"Our" generation did innovate our own dance. It's called West Coast Swing, and it's danced to top 40 music, hip-hop, blues, soul, and generally anything with 4/4 timing. There are dance parties and events across the US. Innovation, creativity, and technique are all important. The dance is currently evolving.
These two are 27 years old, and are the current innovators. Not Choreographed.
I've a couple of degrees in Physics, and I assure you, half the print in the _vast_ majority of Physics books is equations. Most physics texts seem to assume a math minor. Most Physics majors first see partial differential equations, special functions, and group theory as undergraduates. A couple of friends took partial diffeq for fun. Yeah, that's one way to know you're a nerd.
I suggest a library or a used bookstore, as these things are expensive. Here are some of the typical texts you see around on various physics topics (by author's name, because the titles are useless):
Electromagnetism:
Griffiths is a really great undergrad book, which is easy to read.
Jackson is the classic first semester grad-school book. Math Methods of Physics:
Arfken is a classic.
Cantrell is an up and coming variant. Thermodynamics:
Kittel is an oldie, but a goodie. Someone else prolly has a better suggestion. General Undergrad Phenomonology:
The World Wide Web - Invented at CERN, y'know.
Halliday & Resnic is probably the easiest book to find.
Serway is newer. Relativity:
Rindler is the standard. Mechanics:
Goldstein is pretty easy to find. Quantum:
Landau (yep, the same) and Lifshitz is a solid text that
hits on Shcrodinger's equation well.
Griffiths is easier to read, as is Eisberg & Resnick. Modern Physics:
Less of an obvious choice, but it'll be a good source for more sexy topics.
A lot of partial diffeq is used in mechanics. IIRC, partial diffeq was invented to describe mechanical systems, so many of the examples are very intuitive (for you of course, not for 99.9% of the population.)
Alternately, you will probably have success finding a physics student at your relative level that has the intuitive feel, but is weak on math. You could quite a bit from each other in short order.
5) I'm lazy, please draw me a picture. Make it pretty.
4) Please spoon-feed me everything I need to know. I am way too lazy to take the initiative otherwise.
3) I don't want to actually particiapate in the job market -- please dumb it down for me. I would like to be lead... like a sheep.
2) Those other majors where students are coddled (and go on to retail counters across America) -- please make Engineering like that. I want to be treated like an idiot whose self-esteem needs an artifical boost.
1) I majored in a math-intensive field and don't like math.
Slashdot Mirror
These two are 27 years old, and are the current innovators. Not Choreographed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGP8CEklpGg
Again, not choreographed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KkcHzqr8a34
Yes, these are professional West Coast dancers that compete in a circuit 30 weeks a year or so.
-Rick
I've a couple of degrees in Physics, and I assure you, half the print in the _vast_ majority of Physics books is equations. Most physics texts seem to assume a math minor. Most Physics majors first see partial differential equations, special functions, and group theory as undergraduates. A couple of friends took partial diffeq for fun. Yeah, that's one way to know you're a nerd.
I suggest a library or a used bookstore, as these things are expensive. Here are some of the typical texts you see around on various physics topics (by author's name, because the titles are useless):
Electromagnetism:
Griffiths is a really great undergrad book, which is easy to read.
Jackson is the classic first semester grad-school book.
Math Methods of Physics:
Arfken is a classic.
Cantrell is an up and coming variant.
Thermodynamics:
Kittel is an oldie, but a goodie. Someone else prolly has a better suggestion.
General Undergrad Phenomonology:
The World Wide Web - Invented at CERN, y'know.
Halliday & Resnic is probably the easiest book to find.
Serway is newer.
Relativity:
Rindler is the standard.
Mechanics:
Goldstein is pretty easy to find.
Quantum:
Landau (yep, the same) and Lifshitz is a solid text that
hits on Shcrodinger's equation well.
Griffiths is easier to read, as is Eisberg & Resnick.
Modern Physics:
Less of an obvious choice, but it'll be a good source for more sexy topics.
A lot of partial diffeq is used in mechanics. IIRC, partial diffeq was invented to describe mechanical systems, so many of the examples are very intuitive (for you of course, not for 99.9% of the population.)
Interestingly enough, this Wikipedia link http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partial_differential_equation can take you many places, as it seems to come from the mind of a physicist more than a mathematician.
Alternately, you will probably have success finding a physics student at your relative level that has the intuitive feel, but is weak on math. You could quite a bit from each other in short order.
may the electromagnetic force be with you,
-Rick
Here is my translation of these 'top 5' reasons:
5) I'm lazy, please draw me a picture. Make it pretty.
4) Please spoon-feed me everything I need to know. I am way too lazy to take the initiative otherwise.
3) I don't want to actually particiapate in the job market -- please dumb it down for me. I would like to be lead... like a sheep.
2) Those other majors where students are coddled (and go on to retail counters across America) -- please make Engineering like that. I want to be treated like an idiot whose self-esteem needs an artifical boost.
1) I majored in a math-intensive field and don't like math.
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