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comphermc

Back to Earth

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comphermc
, 01-21-2010 at 03:41 AM (1075 Views)
For the first time in my [relatively short] life, I have become completely and utterly overwhelmed with a particular course. The culprit? Optics.

Most of you already know that I am studying Mathematics in hopes of becoming a high school teacher here in the States. For those of you who didn't know that... well, I am. What many of you don't know is that I am also studying Physics as a minor to my Mathematics degree. So far, all has gone well, and I have never failed to get an A in any physics course I've been enrolled. Enter Optics.

Just reading through the text, I feel absolutely worthless. The authors assume that I have a firm grasp on Electromagnetism, which I may have only had a meager grasp of two years ago. Mostly repressed from memory at this point, the concepts required for even a base understanding of Optics escape me. And this is week two!

I hope this may not be my unraveling! This is the last Physics course I have to take to be satisfy the requirements for my minor, and it will surely be a long semester. Time to make friends with the kids who get it!! My 3.9 GPA is about to take a hit...



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As a side note, I am also taking a Sports Statistics course (Ha!), a Teaching Middle-Grade Math course (Snore!), and a Capstone for my major in Mathematics. That last one melds Mathematics, Philosophy, and Proof. I love it - I live for proof. My favorite pastime is creating levels in LBP, but a close second is teaching introductory Proof writing to University students through the Tutoring Center.

So that's me.

Updated 01-21-2010 at 03:44 AM by comphermc

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Comments

  1. SirPaper's Avatar
    Wow, good luck with that. I'm taking math as a minor (English major) and this is my last semester, so hopefully all goes well. (I think my two math courses look pretty good so far though. Applied Analysis and Linear Algebra. Taken back to back three times a week. )

    Oh well, soldier through and I'm sure you'll find that you've remembered more about Electromagnetism than you think. (Certainly more than me, since I've never studied it at all )
  2. jeffcu28's Avatar
    Hey comphermc,

    Procrastinating from studying for my endocrinology midterm, I stumbled upon this blog of yours. I knew you had some interest in math and physics from the philosophy thread a while back, but I didn't know your ultimate goal was to become a teacher. That is so noble. I find it really difficult to share with others my knowledge, but maybe that's because I'm a bit impatient.

    And I'm glad it's a high school math course you're aiming for...that was the last time I was in love the subject. Unlike you, proofs scare the heebeejeebees out of me. The language is just so foreign, and although I memorized the format of proofs, I never fully understood how what I was saying actually proved anything .

    As for physics, I liked it a little bit more than math because I'm a visual person. I wasn't a fan of any of the labs though...boring! I would much rather dissect cadavers than find focal points ! Being the motivated and passionate person that you are, I'm sure you'll find a way to excel at your optics class. I'm rooting for ya because I love high school math teachers!

    Q.E.D.,
    jeffcu28

    P.S. I was a mathlete!
  3. comphermc's Avatar
    Haha, thanks guys. I was no mathlete myself - I was actually an athlete! Then I submitted to my nerdiness...



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    Nice touch with the Q.E.D.
  4. rtm223's Avatar
    But physics is just maths, but slightly easier, more interesting and with more pictures.... Surely it can't be causing you problems
  5. Rogar's Avatar
    Except when you're calculating electrophysics. That's like math, except with probability and error margins mixed in. Blegh.
  6. Hibbsi's Avatar
    My dad is a high school physics and chemistry teacher (As if one subject wasn't enough, right?). He loves electromagnetism and optics. I find it interesting, but let's just say that if I have free time, physics is not what I would be concerning myself with

    I guess I'm an oddity, I'm an all-state soccer player and a mathlete. To people that don't know me, it would seem that I don't have a life

    Good thing they don't know I made a calculator in a video game, too, or they would definitely think I don't have a life
  7. IStwisted's Avatar
    Have you heard of "The Dancing Wu Li Masters: An Overview of the New Physics" by Gary Zukav. I'm not sure how much it will help with understanding optics but you never know. It's one of my favorite books. Good Luck on a grand quest.
  8. comphermc's Avatar
    Oh yah... got an A-. Heh.
  9. toxiic's Avatar
    good luck with that, hope you are successful and get the job you want.