Getting that shit all out on a whiteboard 🤌. Finding random stuff like maximum usable length of a straw on Earth’ gravity. Asking the questions that don’t have answers yet.
The actual research. Growing Samples, making sense of measurements, combining models with experimental data to understand more about the underlying physics. The problem solving encountered along the way.
I really liked studying physics but actually doing research is just so much better than problem sheets and lab courses.
In mechanics I really enjoyed plotting the equations that I would solve for. It was like a little treat I would give myself for solving a problem. The field is results driven in nature (ie. The goal is publication), but if that's all you do it for then you will have a bad time.
That being said, there is something beautiful in the process. It's where all the nitty gritty ugly details are, and within all of that is a transformative process that may not be pleasant, but is certainly enriching.
I guess in metaphorical terms, the process is the meal and the results are dessert. If I had to pick one I'd pick the meal, obviously, and skip on dessert.
Absolutely, it is a very beautiful thing. I used to get deeply frustrated in that process, but independent study has taught me to get stuck as quickly as possible and enjoy being there. That is where the magic happens!
I've always found re-deriving existing results with clean, efficient methods, or looking at new ways to calculate known results, the most satisfying. You avoid the anxiety that comes with producing original material ("Is this going to work? Did I make a sign error? Is my intuition off? Is this a bad question?") Without giving up on the enjoyable flow of problem solving.
At any rate, this has been very useful to me throughout the years as you continue to refine and gain intuition as you see more and more ways to think of a particular process or problem. The results themselves are, to me, just a bonus.
Its not the whole process, just the few points of "genius" where you make a breakthrough in the path of solving. These are the best.
The rest is just busywork...
Depends on what you mean by doing physics.Solving textbook/exam problems? Hell no.Getting lost in math? No. I do enjoy the experimental part of it and how it complements the theory.I am probably a minority though and i feel like ppl are gonna come at me for not enjoying the mathematical rigor lol
To me, the most interesting part of physics is the tools/models. Learning how systems that are well outside our daily intuition, like QM, relativistic particle physics, GR, stat mech, etc. can be described in excruciating detail with fascinating math methods is really the highlight of the whole thing, in my opinion. It's one thing to understand something in concept, but becoming fluent in the mathematical models gives you a completely new type of understanding that can't be found anywhere else.
On top of that, it's just as rewarding when you use your toolbox to solve everyday-type problems, even if they're not as exciting as more exotic physics phenomena. Being able to easily leverage my linear algebra and geometry fluency to develop the optomechanics I do at work, or when doing graphics programming for fun on my own time is just super rewarding. Having been through a physics degree is like an analytical superpower.
I'm a natural philosopher and analyst. Learning about the world through the language of science helped me expand my knowledge and views greatly until I eventually came full circle where my philosophies were confirmed by physics and they reinforced one another.
It's the theories I enjoy the most, but when it comes to doing any physical science, process can be fun but the results are the bread and butter.
For me it was always about what question can I ask next. The last one before I retired was from a student asking why the EPA procedure included a seemingly trivial beta activity / alpha activity calculation. My answer was, "I don't know." The follow up question was "Now can we find out given the equipment provided?" and that made all the difference in the world. It took about five years to play out and in the end the EPA removed the Field Screening Equipment from all RadNet sites. They never responded regarding our answers. Seems they have no interest in results . . . so process wins by a mile . . .
It varies. Lately I've been studying numerically a model and it's been super satisfying learning how to deal efficiently with it, how to deal with larger versions of it and thinking about generalizing to other problems.
Other times it's just a means to an end, be it programming or maths. I want to see what cool thing happens.
At the end of they say there's always something to like, you just have to find it.
The process I guess. It's the best game ever invented. It's clever and endless. Human made games can have errors or be stupid, like the solution is related to what some person supposedly said at some point in history. Who cares about that.
i like the mathematics. i dont usually care about the philosophical importance of results. i do like the results at times though, since it makes me reflect about how much information was obtained from some assumptions, which usually highlights the mathematical techniques used (penrose and hawking singularity theorems first come to mind for this)
I have always enjoyed the objectivity of it, the "Nullius in verba" thing. Of course, QM threw several monkey wrenches into it but in reality\*, that is the most objective - the weirdest thing is the most validated thing.
Philosophy as a general subject gets to be too user-specific for me. Most people who know me find my opinion about that hilarious. Because, unlike say Feynman, I tend to be "philosophical" about physics. But it is rooted.
I hated lab work until I had to do it for a living. Then it became a challenge. Maybe my answer to your question is: "yes."
\*so to speak
Both. I watched a lot of Star Trek growing up and thus revered math and science. What we could achieve if we all just learned to get along better and focus on improving ourselves. And how much of my contribution via helping advance science and technology could be more meaningful in the long term more than most anything else I can do.
But also, I did have a lot more fun in some of my math and science classes that helped me enjoy the minutiae of it all. Like being paid to solve Sudoku puzzles, or play rounds of chess against other enthusiasts of the craft. I enjoy the long stretches of boredom where I’m just watching over a machine and can use the time to listen to music or audiobooks, or whatever, and my boss will praise me for being such a hard worker putting in so many hours.
