Best Bits of Being a Physics Student so far!

Well it’s my last day of work tomorrow. It has been a VERY long summer – being a cleaner is a really tough job. It’s also a horrible job – I think people would be amazed at the disgusting state hotel rooms are left in and there’s only one person who’s going to clean it up – the poor old cleaner! However, it has given me enough money to go on a nice holiday next week (I’m off to Sardinia!) and has given me some more motivation to get back to my degree! It’s a tough truth, but working in a job like this does make me want to work harder just so I hopefully wont have to do anything similar again! It also makes you think about what you like most about your degree as you look forward to not having to clean up other people’s bodily fluids, and so I thought this would be a perfect time to let you know what have been my favourite bits of my degree so far.

Good old first year textbook!
If you're heading off to study
Physics you may well find
yourself with a copy!

Every UK physics degree has to fulfill criteria set out by the Institute of Physics, so every degree at every university will cover some common topics. These include advanced mathematics, mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, quantum physics, condensed matter physics, waves and optics and relativity. This sounds like a lot, but having looked through the list I’ve covered all of these in my first two years (I’ve got another two years to go which will be more specialised). While different universities cover material at different speeds, and some go into more detail than others it guarantees that every physics graduate will have a certain level of knowledge about a wide range of core physics topics. But which bits of these have I enjoyed the most?

Quantum Physics

This has definitely been one of my favourite parts of the course. Not only is it mind bending and really exciting, with each new year it becomes cooler. At school I would always say “Oh yes, I’m really interested in quantum”. Little did I know. Literally. At school, you basically learn about some funny particles with weird names and some concepts that sound pretty cool. It’s when you get to university and get to see WHY it works that it becomes much more amazing. The maths is really pretty, the fact it all works when you apply it both to the micro and macro scales and because it is just so often so impossible to understand (well in a sense that you can’t really imagine it) but you can see that it does work makes it a really FANTASTIC topic to study!

How cool does this look! It's such a
lovely equation! :D

Mechanics

This was the very first topic I studied at university, and what a wake up it was for me. As a result of not having studied Further Maths at school, I’d never done any of the mechanics maths modules. I’d only studied topics like vectors and calculus as fairly abstract topics in maths, so discovering they were so important in physics was actually quite a big jump for me. I’m not ashamed to say that I found this topic really challenging either. Most other people had more experience than me so I had to work really hard. But it paid off and actually was really rewarding for me as I felt like I was getting somewhere straight away. My tutor was also fantastic, and I’ll always be grateful to her for convincing me that I wasn’t completely stupid or out of my depth!

The random, generic 'bodies' that
you use in mechanics quickly became
known as potatoes...

Labs

I really love practical work – I always have. I love actually doing stuff myself and over the years I’ve had the opportunity to do some pretty cool stuff. First year labs weren’t always the most interesting tasks, however as we gained the skills required to become more independent the tasks we were given became much better. At the end of my first year I got to do a week long project using X rays to determine the composition of British Coins – we even got to use super strong acids to remove the outer coatings to determine the compositions of the cores (1p,2p and 5p all have steel cores now as otherwise the metal they are made of would be worth more than the coin. As such, not all coins are magnetic) and got to prove which pound coin out of a selection was fake. It's also meant I am full of a wealth of fairly dull information about British coins! My second year long project was also really good – over 6 weeks we got to write programmes in python and use telescopes with digital cameras attached to determine the temperature of sunspots. Next year I’ve got another long project to come, I don’t know the exact topic yet but it will probably fall within the Nuclear Physics category. Exciting times!  

Believe it or not this is the sun! (And
I took the photo!)

I think these three topics have been the most notable parts for me so far, but I am very excited to continue with my degree and find out more stuff. The great thing about a physics degree though is that it is usually pretty interesting, and there are some real WOW moments. When we managed to find the speed of light using Maxwell’s equations (which link electricity and magnetism), when we first learnt about relativity, when we saw how cool maths could really be, when we spent some amazing hours watching beautiful ‘fly throughs’ of galaxies… they’re moments that make the degree really worth it. And well it’s much better than cleaning!

First year coin project - I spent rather
a long time cleaning coins for this
project!

