Teaching Definition and 370 Threads

I've been teaching myself physics from Halliday/Resnick for a while now, and was wondering how long on average students spend on each chapter when being taught at an institution? And with between 100-140 questions at the end of each chapter, many of which can take 20-30 minutes to complete...

Hello, I'm an undergraduate physics student at the University of Bremen, Germany. Our lecturers in theoretical physics always expect a great deal of mathematical knowledge from us in order to understand the lesson. However, much of this knowledge is provided in other lessons with a delay...

with a strong foundation in algebra (1&2), would i be able to get a calculus book, read through it and begin to understand the concepts? ill be in precalculus this spring, but the curriculum at my institution isn't that complex. some trig and algebraic gymnastics. i was actually able to do my...

Does anyone know how I should go about self teaching myself chemistry, physics and math for the goals of the respective high school olympiads for each one? I'm thinking of using Atkins Chemistry, Halliday and Resnick, and Problem Solving Strategies. Any other ideas or advice from people who...

I am really struggling with what to do with this class. It is a general "science" class, meant to be the third science credit for students who are not very science-minded; as such, it does not count toward the admissions standards of the state universities around here--it is a...

I am planning on finishing my Ph.D. in physics in 2009 and am thinking of going directly to teaching which means probably I will end up teaching at a 'community college'. I am interested in people that have done this or are doing it, the good and the bad sides of the job. Please send me PM if...

I actually just posted this in the physics subforum but realized that it is much more appropriate here. So I've got a good deal of the summer in front of me, and I've realized that I've wasted all of my time doing nothing. As a result, I've decided to do something productive and teach myself...

i finished a masters in mathematics without thinking too much about what i was going to do with it. i have just been reading a lot in prep for an hypothetical phd. the default is to go into academia forever seeking tenure. any way to get out of this?

I wanted to teach myself computer science, but I don't know any great beginning books that give a solid introduction. I am a complete novice. Could someone provide some names? I am trying to learn C. And is windows good for doing C or is another operating system more preferrable? Appreciate...

Hello everyone :) There is an alien that just came to Earth and is having trouble recognizing peoples faces. We also have trouble recognizing his face; where his eye is on one hand and a mouth on the other. Luckily for us the alien understands our language and simple colours. The task is...

Hello everyone, I am a software engineer by profession. However, I would love to teach myself Physics and would like to gain a deeper understanding of modern physics. I know it is quit a daunting tasks but I am determined to make it happen, even if it takes a few many years! I understand that...

I have suddenly came to a realization that math and physics are almost non-existent in my life and I would like to change that. I am looking for a good starting point. I graduated college only taking college algebra, general physics, chemistry, biology, and a few other low level sciences...

Hi, I am a graduate student at the University of Michigan and I have been tutoring a high school student in math and physics for about a year now. As he will be taking Calc AB next fall, he asked me to teach him calculus this summer. I am excited to do this, but am not sure the best way to...

Is it possible to teach myself Electrical engineering from scratch using only the internet and available material (I know there are open courses and such)? I am not interested in a degree at the moment and neither the expenses and lifestyle university entails for 4 years.

I am new to these forums and I need some guidance. I am a senior in high school and I am interested in studying physics in college. I have always gotten high scores in the math sections of aptitude tests and I was fairly advanced until junior year. I had taken Pre-Calculus in tenth grade but...

I am thinking of teaching at some small college physics/math/cosmology/astronomy courses as career. I am not interested in position at research university - simply don't care about applying for grants and pretending I am doing research by publishing crappy papers. Can somebody with teaching...

An engineer teaching Math! I was just wondering how decent would it be for a person who has a PhD in Engineering to teach Math at a University? In other words does an engineering degree really prepares one to teach Math courses at a University level? Or, what courses would it be all right for...

I am what is called an LA (Learning Assistant) for an introductory physics class and I'm a freshman. One problem in which I have in convincing the students is how forces are equal and opposite. For instance: A large truck breaks down out on the road and receives a push back into the town by a...

Next month I am going to be teaching my 9th grade "Physics First" classes about optics, and I'd like to use a set of lasers to show them how rays diverge and converge in various situations. Students will literally be able to see things like this...

For my physics classes I have to create presentations on a subject in physics. I was feeling ambitious and chose QM for my physics 3 class. I must do a 5 minute presentation (am shooting for 15 minutes). Now, I know I will have to surprise them with how reality is perceived in quantum...

Hi, I was wondering what requirments are there beyond a Bs is physics to teach high school physics. I believe you have to have teaching certificate, does anyone know what goes into obtaining this? I was thinking as a first job out of college I might want to teach physics. I have heard they...

So I just bought his ook called "Matrices and Linear Algebra" by Hans Schneider and G.P. Barker in an attempt to teach myself this subject as I will probably need to learn it at some point anyway. I am not very familiar with the topic (in any sense) and I was wondering what if any topics up...

If x=u(x)t p(x)=u(x)t k(x)=uf and probably many other such equations, then why it is not enough to derive the LT for x and t and to mimick the transformations for all the others? Would that obscure or reduce transparence. Would that show the kinematic origin of all the relativistic effects...

Hey all. I am teaching younger kids, ages 7-9, about physics this summer, and I was wondering if anyone here is a teacher in elementary school or middle school, or has advice on cool activities to do. As far as the physics goes, I don't think it will be a problem since so much of physics can...

