Goddammm h1b visas are great for America

[Quadzilla99]

840992734932475904

[spurraider21]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NK0Y9j_CGgM

[Quadzilla99]

Gd that Asian dropped some truth nukes

[DMC]

Yeah that whole thing is pretty stupid. Pretty sure the problem in the United States has nothing to do with the brightest people in the world coming here.

[rmt]

He confirms what my dd said that the PHDs are mostly foreign born while American born STEM students are more likely to stop at BS. The foreigners are more likely to get visas the higher their degrees so they keep going in education. Part of the reason why the American borns stop at BS is the absurd amounts the companies are paying them straight out of college. Below is a link of an article listing what they are offering. Note that the higher end signing bonuses are usually for return interns (who they've tested out) - see Facebook's is $100K. Three of dd's friends are interning at Facebook this summer. 2 of them plan to go on to either MS/PHD - we'll see if they're able to resist a $100k signing bonus.

https://finance.yahoo.com/m/c5035db4-14aa-3d0d-a9ca-e31ab7902f2e/here%26%2339%3Bs-how-much-new-grads.html

[DarrinS]

I agree that our education system is fubar. Need more math/science and less social justice indoctrination, tbh.

[Spurminator]

I agree that our education system is fubar. Need more math/science and less social justice indoctrination, tbh.

Right. The problem with public school in America is all of those SJW classes.

[rmt]

Right. The problem with public school in America is all of those SJW classes.

I would say that the public schools don't make it easy for students to take science classes e.g. the sequence here is Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and AP Biology, AP Chemistry/AP Physics 1, AP Physics C. They don't allow student to take Physics and Chemistry together even though you don't need Chemistry knowledge for Physics. From the College Board:

no prior course work in physics is necessary for students to enroll in AP Physics 1. Students should have completed geometry and be concurrently taking Algebra II or an equivalent course.

But because the schools are so paranoid about students' math/science background, they force them to take all these prerequisites (and in order). As a result, ds did not get to AP Physics C (calculus-based) - good preparation for his future engineering major.

[rmt]

Sorry, can't edit. The AP Chem is on same level as AP Biology.

[DMC]

The PhD is highly overrated, mostly by other PhDs.

[rmt]

If a PHD is the ticket to a visa, residency and eventual US citizenship, it's not overrated (by anyone).

[Mark Celibate]

I would say that the public schools don't make it easy for students to take science classes e.g. the sequence here is Physical Science, Biology, Chemistry, Physics and AP Biology, AP Chemistry/AP Physics 1, AP Physics C. They don't allow student to take Physics and Chemistry together even though you don't need Chemistry knowledge for Physics. From the College Board:

no prior course work in physics is necessary for students to enroll in AP Physics 1. Students should have completed geometry and be concurrently taking Algebra II or an equivalent course.

But because the schools are so paranoid about students' math/science background, they force them to take all these prerequisites (and in order). As a result, ds did not get to AP Physics C (calculus-based) - good preparation for his future engineering major.

Why couldn't he get into AP Physics C? AP Bio is the only AP course you can take as a freshman but you can take AP Chem/AP Physics together as a sophomore if you wish, and then go on to take Physics C as a Junior so what's the problem? Honestly, the jump from Physics 1 to Physics C is lame. Physics C you just combine Newtonian Mechanics with E&M concepts, throw in some stupidly easy derivatives/integrals, sprinkle in a few a cross products and voila! you basically have the same course as an AP Physics 1 and 2 combination.

For the good school districts, I actually think things are getting more competitive than they've ever been. Taking AP Calculus AB by today's standards is considered "slacking". Each year there are more and more students getting into MV Calculus by their senior year.

[Wild Cobra]

All the H1-b visa holders I have worked with in engineering were PHD holders. They were better than most citizens that were in our same work unit. It's been over a decade since I worked in that environment, so changes in the system may have undercut the good points.

Now the past news of places like Disney replacing citizens with H1-b workers is really disturbing. The program must have somehow been changed to allow this, because that is not what the program intent was in the past.

