind since it is readily available in books."

[Sensei]

I should have titled this: What kind of information should I know before going into physics education, and are the things listed below among them?

Start from reading Physics History Database in order they were discovered:

http://www.ultimate-theory.com/en/2015/1/27/physics-history-database

[Enthalpy]

I'm pretty sure your physics course will contain the necessary academic knowledge, well-ordered and explained to be learnt. Professors are there for that purpose.

 

But what you could do by yourself, which is often too little taught because of a lack of money, and because it takes much time, is experiment. Do it at home on the topics that permit it. If you have time left during the course, ask to access the labs and tinker.

 

Depending on what kind of physics, you can also study the documentation by providers of apparatus, materials... That's neglected by academic courses. When learning electronics, study the manufacturers' datasheets. If optics, the components descriptions at suppliers. And so on. Important to know what exists presently, what is feasible, and what the profession is interested in. There are also free journals for that.

 

Try to grasp some scientific and technical culture outside the topics you study. You will always need mechanical drawing and manufacturing whatever your occupation, knowledge about materials of course, elementary chemistry obviously, as many effects as possible (piezoelectric, magnetostriction, acousto-optic... there are thousands) and so on and so forth. Not necessarily to model in details nor produce something by yourself, but know that this exists and has such capacity - culture, enough to think at it when needed and call the specialist.

 

Make many friends. Learn foreign languages.

[studiot]

 

I have a notepad dedicated to physics, as reading things isn't really enough to embed things in my knowledge, everything I want to learn, I write down rather than just read. There are lots of pages dedicated to different things, but an example of some of the things I've written down are:

 

 

 

Writing stuff down is good +1

Rearranging it later is even better.

 

There are lots of educational studies that show comprehension and retention is better if we write stuff down than if we just read or listen to it.

I once had a teacher who used to keep saying

"The more times you write something down the more danger there is that you will remember it"

 

 

As to what to write down, the only data constants I would remember is that the acceleration due to gravity, g is approximatedly 10 and that pi is approximately the square root of 10.

 

In the light of your other thread about exponents, it is not clear at what level you are entering science education however you will find that greek letters are much used so if you can become 'comfortable and familiar' with these it will be a great help when you encounter expressions such as

 

[math]{\tau _{\max }} = \frac{1}{2}\sqrt {\left[ {{{\left( {{\sigma _x} - {\sigma _y}} \right)}^2} + 4\tau _{xy}^2} \right]} [/math]

 

and

 

[math]\left( {\begin{array}{*{20}{c}}{{\sigma _{11}}} & {{\sigma _{12}}} & {{\sigma _{13}}} \\{{\sigma _{21}}} & {{\sigma _{22}}} & {{\sigma _{23}}} \\{{\sigma _{31}}} & {{\sigma _{32}}} & {{\sigma _{33}}} \\\end{array}} \right) = \left( {\begin{array}{*{20}{c}}{{\sigma _x}} & {{\tau _{xy}}} & {{\tau _{xz}}} \\{{\tau _{yx}}} & {{\sigma _y}} & {{\tau _{yz}}} \\{{\tau _{zx}}} & {{\tau _{zy}}} & {{\sigma _z}} \\\end{array}} \right)[/math]

 

 

Don't worry what the letters stand for, just don't be put off by their use.

 

The matrix brings us to Mathematics.

You can't do much Physics without it, so you will quite quickly need to move through a lot of maths.

 

Examples are

Complex numbers

Trigonometry

Matrices (as above)

Simultaneous equations

 

If you have done any calculus

Taylor and Maclaurin series

 

Agin on first encounter it is enough to be able to recognise

'Oh yes, that is a matrix. That is a Taylor series, That is the cosine of the included angle' and so on.

 

Go well in your future studies.

Edited February 6, 2015 by studiot

[ajb]

I don't yet know all of these things off the top of my head...

I will echo what swansont has said, try to learn concepts and ideas, including how to mathematically express and use them. By using concepts you will start to remember the meaning of the common symbols. Remembering exact numerical values of anything is not really necessary, you can look this up when needed. However, having some ideas of the order of magnitudes can be useful. Physics is not like stamp collecting where you just label things, there are important structures behind it all.

I'm pretty sure your physics course will contain the necessary academic knowledge, well-ordered and explained to be learnt. Professors are there for that purpose.

And as an Assistant Professor, I must say that while what you say is true, many students think that the Professor will do it all form them. All students need to put in lots of effort and that is upon them. The attitude and style is different from school and not all students in their first year adjust well. Others can really flourish.

 

Anyway the moral is that it is not easy, but with effort you can do well.