- #1
Greek Letter
Shall I cut to the chase? Definitely. Alright. I'm in need of assistance. I wish to become a physicist. Sure, in the past few years, I've switched career options left and right, as any fifteen year-old surely must experience, but I'm pretty sure this is the one. Ever since I discovered the gravitational lensing effect of black holes (I realize any massive object bends light, but I saw it on black holes specifically) about two years ago, I have been absolutely fascinated by the world of physics. So much so that I now regret not delving into it sooner!
I am in ninth grade. In my country, the system works a bit differently. Here, you have nine years of primary school, after which you apply for a high school (four year education). You can only get in if you pass a specific exam. A very tough exam. Mathematics and grammar (Czech grammar is horrible), probably not my best subjects...
So! I've been going through some trouble lately. Physics and chemistry are likely my favorite subjects (and mathematics, once I force the formula down my throat), and I don't have much trouble with them (though memorizing the representative letters of different physical... What's the word, entities? No. Forces? No. Y'know, temperature, time, current, etc.. Yes, remembering those was difficult). Still, I find my knowledge and intellect quite lacking. My chances of succeeding in these exams, and making it through high school are apparently quite grim, according to my 'expert' school counselor. It has been bugging me for quite some time. Lately, it's made me so depressed, I even thought of shooting myself every single day, but that's beside the point.
What else? Well, I tried understanding relativity and quantum theory... I sort of succeeded with relativity, but failed miserably with quantum theory. I can understand the premise of relativity. Space shrinks and time dilates to compensate for velocity difference between a moving object and the speed of light, so that the speed of light remains the same no matter how fast you're moving? That's basically how I understand it, but I don't get the mathematics. I just don't know what a vector is, and all the other stuff just confuses me beyond any reasonable measure.
Quantum theory! Well, I read Marcus Chown's book three times over, never really got it. I understood it all up until wave function, interference and the principle of uncertainty, all of which I simply cannot imagine in my head. Yeah, quantum theory isn't my thing... I'll stick to black holes, thank you. Don't even get me started on String Theory, just gave me a headache immediately.
Well, to the question, I guess... What were you like? The physicists or physics students amongst you? Were you this afraid? Tempted to take your own life at times? I just want to know whether or not I have a chance, or if I should become a carpenter or something instead. Sorry if I seem to be ranting, I really am not, all this information is crucial in order to understand my concern.
Sorry for the bother,
Greek Letter (Lambda)
I am in ninth grade. In my country, the system works a bit differently. Here, you have nine years of primary school, after which you apply for a high school (four year education). You can only get in if you pass a specific exam. A very tough exam. Mathematics and grammar (Czech grammar is horrible), probably not my best subjects...
So! I've been going through some trouble lately. Physics and chemistry are likely my favorite subjects (and mathematics, once I force the formula down my throat), and I don't have much trouble with them (though memorizing the representative letters of different physical... What's the word, entities? No. Forces? No. Y'know, temperature, time, current, etc.. Yes, remembering those was difficult). Still, I find my knowledge and intellect quite lacking. My chances of succeeding in these exams, and making it through high school are apparently quite grim, according to my 'expert' school counselor. It has been bugging me for quite some time. Lately, it's made me so depressed, I even thought of shooting myself every single day, but that's beside the point.
What else? Well, I tried understanding relativity and quantum theory... I sort of succeeded with relativity, but failed miserably with quantum theory. I can understand the premise of relativity. Space shrinks and time dilates to compensate for velocity difference between a moving object and the speed of light, so that the speed of light remains the same no matter how fast you're moving? That's basically how I understand it, but I don't get the mathematics. I just don't know what a vector is, and all the other stuff just confuses me beyond any reasonable measure.
Quantum theory! Well, I read Marcus Chown's book three times over, never really got it. I understood it all up until wave function, interference and the principle of uncertainty, all of which I simply cannot imagine in my head. Yeah, quantum theory isn't my thing... I'll stick to black holes, thank you. Don't even get me started on String Theory, just gave me a headache immediately.
Well, to the question, I guess... What were you like? The physicists or physics students amongst you? Were you this afraid? Tempted to take your own life at times? I just want to know whether or not I have a chance, or if I should become a carpenter or something instead. Sorry if I seem to be ranting, I really am not, all this information is crucial in order to understand my concern.
Sorry for the bother,
Greek Letter (Lambda)