[AaronY]

Right. The problem with public school in America is all of those SJW classes.
especially in science. calculus and vhemistry classes have a huge liberal social agenda

[rmt]

Why couldn't he get into AP Physics C? AP Bio is the only AP course you can take as a freshman but you can take AP Chem/AP Physics together as a sophomore if you wish, and then go on to take Physics C as a Junior so what's the problem? Honestly, the jump from Physics 1 to Physics C is lame. Physics C you just combine Newtonian Mechanics with E&M concepts, throw in some stupidly easy derivatives/integrals, sprinkle in a few a cross products and voila! you basically have the same course as an AP Physics 1 and 2 combination.

For the good school districts, I actually think things are getting more competitive than they've ever been. Taking AP Calculus AB by today's standards is considered "slacking". Each year there are more and more students getting into MV Calculus by their senior year.

Cannot take AP Bio in 9th grade at his school - need Bio and Chemistry (which needs Alg 2 [9th grade]) - science class can't get ahead of math sequence. AP Physics C needs calculus - AP Calc AB (11th grade). I wouldn't recommend anyone take 2 AP sciences (maybe something like AP Env Sci - but not AP Chem/AP Physics at the same time) - too heavy especially in 11th grade when they force everyone to take a year long SAT class. Definitely would not have him take such a heavy load - a social life, balance and sleep are important too :-)

Maybe in big schools/good school districts they allow students to take AP Chem/AP Physics as a sophomore, but not in a low-income charter school. I'd like to see them allow Chem and Physics/AP Physics 1 together in the earlier grades when schedule is not so heavy than doubling up on AP sciences in 11th and 12th.

[Spurminator]

especially in science. calculus and vhemistry classes have a huge liberal social agenda

We were required to take AP Privilege before they let us take any advanced Math or Science courses at my public school.

[Wild Cobra]

especially in science. calculus and vhemistry classes have a huge liberal social agenda

It was hard combating the liberal bias in the schools where my kids went.

They need to teach the facts. Not agenda.

[AaronY]

d2(3x3)/dx2=blm wake up people wake up!

∂(x2+y2)/∂x=woke/cosign


i ≡ √-1




i ≡ √-1

[monosylab1k]

asians smart not americans

[DMC]

If a PHD is the ticket to a visa, residency and eventual US citizenship, it's not overrated (by anyone).

If it's being presented as the "nation's brightest" then it is.

[DMC]

d2(3x3)/dx2=blm wake up people wake up!

∂(x2+y2)/∂x=woke/cosign


i ≡ √-1




i ≡ √-1



Formula for anabolic steroids?

[AaronY]

Heh

[Wild Cobra]

If a PHD is the ticket to a visa, residency and eventual US citizenship, it's not overrated (by anyone).
These are the types of people we want immigrating. Not those who flip hamburgers. We have too many unemployed no skill workers already.

[DMC]

These are the types of people we want immigrating. Not those who flip hamburgers. We have too many unemployed no skill workers already.

We don't get to pick and choose who immigrates. Just do it legally. If you want to flip a burger, have at it.

[rmt]

We don't get to pick and choose who immigrates. Just do it legally. If you want to flip a burger, have at it.

Why do you think we shouldn't get to pick and choose who immigrates. Canada, iirc, chooses people who speak English/French, has some skill or financial resources - iow, people who can significantly contribute and are not a drain on society.

[pgardn]

Cannot take AP Bio in 9th grade at his school - need Bio and Chemistry (which needs Alg 2 [9th grade]) - science class can't get ahead of math sequence. AP Physics C needs calculus - AP Calc AB (11th grade). I wouldn't recommend anyone take 2 AP sciences (maybe something like AP Env Sci - but not AP Chem/AP Physics at the same time) - too heavy especially in 11th grade when they force everyone to take a year long SAT class. Definitely would not have him take such a heavy load - a social life, balance and sleep are important too :-)

Maybe in big schools/good school districts they allow students to take AP Chem/AP Physics as a sophomore, but not in a low-income charter school. I'd like to see them allow Chem and Physics/AP Physics 1 together in the earlier grades when schedule is not so heavy than doubling up on AP sciences in 11th and 12th.



