Comments on: Today in higher education: How to prepare students to learn quantum mechanics

By: flataffect

flataffect — Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:22:03 +0000

Better intro: the double slit experiment. Ask the students to explain that one, then introduce other research. The only way is to construct a math model and try to make it fit Einstein’s physics.
Good luck!

By: tom daschle concerned

tom daschle concerned — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 14:00:03 +0000

HarneyPeak on February 19, 2013 at 10:25 PM

It is a damn shame that RPF was such an idiot when it came to GOD.

By: Dr Snooze

Dr Snooze — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 12:31:13 +0000

At least these students may come to appreciate quantum mechanics as a legitimate and useful field of study for the murder of innocent cats. . . Perhaps.

By: Christian Conservative

Christian Conservative — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:56:04 +0000

I’d settle for economics!

By: HarneyPeak

HarneyPeak — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 03:25:30 +0000

Prufrock on February 19, 2013 at 9:33 PM

blink on February 19, 2013 at 2:58 PM

I'm a recent EE degree earner and I stumbled onto this video of Richard Feynman explaining 'magnets', and thought, "Wow, this guy's gonna take this to a whole 'nuthah level." Well . . . at first I was kind of disappointed and maybe a little bit pissed. But then I watched it a few more times and I started to realize that he was just trying to be as frank and honest and perhaps really damned humble as he could be about not blithely handing out some kind of "profound" explanation. It also made me wonder how the Reichs and Krugmans of the world can look at themselves in the mirror after lecturing to a bunch of ignoramuses and tell themselves that anyone was walking out of the hall with any kind of substantive, quantitative understanding of their propaganda BS.

By: Prufrock

Prufrock — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 02:33:10 +0000

Yes, but a deep, thorough grounding in a broad range of other sciences is needed in addition to the math.

It always make me laugh when people think that they can get any type of understanding of QM without doing all the necessary perquisite work.

blink on February 19, 2013 at 2:58 PM

I always found that an intuition for normal stuff did no good. Hours upon hours of repetitive drudge work with the math is what made things clear up.

I’m not talking about spectroscopy demos – they show the “what”. The “why” is the hard part.

By: Count to 10

Count to 10 — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 01:42:28 +0000

Physics is my thing, but it took me at least a year to really accept it, even with a strong math background. You really have to give up all of the physical intuition you have built up, because everything you see day-to-day is just an approximation, and reality is simply different than what you think you know.
It’s actually kind of like coming to understand the real world after a decade of the leftist indoctrination we call public education.

By: bofh

bofh — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:52:09 +0000

A required one hour course in quantum mechanics? Is the alternative a one-hour course in brain surgery? It’d be equally useless.

Somehow, I think a required one hour course about the constitution might go a long way further toward actually, you know, helping the country and these kids.

What an absolute piece of sh!t. Good luck to whoever is paying tuition for this kind of “higher education”. I guess after the one hour course, you get a participation trophy?

By: blink

blink — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:00:45 +0000

Did I hear that correctly?

This was just a 1 hour course?

And that all Columbia undergraduates have to “pass” “Quantum Mechanics” in order to graduate?

If so, then I’m sure they actually understand QM at the end of their hour. /sarc

Also, I would love to know what their pass rate is. I bet it’s 100%

By: williamg

williamg — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:06:59 +0000

Just the kind of Post I would expect from an Anti-Science PLUPERFECT IDIOT!!!

By: blink

blink — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:58:52 +0000

The best way to get ready for QM is to have a deep, thorough grounding in the associated mathematics. Just as human brains are crap for large numbers, they’re crap for QM. The math is the tool by which you can evaluate testable statements in QM and fiddle with its rules.

Prufrock on February 19, 2013 at 1:13 PM

Yes, but a deep, thorough grounding in a broad range of other sciences is needed in addition to the math.

It always make me laugh when people think that they can get any type of understanding of QM without doing all the necessary perquisite work.

By: SPCOlympics

SPCOlympics — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 19:02:52 +0000

The best way to get ready for QM is to have a deep, thorough grounding in the associated mathematics. Just as human brains are crap for large numbers, they’re crap for QM. The math is the tool by which you can evaluate testable statements in QM and fiddle with its rules.

Prufrock on February 19, 2013 at 1:13 PM

So true. I did a lot of QM in grad school related to molecular spectroscopy. I had a steep learning curve because I didn’t have a strong matrix mathematics background. Those fellow students who did had an easier time with problem solving and having a more intuitive grasp of the concepts.

Undoubtedly this course was a fluff science course for non-science/math/engineering students.

By: Cornell Conservative

Cornell Conservative — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:23:24 +0000

I think I’ll stick with philosophy.

By: Prufrock

Prufrock — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 18:13:39 +0000

The best way to get ready for QM is to have a deep, thorough grounding in the associated mathematics. Just as human brains are crap for large numbers, they’re crap for QM. The math is the tool by which you can evaluate testable statements in QM and fiddle with its rules.

By: FOWG1

FOWG1 — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:59:48 +0000

An attempt to prepare the stoonts for a mind bending introduction to a world unlike any they can imagine. I think he’s doing the right thing.

By: Nethicus

Nethicus — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 17:55:49 +0000

Should be titled…. “Things you can do in class once you have tenure.”