Summertime means summer reading!

Hello everyone! Sorry for another post so soon, the other was meant to be posted a few days earlier but I ended up with no laptop over the weekend (although I did have a great weekend in Southampton, including my first ever trip to an IKEA! :P) Today I’m continuing the theme of things I enjoy outside of Physics, and I thought I’d give you a little look into one of my favourite activities – reading. I love reading and have read lots of books from a huge range of genres (aided in part by studying A level English Literature which encouraged me to read books that I wouldn’t have done otherwise). As a student I have far less time to read for pleasure than I would like, but this means that the summer holidays are a great time to catch up! This is a list of a few books I’ve been reading recently, some from new authors, some from authors I’ve been reading for years.

 

The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared – Jonas Jonasson

An amazing book, which follows the adventurers of an old man fed up of life in the care home he has ended up in. Whilst following the adventure he finds himself in having climbed out of his bedroom window (in his slippers), the book also narrates his life story, where it turns out he has met some of the most incredible people and been part of some of the most remarkable events of the 20^th century. Sort of Forrest Gump-ish in it’s approach, very funny, highly original and well worth a read!

Join Me – Danny Wallace

Really really funny. The true story of a man who was bored, so accidentally started his own ‘cult’. What do you do when you realise you’ve ended up with followers? How far do you go to achieve an aim which you sort of accidentally set out to fulfill? From the same author as Yes Man (another great book and much better than the film) this is highly recommended. I actually laughed out loud, which I rarely do.

And the Mountains Echoed – Khaled Hosseini

I’ve been a massive fan of Khaled Hosseini since reading “The Kite Runner” a number of years ago, but I enjoyed his second novel “A Thousand Splendid Suns” even more. I didn’t realise he had a new book out until recently but it was well worth the wait. If you haven’t read any of his books, do. They are really fascinating insights into the lives of people living in Afghanistan, and do an amazing job of portraying how conflict has shaped the country of Afghanistan. Whilst “The Kite Runner” is predominantly a father-son story, “A Thousand Splendid Suns” a mother-daughter story, “And the Mountains Echoed” has multiple different stories woven into one book, each connected in some way. Whilst it is not my favourite of his books, it was still incredibly powerful and well written. Everyone should read at least one of these books!

Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card

One of the Sci fi classics. It was given to me to read by my boyfriend who loves Sci fi, and whilst I usually prefer fantasy or realistic fiction this really impressed me. A classic tale of child soldiers used in an intergalactic war. I’ve also seen the fairly recent film – definitely not as good as the book. Even if you don’t like Sci fi give this a go! On that note I’d also recommend “The Forever War” by Joe Haldeman, another novel about interstellar warfare. This looks at the idea of how relativity could effect an interstellar war – will the enemy be ‘ahead’ of you in time when you next face them in battle and thus have more advanced weaponry? I enjoyed it and I think other people who are interested in Physics (well especially relativity) would as well!

An Abundance of Katherines – John Green

John Green is an excellent author and not just for the swathes of teenage girls who make up a large number of his fans! The first book of his I read was “The Fault in Our Stars” which even despite all of the hype is an incredibly well written book, and the recent film is also very good. He has a way of creating characters that are complex but very relatable and the stories definitely get you to think about life. “An Abundance of Katherines” was the last of his I had left to read and I wasn’t disappointed. Following the story of a child prodigy who has recently been dumped by his girlfriend, it covers issues such as the difficulties involved in growing up as a gifted child and the process of becoming an individual as you go through your teenage years and become an adult. Not my favourite, but still very good.  

In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson
Again, I’ve read a lot of Bill Bryson in the past. I’m still currently reading this one, and am enjoying following his travels through Australia. I’ve always been interested in Australia and would love to go one day (good job I’m not afraid of spiders or snakes!), so this has been a good read. It isn’t in my opinion as good as some of his other books (most notably “Notes From a Small Island” which was one of the funniest books I’ve read), as I’m not as keen on the focus on political history that seems to be a feature so far. However overall I’m enjoying it as it contains Bill Bryson’s typical humour and great little stories and anecdotes!