All of the richer districts in San Antonio, Neisd, Alamo Heights, Nisd allow more than one science per school year so the above is not a problem. If the kids are truly gifted they can handle it. The problem is parents think their kid is special and over or underwhelm them.

Your child can do just fine as an engineer without Physics APC in high school.
The real cream rises. Parents may not like the idea that their kid is not gifted like the tests are designed to show.

[rmt]

All of the richer districts in San Antonio, Neisd, Alamo Heights, Nisd allow more than one science per school year so the above is not a problem. If the kids are truly gifted they can handle it. The problem is parents think their kid is special and over or underwhelm them.

Your child can do just fine as an engineer without Physics APC in high school.
The real cream rises. Parents may not like the idea that their kid is not gifted like the tests are designed to show.

Problem is most of them are not truly gifted - my ds included. Kinda suspicious when he and my friends' gifted dc all get 130 on public school IQ test. Of course, it's all about the money - more money for gifted kids so any student anywhere near 130 gets a boost. It's supposed to be top 1% so only if there are 2500 kids in one grade should there be ONE 25-student gifted class.

[Will Hunting]

It was hard combating the liberal bias in the schools where my kids went.

They need to teach the facts. Not agenda.
A science class teaching evolution over creationism doesn't constitute a liberal bias :lol

[spurraider21]

A science class teaching evolution over creationism doesn't constitute a liberal bias :lol
https://m.popkey.co/152947/Mmrk_f-maxage-0.gif

[Wild Cobra]

Why do you think we shouldn't get to pick and choose who immigrates. Canada, iirc, chooses people who speak English/French, has some skill or financial resources - iow, people who can significantly contribute and are not a drain on society.

We need to only allow those who will not be a drain on society.

If the left wants to continue to bring in low shilled workers, let them start a charitable society to pay for their subsidies instead of tax dollars.

[Wild Cobra]

A science class teaching evolution over creationism doesn't constitute a liberal bias :lol

I didn't say it does.

Your confirmation bias is showing.

[ElNono]

Why do you think we shouldn't get to pick and choose who immigrates. Canada, iirc, chooses people who speak English/French, has some skill or financial resources - iow, people who can significantly contribute and are not a drain on society.

But the US does pick and choose. If you actually were aware of the requirements for obtaining a H1B visa (if you're not an outsourcing company gaming the system anyways), then you would know that you're legally required to demonstrate that you've advertised and looked at US workers first and failed to find a candidate, that you would be paying above the prevailing wage for the job, that you have to offer the same working conditions as your US employees, that the employer should not be undergoing a strike or lock-out, that the filing fees alone can go well above $1,500.00. On top of that, that type of visa is temporary and does not allow the employee to switch to another job without leaving the country first.

The system was designed properly to avoid what you're complaining about. The actual problem is that it's being gamed through contracting arrangements, and Congress has been aware and unwilling to close the loophole for obvious reasons... companies want to game the system and thus lobby to continue to do so.

[rmt]

But the US does pick and choose. If you actually were aware of the requirements for obtaining a H1B visa (if you're not an outsourcing company gaming the system anyways), then you would know that you're legally required to demonstrate that you've advertised and looked at US workers first and failed to find a candidate, that you would be paying above the prevailing wage for the job, that you have to offer the same working conditions as your US employees, that the employer should not be undergoing a strike or lock-out, that the filing fees alone can go well above $1,500.00. On top of that, that type of visa is temporary and does not allow the employee to switch to another job without leaving the country first.

The system was designed properly to avoid what you're complaining about. The actual problem is that it's being gamed through contracting arrangements, and Congress has been aware and unwilling to close the loophole for obvious reasons... companies want to game the system and thus lobby to continue to do so.

I was under the impression that on the whole (not just H1B visas) our immigration policies tend toward familial ties (are you a relative of someone here) instead of personal merit. I apologize if that assumption is wrong.