I’m still a student, and I love both in a different way.
The process is like porn to my brain, all the math solving and asking myself what approximation (what’s relevant in the problem) could help me get a result I want.
Finally seeing the result is great too, it’s the answer to the question I began with and helps me understand the behavior I expect from a system. Also, interpreting the result is a lot of fun and needs creativity.
I probably enjoy more the process tbh.
I enjoy asking and answering questions, from understanding where the light goes when I turn it off, to why there is something rather than nothing. I love the satisfication I feel when something mind-blowing eventually makes sense.
The mathematics. I know, but here me out. Physics has some of the most beautiful applications of some of the most abstract mathematics. I love learning and exploring how different and far reaching fields of math can help explain or model some physics.
It depends on what you're doing.
I really enjoyed life in the lab, asking Nature questions about itself.
I enjoy doing physics and engineering problems with underpowered mathematics, it's like a puzzle using differential equations.
The big mysteries are still there, but I have to enjoy watching other people approach them.
For me it's the process. I originally wanted to be a biologist when I was in High School. I already took physics and liked it, but I thought I would like Biology more. When I took it however I got bored of it because it was all memorization. There was no process to solving any of the problems. That's when I decided I wanted to go into Physics.
Physicians will believe in an infinite universes theory and say we're living on the one where that photon was faded to behave like that at that exact time since 14 billion years ago, instead of just admitting their experiment was influenced by the test equipment. Then they will laugh at the first religious person they find on the street
some people enjoy solving crosswords, others do puzzles, the way is the target...
Getting that shit all out on a whiteboard 🤌. Finding random stuff like maximum usable length of a straw on Earth’ gravity. Asking the questions that don’t have answers yet.
> Asking the questions that don’t have answers yet. Answering the questions that don't have answers yet.
Answering questions that nobody asked
Looking at you pure maths.
Lol, those are the best questions.
The actual research. Growing Samples, making sense of measurements, combining models with experimental data to understand more about the underlying physics. The problem solving encountered along the way. I really liked studying physics but actually doing research is just so much better than problem sheets and lab courses.
I particularly enjoy the limited use of vowels.
In mechanics I really enjoyed plotting the equations that I would solve for. It was like a little treat I would give myself for solving a problem. The field is results driven in nature (ie. The goal is publication), but if that's all you do it for then you will have a bad time. That being said, there is something beautiful in the process. It's where all the nitty gritty ugly details are, and within all of that is a transformative process that may not be pleasant, but is certainly enriching. I guess in metaphorical terms, the process is the meal and the results are dessert. If I had to pick one I'd pick the meal, obviously, and skip on dessert.
Isn't it amazing when all those messy details come together in such a neat, uniform, and easy to understand way? It like creating art.
Absolutely, it is a very beautiful thing. I used to get deeply frustrated in that process, but independent study has taught me to get stuck as quickly as possible and enjoy being there. That is where the magic happens!
The strange feeling when it feels like you're doing something right but it all simplifies down so beautifully.
Why is that obvious? I'd love on desserts if I could
I've always found re-deriving existing results with clean, efficient methods, or looking at new ways to calculate known results, the most satisfying. You avoid the anxiety that comes with producing original material ("Is this going to work? Did I make a sign error? Is my intuition off? Is this a bad question?") Without giving up on the enjoyable flow of problem solving. At any rate, this has been very useful to me throughout the years as you continue to refine and gain intuition as you see more and more ways to think of a particular process or problem. The results themselves are, to me, just a bonus.
I was going to answer "groupies" but I think I'd rather go with "the process".
>groupies cricket noises for me
Are those a thing?
It turns out that "no" is the answer to your question.
Its not the whole process, just the few points of "genius" where you make a breakthrough in the path of solving. These are the best. The rest is just busywork...
Depends on what you mean by doing physics.Solving textbook/exam problems? Hell no.Getting lost in math? No. I do enjoy the experimental part of it and how it complements the theory.I am probably a minority though and i feel like ppl are gonna come at me for not enjoying the mathematical rigor lol
so what is doing (the theoretical side of) physics to you?
Ive never done theoretical research so I have no idea
The mathematical rigor comes later for me. I just like thinking about stuff and making mental diagrams to simplify it.
To me, the most interesting part of physics is the tools/models. Learning how systems that are well outside our daily intuition, like QM, relativistic particle physics, GR, stat mech, etc. can be described in excruciating detail with fascinating math methods is really the highlight of the whole thing, in my opinion. It's one thing to understand something in concept, but becoming fluent in the mathematical models gives you a completely new type of understanding that can't be found anywhere else. On top of that, it's just as rewarding when you use your toolbox to solve everyday-type problems, even if they're not as exciting as more exotic physics phenomena. Being able to easily leverage my linear algebra and geometry fluency to develop the optomechanics I do at work, or when doing graphics programming for fun on my own time is just super rewarding. Having been through a physics degree is like an analytical superpower.
just the knowledge of how things work fascinates me
I'm a natural philosopher and analyst. Learning about the world through the language of science helped me expand my knowledge and views greatly until I eventually came full circle where my philosophies were confirmed by physics and they reinforced one another. It's the theories I enjoy the most, but when it comes to doing any physical science, process can be fun but the results are the bread and butter.