Once I’ve finished Bill Bryson, I think I’ll move on to “The Long War” and then “The Long Mars”, the next two books in the series of books co authored by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter. I really love Terry Pratchett and there is enough of his stylistic humour in these books to make me enjoy them, even if the genre is not something I’d necessarily pick out to read.

So, back to some more summer reading! Any books you’ve read recently you would recommend? I’m looking for some more for my trip to Sardinia so I’m very open to suggestions! Until next time, bye for now!

Great Physics Bake Off!

For the next few blog posts I intend to share with you all a few of my interests beyond Physics (although some of them maybe a bit sneaky and incorporate physics into them too. Because well, physics is pretty awesome right?). I have many and varied interests. This is probably a product of my parents only allowing a limited amount of TV/computer time a day when I was little - to be honest though it was a good thing in end. Ok yes mum, you were right... Anyway, I enjoy lots of things, not all of which will get a mention here (I know you all were desperate to hear about my first forays into Morris dancing, but unfortunately I don't have the time. And well you might giggle. Although it is actually so much harder than it looks and also loads of fun!)

So back to the blog. This week, in honour of the fact that the latest series of the Great British Bakeoff has begun recently I'm going to talk about something I really enjoy - you guessed it - baking! For any of my non British readers who don't know what this is - it's a TV series where amateur bakers compete for the title of 'best British baker'. Yes I hear you - how can baking be that exciting? Well trust me it's possible. The tense atmosphere as the competitors wait for Paul and Mary's comments ("Well you've got a nice crumb, although it's a bit dry and I really can't detect the lavender"), the emotions running high when a baker's scones haven't risen properly, the euphoria as someone manages to construct an elaborate model of the Eiffel Tower made entirely out of shortbread - it's great. Love it (like record numbers of the British population - I'm not the only one!) or loathe it one thing I think we can agree on is that baked goods are great. And an hours worth of looking at cake per week is an hour worth spent in my opinion. 

So baking. I thought it would be fun to come up with some physics themed baked goods for your delight. Whilst I love baking, I can't make all of these in one week, so most are just described for you. When I get round to making them (and trust me I plan to!) you can be assured of a photo accompanied by a recipe, which I'll update on here as I go.

Bread

"Entangled strings" (string theory) Plaited loaf - a Great British Bake-off classic - Paul Hollywood's 8 strand plaited loaf. A recipe for those who enjoy complicated recipes (although if you ever enjoyed making complicated friendship bracelets this is the recipe for you! Click on the photo of my finished creation for the recipe!

The finished creation! 

Cake

Nebula cupcakes - a lovely little set of chocolate cupcakes topped with icing and edible glitter and stars - also brilliant as the messier you are with your glitter the more like nebulas they look!

Biscuits

Quark macaroons - 6 flavours! You can even ice the top with up, down, top, bottom, charm and strange symbols if you want. 

Desserts

"Brownie-n motion" and shake in a bag ice cream - stir through some chocolate chips and scatter some on top to demonstrate the random dispersion of particles in a fluid (well sort of!). This is also the best ever brownie recipe I've come across. Serve with ice cream made by shaking the ingredients in a bag of ice - makes lovely ice cream, can cater for different dietary requirements, shows physics in action and is a great science experiment for kids. What's not to love?!

Pastry

Newton's apple pie - I was actually lucky enough to have some apple from Newton's apple tree (in the physics department of York university they had a cutting of the tree which grew and produces apples). Whilst this will have to use normal cooking apples, maybe you could come up with other ways of making it a Newton Apple pie? Decorate it with extra pastry, serve it by whizzing it across the table and demonstrate those laws in action! Maybe I'll even write out the recipe in Newtons!

EDIT: Just realised I missed an obvious opportunity to make a Pi Pie. Maybe I still will...!

If you haven't seen the ASDF movies, click here. You must!

So well as you can see some of these sound delicious if I say so myself! Can you come up with any creative physics themed baked goods? Keep checking back here to catch up on my progress and check out the recipes! 

An amazing week at Camp Quest UK!