[Wild Cobra]

I was under the impression that on the whole (not just H1B visas) our immigration policies tend toward familial ties (are you a relative of someone here) instead of personal merit. I apologize if that assumption is wrong.

Families can sponsor immigrants. That's another set of laws all together.

[Mark Celibate]

We need to only allow those who will not be a drain on society.

If the left wants to continue to bring in low shilled workers, let them start a charitable society to pay for their subsidies instead of tax dollars.


One thing I can't understand is how certain groups of people are ok with wide open borders and wasting tax dollars on people who will sit at home, shit out anchor babies, and collect a check because :cry muh dreamers :cry

But at the same time they are hell bent on making sure families, with intelligent enough kids, don't qualify for vouchers for private schools. This would pretty much eliminate the problem of sending your gifted student off to Hustlin n Shieeet High in the inner city where he'll get harassed by Tyrone and Jamal daily for being white. All because the vouchers use those tax dollars that are all of a sudden so precious because their political party supports the movement.

[Mark Celibate]

Cannot take AP Bio in 9th grade at his school - need Bio and Chemistry (which needs Alg 2 [9th grade]) - science class can't get ahead of math sequence. AP Physics C needs calculus - AP Calc AB (11th grade). I wouldn't recommend anyone take 2 AP sciences (maybe something like AP Env Sci - but not AP Chem/AP Physics at the same time) - too heavy especially in 11th grade when they force everyone to take a year long SAT class. Definitely would not have him take such a heavy load - a social life, balance and sleep are important too :-)

Maybe in big schools/good school districts they allow students to take AP Chem/AP Physics as a sophomore, but not in a low-income charter school. I'd like to see them allow Chem and Physics/AP Physics 1 together in the earlier grades when schedule is not so heavy than doubling up on AP sciences in 11th and 12th.



I'm glad you're looking out for your child but I've privately tutored in two of the most competitive school districts in the Houston area and taking two AP Science courses at once is pretty much the minimum standard. I've met students that are taking SIX AP courses st once. Granted, there's a few in there that are your AP Psychs, AP Geos, but they all were doing AP Physics 1, 2, or C; AP Chem or Bio; and then Calculus AB or BC (one was even doing MultiVariable Calculus). These students are probably outliers but it shows that it can be done. Then again these parents were super wealthy and could afford me to tutor them regularly so they do have that advantage. (I wasn't cheap either, I'm not accepting anything less than $70/hour for BC Calculus rofl)

Most of them had some sort of social life but then there were the predictable few who were clearly overstressed and obsessed with getting 100's in everything.

[rmt]

I'm glad you're looking out for your child but I've privately tutored in two of the most competitive school districts in the Houston area and taking two AP Science courses at once is pretty much the minimum standard. I've met students that are taking SIX AP courses st once. Granted, there's a few in there that are your AP Psychs, AP Geos, but they all were doing AP Physics 1, 2, or C; AP Chem or Bio; and then Calculus AB or BC (one was even doing MultiVariable Calculus). These students are probably outliers but it shows that it can be done. Then again these parents were super wealthy and could afford me to tutor them regularly (I wasn't cheap either, I'm not accepting anything less than $70/hour for BC Calculus rofl)

Most of them had some sort of social life but then there were the predictable few who were clearly overstressed and obsessed with getting 100's in everything.

He was taking 5 APs - AP Eng, Calc AB, US Hist, Chem, Hum Geo, SAT Prep and elective. That to me is heavy for him - as I said earlier, he's listed as gifted but not really. I'm not in any rush - it's a marathon, not a sprint - no sense in burning out in high school :-)

Glad to see that you are parlaying your knowledge into a very nice job - imo, there is a lack of good math/science teachers - his AP Chem teacher was beyond horrible - only 2 kids in the whole school passed the exam (and those are Harvard and John Hopkins bound outstanding students). It was so bad that they bumped up all her kids a letter grade - thought they'd get rid of her but I guess it's not easy to find AP science teachers. The math and ss teachers here are excellent though - guess you can't have everything and I'm willing to give up science for math :-)

[Mark Celibate]

