TSR Physics Society

The Strangest Quark

True, it would be disturbing to come across a physicist who wasn't in some way eccentric.

Also, do you know of Dr F Cattani? He/she is doing the vectors and matrices lectures this year.

No I can't say as I know them... it's a new lecturer this year. It used to be my own tutor, the matrix guy in the physics freshers thread... but they kicked him off because he was fairly rubbish at lecturing.

Apparently F Cattani is a tutor at St Johns, and specialises in Atomic and Laser physics. You can probably find more from their home page. Why do you ask anyway? I think it's a she btw... Federica Cattani, if you want to google her.

Reply 342

me 19 on mondays :smile:

and it feels like i was only 18 the other week...the rate of time has changed, old age creeping in, i heard the older you get the faster time seems to go for you, some kinda mental thing. cause your biological clock slows down so time seems to be going faster.

Reply 343

The Strangest Quark

F1 fanatic

Apparently F Cattani is a tutor at St Johns, and specialises in Atomic and Laser physics. You can probably find more from their home page. Why do you ask anyway? I think it's a she btw... Federica Cattani, if you want to google her.

Just wondered because I heard that vectors and matrices were particularly bad last year, so I'm hoping it will be better now.

Reply 344

The Strangest Quark

Just wondered because I heard that vectors and matrices were particularly bad last year, so I'm hoping it will be better now.

Yeah, well Jaksch wasn't the best lecturer. Much as I like the guy, and enjoy his conversation and he's an amazing tutor... but a shocking lecturer. I expect it will be better.

Reply 345

.S.O.S.

me 19 on mondays :smile:

and it feels like i was only 18 the other week...the rate of time has changed, old age creeping in, i heard the older you get the faster time seems to go for you, some kinda mental thing. cause your biological clock slows down so time seems to be going faster.

Well it's certainly true in my limited experience. I can't believe Im in 3rd year of uni! My first day was like yesterday!

Reply 346

how do u manage to keep on top of all those notes given to you/??!!!
im given tonnes for like each lecture and expected to read through it all? and they only became avalible after a few days, so behind on a couple of lecture note reading, :/
I dont know how to organise time i guess.

Reply 347

Ana

19

.S.O.S.

how do u manage to keep on top of all those notes given to you/??!!!
im given tonnes for like each lecture and expected to read through it all? and they only became avalible after a few days, so behind on a couple of lecture note reading, :/
I dont know how to organise time i guess.

I don't. I take notes at the time, and only read through any published notes if mine don't make sense, or if I nodded off in the lecture and missed bits.

Reply 348

AlphaNumeric

10

It's MUCH better to take notes in the lecture. It helps you remember and at least it's passing through your brain, even if it's not obvious much is sticking at the time. It's to easy to think "But I'll listen harder if I'm not writing" then just switch off.

That's the reason I slept through half my GR lectures last year....

Reply 349

I agree. We currently have a lecture series is atomic physics. The lecture notes are fairly comprehensive so nobody write's anything (and nods off) while I'm furiously writing out anythinghe says or writes. I find it does help it go in even if it is a lot more work. It certainly saves going through it later.

I personally rarely go through lecture notes for the fun of it. I peruse them for questions and thats about it.

Reply 350

The Centipe

10

Hey fellow physicists :smile:

Could someone possibly explain why when 2 identical waves interfere constructively, the intensity increases 4-fold? Where does the extra energy come from?!

I got really confused by this today. :frown:

Reply 351

jpowell

OP

15

Intensity is equal to the square of the amplitude :smile:

. You sum the amplitudes, but then must square the results.

Reply 352

suneilr

3

Just something I've been wondering about lately. The photon is the carrier of the electromagentic force but I don't get how the photon transmits the information aout what type of charge the object has. For example how does the photon know it's come from a positively charged object or negatively charged object?

Reply 353

The Centipe

Hey fellow physicists :smile:

Could someone possibly explain why when 2 identical waves interfere constructively, the intensity increases 4-fold? Where does the extra energy come from?!

I got really confused by this today. :frown:

Note also, that it is intensity that is a measure of energy, not the amplitude. Therefore, no energy was created or destroyed.

Reply 354

for my first 2 assessed homework i had 100/100 and 9/10 :frown:

(i missed that mark because i changed my answer to the wrong one). :smile:

Reply 355

.S.O.S.

for my first 2 assessed homework i had 100/100 and 9/10 :frown:

(i missed that mark because i changed my answer to the wrong one). :smile:

I wouldn't complain... 109/110 is pretty impressive! I've never got those sort of marks at uni!

Reply 356

is the homework stuff is 20% of the year, :s-smilie:

i have my 1st assessed practicle next week tuesday..i hate practicals....and its on diffraction which is worse.lol. i have to remember to be confident, and just get on with it.

and the demonstraters (phD students i think) are rubbish and i think one of them as a thing for my friend hehe lol.

Reply 357

.S.O.S.

is the homework stuff is 20% of the year, :s-smilie:

i have my 1st assessed practicle next week tuesday..i hate practicals....and its on diffraction which is worse.lol. i have to remember to be confident, and just get on with it.

and the demonstraters (phD students i think) are rubbish and i think one of them as a thing for my friend hehe lol.

Optics labs are actually one of the better labs, in my experience. There isn't much that can go wrong with them, and you can always get a nice set of results.

That reminds me... someone at my college got high marks in their practical last week by chatting up the demonstrator :rolleyes:

Reply 358