Last week I had the privilege of spending my week at Camp Quest, the UK summer camp for free thinking kids (Ages 11-18: there is another camp for younger children!). Camp Quest originally started in the USA, as a secular alternative to typical American summer camps. Often traditional camps don’t cater to non religious children, and whilst this is less of a problem in the UK, the idea has been welcomed here too. In the UK it is more focused on promoting education and a desire to learn about the world around us, using reason and empathy when exploring some of life’s biggest questions and understanding other people’s points of view. Whilst it has been described by some sources as the “Richard Dawkins Atheist Indoctrination Camp” this in fact couldn’t be further from the truth. The camp welcomes children from all backgrounds, as its aims are relevant to all people (religious or not) as long as they have a desire to learn, be challenged and have fun!

I found out about the camp through the internet and saw they were looking for volunteers. I was lucky enough to be picked to be a leader at the summer camp and I am honestly so grateful. I had the best time last week and met THE MOST INCREDIBLE PEOPLE! Both the staff and campers were great and I had so much fun.

So what did we get up to? We were staying near Malvern, in an outdoor activity centre so each morning (after an optional early morning run/ yoga session and breakfast) the campers got to take part in physical activities put on by the centre. These included trying the zip wire, the king swing (a giant swing that starts at about 3m high up), the high ropes course, a Jacob’s ladder and quad pole and grass sledging. The kids were amazing, we had so many brave individuals confronting their fears and giving the activities a go. We (the leaders) even got to have a go too which was great! I’m not too afraid of heights so the activities were loads of fun, even if I fell off the high ropes course at one point when I was trying to be too clever and decided to try and walk part of it like a tightrope! (Note to self – a career as a tightrope walker is probably beyond you!) On one of the days we also ran a sports day, consisting of various team games as well as normal sports like football and rounders, completing the morning by allowing the leaders to have some fun with water pistols!

Me jumping out of a tree at a trapeze - the leap of faith!

The rest of the activities at camp were led entirely by our staff members. As it is a camp that aims to promote free thought and education, we ran sessions that would challenge the kids to think, on topics that wouldn’t necessarily be easy for them. It wasn’t until these sessions that I found out quite how incredible these kids were – they were all so intelligent and had such amazing ideas and ways of articulating their thoughts. They enjoyed sessions of philosophy for children (run by two of the leaders trained to run such sessions) covering topics such as free will; as well as other discussions where they were allowed to propose topics and choose which one to attend. We had some really fascinating discussions on whether or not sexism is a problem in today’s society, whether or not it is possible to be an ethical consumer, whether assisted dying is a good idea and whether or not we have a right to anonymity as well as many other topics. The level of maturity displayed was incredible and we had some brilliant responses.

We also had the opportunity to do some science! One of the other leaders is a chemistry teacher and so led some great practical sessions on chromatography and acids and alkalis which the kids loved! I helped run a session with another leader (a Physics and Maths graduate) on Physics (YAY!) – we covered the concepts of relativity and string theory. Obviously we didn’t go in to the maths (although a couple of very interested children asked me about that later on), instead focusing on the mind bending concepts and basically challenging the kids perceptions of our world. I also ran a session on fun, basic first aid (as I’m always shocked that first aid isn’t compulsory in schools) which was a good laugh as we encouraged dramatic collapsing/dying to make it more enjoyable whist learning some valuable skills. We also had a really good talk from another leader on the concept of brainwashing (and the fact that brainwashing itself isn’t necessarily a real phenomenon), as well as some talks led by the campers themselves (which were brilliant – covering Dark Matter, Great Apes and nonsense poems such as the Jabberwock) and by some external speakers (on the place of religion in schools, Murphy’s law and consent).

Other camp activities focussed on more creative endeavours such as drama (loads of fun and silly drama games that I’ll have to remember as they were brilliant fun and the kids loved them) and music, including a mini performance night as the campfire was rained off. There were some truly talented individuals – singers, instrumentalists, rappers, spoken word poets and dancing. We also really enjoyed doing some tie dying (leading to us all looking super cool in our tie dyed items!) and other crafts like origami.

As you can see, it was a week packed with fun and games and covering so many cool things. I’ve rather run out of space to pack in any more, but all I can say was it was the most incredible week and I’d love to do it again! :D