He was taking 5 APs - AP Eng, Calc AB, US Hist, Chem, Hum Geo, SAT Prep and elective. That to me is heavy for him - as I said earlier, he's listed as gifted but not really. I'm not in any rush - it's a marathon, not a sprint - no sense in burning out in high school :-)

Glad to see that you are parlaying your knowledge into a very nice job - imo, there is a lack of good math/science teachers - his AP Chem teacher was beyond horrible - only 2 kids in the whole school passed the exam (and those are Harvard and John Hopkins bound outstanding students). It was so bad that they bumped up all her kids a letter grade - thought they'd get rid of her but I guess it's not easy to find AP science teachers. The math and ss teachers here are excellent though - guess you can't have everything and I'm willing to give up science for math :-)

tbh I'd be a terrible teacher, there's no way I could handle all the troublesome kids. I just private tutor on the side IMO.

I think you're handling it correctly, I was just pointing out that it could be done if you were really worried about him not taking enough AP courses. That said, being a well rounded person will end up positioning your child better in the long run. If he's really gifted, the cream will rise to the top as pgardn said. And that's good that you recognize your child's weaknesses. There's nothing worse than the combination of parents forcing their kids into heavy AP loads since they're such 'special snowflakes' (even more infuriating is the ones that push their average 2nd/3rd grader into taking the CoGat and then paying exorbitant fees to get PRIVATE tutoring by these slimy, unqualified test prep companies).

I worked at a test prep company as a tutor in college and it has to be one of the most unethical business practices around. It was so infuriating watching parents get screwed out of their hard earned cash.

[Will Hunting]

I didn't say it does.

Your confirmation bias is showing.
So then where is the liberal bias in public schools.

Be specific.

[leemajors]

So then where is the liberal bias in public schools.

Be specific.

they got all offended when he brought the wrong spreadsheets to a parent teacher conference.

[DMC]

Why do you think we shouldn't get to pick and choose who immigrates. Canada, iirc, chooses people who speak English/French, has some skill or financial resources - iow, people who can significantly contribute and are not a drain on society.

"we".

How much do you have to say about it?

[pgardn]

I worked at a test prep company as a tutor in college and it has to be one of the most unethical business practices around. It was so infuriating watching parents get screwed out of their hard earned cash.

Through work I know a bunch of parents with HS students and I have a few friends that are AP teachers. I have followed up tutoring kids for free that had been tutored by a tutoring company. IMO those companies are horrible as you said. I'm thinking individuals that are good tutors need to advertise services in Craigslist or something. Put a write up that succinctly explains the above and how you are better and will undercut them in price "no middle man". Basically somehow write they are shit and expensive.

I got my name spread around and had to ask friends (people I work with) to stop "advertising" me because they realized how awful the tutoring companies are.I have found There is a real need for tutors as the college board attempts to redo exams. The Physics I AP exam has got parents screaming for tutors after the college board redo from Physics AP B. This exam is truly difficult with the way they score it. The APC physics is very predictable and straightforward. The Physics I exam requires much more writing and deeper conceptual understanding imo.

So, there is a real need for Physics I AP tutors from my experience. It's killing kids and teachers. I think the college board may have to adjust the exam.

[rmt]

NEW YORK (AP) - New York education officials are poised to scrap a test designed to measure the reading and writing skills of people trying to become teachers, in part because an outsized percentage of black and Hispanic candidates were failing it.

The state Board of Regents on Monday is expected Monday to adopt a task force's recommendation of eliminating the literacy exam, known as the Academic Literacy Skills Test.

But the literacy test raised alarms from the beginning because just 46 percent of Hispanic test takers and 41 percent of black test takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates.

The literacy test was among four assessments introduced in the 2013-2014 school year as part of an effort to raise the level of elementary and secondary school teaching in the state.
Leaders of the education reform movement have complained for years about the caliber of students entering education schools and the quality of the instruction they receive there. A December 2016 study by the National Council on Teacher Quality found that 44 percent of the teacher preparation programs it surveyed accepted students from the bottom half of their high school classes.

