Open Science

Student reading a research paper: "This paper is so good! Plus, they reference a ton of papers. I'm going to check them all out!" (After checking a bunch of the references): "Surprise, surprise. Another paper behind a paywall. Maybe the 103rd time's a charm..."

Like my undergraduate supervisor use to tell me, at least we have the arXiv for physics.

20 Mar 2020

Starved Theorists

Researcher presenting data that has a strange anomaly: "As you can see, we have some interesting results." Audience member: "New physics!" (The next day on the arXiv): Fifty new research papers on this anomaly.

We just want one morsel of new physics. Please!

18 Mar 2020

Multidisciplinary

Researcher: "I have a great idea for a paper! It will be a great fit for a mathematical physics journal, since it's multidisciplinary." (A few months later, the peer review comes in) Email: Dear researcher, Here is the feedback for your manuscript. Referee 1: Needs more mathematics and less physics. Referee 2: Who cares about the math? More physics!

You just can’t please everyone, huh?

16 Mar 2020

Whole Question

I’ve definitely found myself flying through a question, only to look up fifteen minutes later and realize I only had to find part of the answer.

13 Mar 2020

Entangled

Student: "I'm going to learn about X today!" Student sees that X is intertwined with Y, Z, A, B, C, D, E, etc.: "Oh boy."

The issue (and great thing) about mathematics and physics is that you need to build up from the foundations. Unfortunately, that means you can rarely just “pick up” a topic without having to look at several other connected ideas.

11 Mar 2020

Poster Template

Student 1: "Ugh, I have to make a poster, but I don't know where to start!" Student 2: "Here, I just sent you my template." S1: "It's so ugly..." S2 (Walking away): "And yet we both know you're going to use it."

“I have standards, you know!”

(Pause)

“Well, the template is already done…”

09 Mar 2020

Holes

Student reading a professor's notes: "This is ridiculous. My professor skips so many steps in class that my notes resemble Swiss cheese! I'll never do this when I'm older." Later, when the student is older: "Hmm... I don't really have time left in the semester to show them all the details. I guess I'll just have to speed through the deatils. That's not technically against what I said..."

And yet, your students will hate you just the same.

06 Mar 2020

Mountain of Mathematics

Student: "Now that I'm done calculus, I must be close to knowing all of math?" Tutor: "Yeah..." (Second panel shows a mountain with calculus at the very bottom.) Tutor: "I think we still have work to do."

Really? I thought that as soon as I finished my undergraduate degree, all of math was essentially the same, but a bit more difficult.

04 Mar 2020

Follows Easily

Textbook: "The result follows easily from the previous equations." Student: "If it follows so easily, why couldn't you take the time to show it?! It's not like you're trying to teach students or anything..."

Okay, I get it when I’m reading a research paper. But for a textbook, these kinds of details should probably be shown. Maybe I’m just tackling textbooks that are too far ahead of me…

02 Mar 2020

Sentience

Professor presenting: "Bosons are quite friendly and will share states, but fermions? Forget about it. They are like lone wolves." Caption: Physicists: The people who love to give sentience to everything, from equations to particles to stars to galaxies.

How else are we going to get funding if we don’t make our equations sound fun and engaging?

28 Feb 2020

To the past To the present