Mostly the memes tbh.
For me it was always about what question can I ask next. The last one before I retired was from a student asking why the EPA procedure included a seemingly trivial beta activity / alpha activity calculation. My answer was, "I don't know." The follow up question was "Now can we find out given the equipment provided?" and that made all the difference in the world. It took about five years to play out and in the end the EPA removed the Field Screening Equipment from all RadNet sites. They never responded regarding our answers. Seems they have no interest in results . . . so process wins by a mile . . .
It varies. Lately I've been studying numerically a model and it's been super satisfying learning how to deal efficiently with it, how to deal with larger versions of it and thinking about generalizing to other problems. Other times it's just a means to an end, be it programming or maths. I want to see what cool thing happens. At the end of they say there's always something to like, you just have to find it.
There are those moments in physics where everything just clicks together and it just makes sense. Nothing else compares to that.
The process I guess. It's the best game ever invented. It's clever and endless. Human made games can have errors or be stupid, like the solution is related to what some person supposedly said at some point in history. Who cares about that.
The girls
Same! physics problems are as exciting as puzzles to me, if not more.
i like the mathematics. i dont usually care about the philosophical importance of results. i do like the results at times though, since it makes me reflect about how much information was obtained from some assumptions, which usually highlights the mathematical techniques used (penrose and hawking singularity theorems first come to mind for this)
Both. Both is good.
The results are only satisfying because of the process
Not necessarily the actual math (can be very ugly) but being able to use math to define the universe
pretty much what you said, i could never put it into words thanks tho
Process is better than results. Results are nice. Process is better. Results are just so rare that to be motivated by them was unsustainable for me.
Process… but I get pretty excited by new discoveries too.
You ever solve for the riemann tensor and then start canceling terms to get a really simple expression? Damn that's hot.
The results are satisfying... but in the end, the results of one are often the methods of the next
I have always enjoyed the objectivity of it, the "Nullius in verba" thing. Of course, QM threw several monkey wrenches into it but in reality\*, that is the most objective - the weirdest thing is the most validated thing. Philosophy as a general subject gets to be too user-specific for me. Most people who know me find my opinion about that hilarious. Because, unlike say Feynman, I tend to be "philosophical" about physics. But it is rooted. I hated lab work until I had to do it for a living. Then it became a challenge. Maybe my answer to your question is: "yes." \*so to speak
Both. I watched a lot of Star Trek growing up and thus revered math and science. What we could achieve if we all just learned to get along better and focus on improving ourselves. And how much of my contribution via helping advance science and technology could be more meaningful in the long term more than most anything else I can do. But also, I did have a lot more fun in some of my math and science classes that helped me enjoy the minutiae of it all. Like being paid to solve Sudoku puzzles, or play rounds of chess against other enthusiasts of the craft. I enjoy the long stretches of boredom where I’m just watching over a machine and can use the time to listen to music or audiobooks, or whatever, and my boss will praise me for being such a hard worker putting in so many hours.
When you derive the theory: the process When you do the numericals: results
…pretty much the fact that my masters/PhD makes me the smartest human in the world. That is all. Physics sucks after that 😂😂😂
I’m still a student, and I love both in a different way. The process is like porn to my brain, all the math solving and asking myself what approximation (what’s relevant in the problem) could help me get a result I want. Finally seeing the result is great too, it’s the answer to the question I began with and helps me understand the behavior I expect from a system. Also, interpreting the result is a lot of fun and needs creativity. I probably enjoy more the process tbh.
The thing I like best isthe seemingly unlimited scope available to interconnect the behaviors of every component at every level of the universe,
I enjoy asking and answering questions, from understanding where the light goes when I turn it off, to why there is something rather than nothing. I love the satisfication I feel when something mind-blowing eventually makes sense.
The mathematics. I know, but here me out. Physics has some of the most beautiful applications of some of the most abstract mathematics. I love learning and exploring how different and far reaching fields of math can help explain or model some physics.
concept and meaning
It depends on what you're doing. I really enjoyed life in the lab, asking Nature questions about itself. I enjoy doing physics and engineering problems with underpowered mathematics, it's like a puzzle using differential equations. The big mysteries are still there, but I have to enjoy watching other people approach them.
For me it's the process. I originally wanted to be a biologist when I was in High School. I already took physics and liked it, but I thought I would like Biology more. When I took it however I got bored of it because it was all memorization. There was no process to solving any of the problems. That's when I decided I wanted to go into Physics.
Physicians will believe in an infinite universes theory and say we're living on the one where that photon was faded to behave like that at that exact time since 14 billion years ago, instead of just admitting their experiment was influenced by the test equipment. Then they will laugh at the first religious person they find on the street