The reformers believe tests like New York's Academic Literacy Skills Test can serve to weed out aspiring teachers who aren't strong students.
But the literacy test raised alarms from the beginning because just 46 percent of Hispanic test takers and 41 percent of black test takers passed it on the first try, compared with 64 percent of white candidates.

A federal judge ruled in 2015 that the test was not discriminatory, but faculty members at education schools say a test that screens out so many minorities is problematic.

"Having a white workforce really doesn't match our student body anymore," Soodak said.
Kate Walsh, the president of National Council on Teacher Quality, which pushes for higher standards for teachers, said that blacks and Latinos don't score as well as whites on the literacy test because of factors like poverty and the legacy of racism.

"There's not a test in the country that doesn't have disproportionate performance on the part of blacks and Latinos," Walsh said

Backers of the test say eliminating it could put weak teachers in classrooms. Critics of the examination said it is redundant and a poor predictor of who will succeed as a teacher.
"We want high standards, without a doubt. Not every given test is going to get us there," said Leslie Soodak, a professor of education at Pace University who served on the task force that examined the state's teacher certification tests.

Kate Walsh, the president of National Council on Teacher Quality, which pushes for higher standards for teachers, said that blacks and Latinos don't score as well as whites on the literacy test because of factors like poverty and the legacy of racism.

"There's not a test in the country that doesn't have disproportionate performance on the part of blacks and Latinos," Walsh said

[Mark Celibate]

Through work I know a bunch of parents with HS students and I have a few friends that are AP teachers. I have followed up tutoring kids for free that had been tutored by a tutoring company. IMO those companies are horrible as you said. I'm thinking individuals that are good tutors need to advertise services in Craigslist or something. Put a write up that succinctly explains the above and how you are better and will undercut them in price "no middle man". Basically somehow write they are shit and expensive.

I got my name spread around and had to ask friends (people I work with) to stop "advertising" me because they realized how awful the tutoring companies are.I have found There is a real need for tutors as the college board attempts to redo exams. The Physics I AP exam has got parents screaming for tutors after the college board redo from Physics AP B. This exam is truly difficult with the way they score it. The APC physics is very predictable and straightforward. The Physics I exam requires much more writing and deeper conceptual understanding imo.

So, there is a real need for Physics I AP tutors from my experience. It's killing kids and teachers. I think the college board may have to adjust the exam.


I could write a book on how bad these companies are but I'll try to keep it short since nobody wants a tl;dr. Since the thought of them infuriates me and the classic BUMP copypastas usually come when I'm pissed, I'll try to make this one atleast entertaining. So sit back and relax (looking at you DoK, mono, AaronY, jeebus, etc).

First of all, I'll get to the elephant in the room. They hire any swinging dick off the street. There are even people that FAIL these exams (way below their "minimum company standard etc blah blah blah) and still get hired because they are so desperate for a warm body to fill a seat. The summer I worked there, we had a guy who was essentially a snake oil salesman. He comes in saying "I can tutor [insert handful of classes he was definitely not qualified to tutor]." The program director gives him the tests to take, he bombs all of them, but still gets hired because he convinces them "he's got this" and just needs to refresh. Sure enough, when the students come in, this guy regularly gets stumped with stuff as low as Algebra II. And this is not as rare as you might think either. The hours there are shit, and there's a surprising amount of guys who want to go there and work full time. By wanting full time work, many of them overextend themselves saying they can tutor way more than they're qualified for. (More classes you can tutor the more hours! they promise) Parents of course don't know this.

Also, it's funny because every company says they have the "secret formula" but it's all the same crap just copied and pasted from College Board with the questions rearranged depending on which company you go with. And the "high, rigorous hiring standard" these companies supposedly have is BS. Heck, I've gone to company websites where they say they only hire certified teachers with Master's Degree from top universities and then I'll go to Indeed.com and the same company will have a job opening that clearly says you simply need to atleast be in college with NO teaching experience required :lmao Just outright lying.