Iam asked to tutor a student in high school math (10) and was wondering where may I find a variety of questions. I thought about making questions up myself but it is more time consumeing than I initially have thought. I don't know which forum to post this question? If another forum area is...

What's it like teaching in an elementary or primary school? How streesful is it? Probably not as much as teaching in a high school but more so than a University?

This year I am a sophomore in High School taking Algebra II. Since I got a B this year in honors English, I decided to self teach myself Precalcus(Math Analysis) with the hopes of taking AP Calculus BC my Junior year. I want to impress the colleges,chiefly The Wharton School of Finance, with...

I am trying to learn undergraduate-level quantum mechanics on my own. I would estimate my background to be that of a sophomore/junior year physics major. I have access to only the following books: Introduction to the Quantum Theory - David Park Quantum Mechanics - Eugen Merzbacher...

I am curious how many humans on this forum are teaching themselves physics and mathematics. Thus, are you being taught or are you teaching yourself physics and mathematics?

I'm doing my thesis and i have to teach electron diffraction to high school students. Can you propose to me any route to develop my teaching process, to be understood from high school students?

I'm currently in high school and studying physics, 2 maths ("normal" and the most advanced course, the normal is required for the advanced one by the way) as well as a few other subjects. I'm planning to study Electrical or Mechanical engineering or science. Maybe both. But that's...

I am wondering how good TAing as an undergraduate looks to potential employers and/or graduate school admission officers. I'm pretty sure it looks very good for grad school, but what about in industry? I have the opportunity to TA for a pretty significant class in the EE program. It will be a...

Hello, I took EE at University.. working on my master's right now (advanced control for electric power steering system). Kind of wanted to always teach, and here in Ontario, teachers are paid fairly well. Plus I can teach math / senior math as well as physics. Anyway, looking at the...

Are "two line derivations" harmful in teaching special relativity My experience on the forum showed me that some participants do not agree with the simple, “two line” derivations, of the equations that account for relativistic effects like time dilation, length contraction and Lorentz...

I just got a TA position and I have to teach for one hour a week in a seminar room. So, any tips? I'm sure I'm fine at presenting. I've taken Drama Class and so I shouldn't be that nervous. I'm going to go through the problems myself and solve them myself before going so that way I...

I’ve dropped my Calc II class because my Calc I class, which I took at the community college, never covered anti-derivatives, and my Calc II class started off assuming you already knew anti-derivatives and integration. So now I have the fun task of teaching myself anti-derivatives and...

I walk into Real Analysis and in the first 3 seconds my thoughts go... ... drop class NOW! When I first took the course, I was under the impression that the chair of the department would be teaching the course. Unfortunately, the professor from last year Complex Analysis is teaching the...

Hi, I am interested in teaching myself supersymmetry and supergravity. I have a decent qft background. I know of several good online notes,, but what I really need is a source of good problems. Anybody know where I can find such a source? Does the Wess and Bagger book have good problems...

So, my present situation is that I dropped out of high school following the end of my junior year at the end of last year, got a GED, and am attending a community college this coming September. I took the AP calc and physics tests and did pretty well on them and I've been studying a linear...

On 22 june 76 Academies of Science all over the world made a statement regarding "Teaching of evolution". ( http://www.kva.se/KVA_Root/files/newspics/DOC_2006622103638_83921484512_IAP_Evolution.pdf ). Since ID-fans often try to convince people (and themselves?) that there is a quite...

do you think that the light clock is a good pedagogical tool for introducing special relativity? a teacher of mine told us that there is no advantage without disadvantage! sine ira et studio

Just heard on the radio that the schools inspector OFSTED has criticised UK maths teachers for teaching kids how to pass exams, ie. not teaching them the basic theory behind the maths they're doing. This is a major problem in education these days, especially in exam based subjects. Kids are...

Hi, I am a teacher (new) and have never taught Physics before... GULP. I have a learning outcome I must teach and am unsure of how to best do it. It is in the grade 10 (S2) Gen Science... I must define voltage (electrical potential difference) as the energy per unit charge between 2 points...

Hundred years of special relativity have generated papers with titles like "Derivation of the Lorentz transformations from the Maxwell equations" "From m=mcc to the Lorentz transformations via the law of addition of relativistic velocities" in order to quote only to of them. Do you think...

How much does a teaching assistant earn each month ? Thanks

Hello everyone, I have a problem with my students (introductory physics students) who are from different colleges (science, computer science, nursing, medical...). They always ask "why should we study physics?" or "why is physics important for us?". Unfortunately, I couldn't convince them...

WHat are the options for a math Ph.D. besides teaching?? Hi, I will be getting my BS in pure math this spring and I need some advice. I breezed through the undergrad math curriculum in 3 years and this year I am taking real analysis and analytic function theory which are 600 level (master...

I am working on teaching myself calculus and have a few texts that employ different teaching methods. One covers a short chapter on limits and then goes right into calculating derivatives. Another covers logic, set theory, and rigorous definitions of continuity and limits before introducing...

I've decided to start taking self-study seriously, and stop just skimming books and putting them back. My question is, for those who do work hard at self-study, how many problems in the tet do you do? All of them? Half? None? I'd like to know what a reasonable amount is to set as a self...

Hi, I'm in the complex numbers section of a trig book, and I'm having trouble intuitively understanding how a number like 3+5i can become (3,5) on the Gaussian coordinate plane...the logic behind it doesn't jump out at me... Any help? And is calculus generally a smooth transition after...