What else do the parents not know? These companies have a business to run which means keeping as few tutors as possible and bringing in as many kids as you can. Which means you can have up to SIX kids per tutor. And you'll be paying the same, oftentimes a higher price than a private tutor for your kid to receive maybe as few as 20 minutes in a 2 hour window depending on the needs of another student. Hopefully they don't have a big test coming up! All this when the tutor is not anymore qualified than a private tutor. Oftentimes less so because all the good tutors at these places will eventually leave once they see what a scam it is. Did I mention price? Yep, it's just as expensive as a private tutor because they need to keep the lights on as well as paying the office assistants to sit around and browse facebook all day. Last but not least, since they'll take anybody in, they will regularly mix high school kids (with an upcoming SAT on the horizon) with two 3rd graders who need to be babysat while screaming, running around, and making paper airplanes. What a great atmosphere conducive to learning for high schoolers!

I say all this but there are a few good tutors at these places who, only God knows why, choose to work there long term. It's usually 2-3 long term tutors with 8-10 guys who are there 3 months max so your kid will never be able to sit there and develop a relationship with the tutor because the lifers are always reserved while everybody else is just a revolving door. If your child only needs a little bit of HW help and is an absolutely terrible SAT/ACT student who would never have the discipline to study on his own without having his hand held, then maybe you will get something out of it. But everybody else is getting royally screwed out of their hard earned money and the people who run these centers should be rounded up, shot, then covered with fecal matter. Other than that, these tutoring centers are great!

[pgardn]

I could write a book on how bad these companies are but I'll try to keep it short since nobody wants a tl;dr. Since the thought of them infuriates me and the classic BUMP copypastas usually come when I'm pissed, I'll try to make this one atleast entertaining. So sit back and relax (looking at you DoK, mono, AaronY, jeebus, etc).

First of all, I'll get to the elephant in the room. They hire any swinging dick off the street. There are even people that FAIL these exams (way below their "minimum company standard etc blah blah blah) and still get hired because they are so desperate for a warm body to fill a seat. The summer I worked there, we had a guy who was essentially a snake oil salesman. He comes in saying "I can tutor [insert handful of classes he was definitely not qualified to tutor]." The program director gives him the tests to take, he bombs all of them, but still gets hired because he convinces them "he's got this" and just needs to refresh. Sure enough, when the students come in, this guy regularly gets stumped with stuff as low as Algebra II. And this is not as rare as you might think either. The hours there are shit, and there's a surprising amount of guys who want to go there and work full time. By wanting full time work, many of them overextend themselves saying they can tutor way more than they're qualified for. (More classes you can tutor the more hours! they promise) Parents of course don't know this.

Also, it's funny because every company says they have the "secret formula" but it's all the same crap just copied and pasted from College Board with the questions rearranged depending on which company you go with. And the "high, rigorous hiring standard" these companies supposedly have is BS. Heck, I've gone to company websites where they say they only hire certified teachers with Master's Degree from top universities and then I'll go to Indeed.com and the same company will have a job opening that clearly says you simply need to atleast be in college with NO teaching experience required :lmao Just outright lying.

What else do the parents not know? These companies have a business to run which means keeping as few tutors as possible and bringing in as many kids as you can. Which means you can have up to SIX kids per tutor. And you'll be paying the same, oftentimes a higher price than a private tutor for your kid to receive maybe as few as 20 minutes in a 2 hour window depending on the needs of another student. Hopefully they don't have a big test coming up! All this when the tutor is not anymore qualified than a private tutor. Oftentimes less so because all the good tutors at these places will eventually leave once they see what a scam it is. Did I mention price? Yep, it's just as expensive as a private tutor because they need to keep the lights on as well as paying the office assistants to sit around and browse facebook all day. Last but not least, since they'll take anybody in, they will regularly mix high school kids (with an upcoming SAT on the horizon) with two 3rd graders who need to be babysat while screaming, running around, and making paper airplanes. What a great atmosphere conducive to learning for high schoolers!

I say all this but there are a few good tutors at these places who, only God knows why, choose to work there long term. It's usually 2-3 long term tutors with 8-10 guys who are there 3 months max so your kid will never be able to sit there and develop a relationship with the tutor because the lifers are always reserved while everybody else is just a revolving door. If your child only needs a little bit of HW help and is an absolutely terrible SAT/ACT student who would never have the discipline to study on his own without having his hand held, then maybe you will get something out of it. But everybody else is getting royally screwed out of their hard earned money and the people who run these centers should be rounded up, shot, then covered with fecal matter. Other than that, these tutoring centers are great!

Crap.

No wonder I was considered for help after these idiots ruined things.

Seriously, if I needed money, I would try to target areas in Houston that are wealthy and do Physics AP 1. The scores on this exam are abysmal compared to other exams. Absolutely off the charts bad, the college board has lowered the hammer. And many more kids are taking it compared to APC.

Im just thinking if one is competent, one is needed. I'm being begged for help but I just don't have the time. Houston has so much more wealth than SA.... I can see getting your name spread (provided you are good) and tutor the rich areas. And just turn down kids after you tutor them once and can tell are too far behind. Just tell parents it ain't gonna happen. May approaches... I'm getting pleads for help, there is a market.

If I did not like my job so much I would help in the poorer areas with the star students that are going to waste much more. But of course because I'm around people who have profited from our system they usually have the bucks that I don't take as a courtesy.

(And no rmt, from what I see, the bogus charters are NOT helping. At all.)

[ElNono]

I was under the impression that on the whole (not just H1B visas) our immigration policies tend toward familial ties (are you a relative of someone here) instead of personal merit. I apologize if that assumption is wrong.

You don't have to apologize for anything. I'm just countering the notion that, at least with H1B visas, it's a free for all. The H1B system is gamed and has loopholes and it's abused. But it's not a bad system in and of itself, it simply has some flaws that over the years have been abused, and should've been patched up a long time ago.

The US immigration policies does give preferential treatment to family ties, but to get there you need somebody with at least a citizenship, which is a high bar.

[rmt]

(And no rmt, from what I see, the bogus charters are NOT helping. At all.)

They might be bogus where you are but not here. Long waiting lists to get in (especially Broward county).

[Mark Celibate]

Crap.

No wonder I was considered for help after these idiots ruined things.

Seriously, if I needed money, I would try to target areas in Houston that are wealthy and do Physics AP 1. The scores on this exam are abysmal compared to other exams. Absolutely off the charts bad, the college board has lowered the hammer. And many more kids are taking it compared to APC.

Im just thinking if one is competent, one is needed. I'm being begged for help but I just don't have the time. Houston has so much more wealth than SA.... I can see getting your name spread (provided you are good) and tutor the rich areas. And just turn down kids after you tutor them once and can tell are too far behind. Just tell parents it ain't gonna happen. May approaches... I'm getting pleads for help, there is a market.

If I did not like my job so much I would help in the poorer areas with the star students that are going to waste much more. But of course because I'm around people who have profited from our system they usually have the bucks that I don't take as a courtesy.

(And no rmt, from what I see, the bogus charters are NOT helping. At all.)

You're definitely right. Houston has uber wealthy areas not too far from me that have a huge demand. I'm helping somebody with Calculus AB just down the street from me and somebody else from my church who's doing Physics AP 1. You are right, for some reason the scores are pretty abysmal but I think that's due to a lot of borderline kids trying the class out whereas AP Physics 2 and C are for the really gifted.

Out of curiousity, what's your background? Are you capable w/ AP Physics C? That's out of my league at this point in time. I've done it once before but time has passed and, like you said, there's just not that much demand so I'm not going to go out of my way to relearn it. Just too much time that I would have to invest in it. Math seems to stick forever with me but I'll lose Physics/Chemistry knowledge if I don't see it for awhile

[pgardn]

They might be bogus where you are but not here. Long waiting lists to get in (especially Broward county).

They are worse than bogus actually.

They take people's money and then close up shop because the parents end ready to riot.
They hire terrible bounce around teachers. It takes time to establish a good school with good equipment. It takes experienced science teachers to even begin to know what is needed for labs etc.. These charters do zero labs and don't have skilled people. They are business people who are very good at lying and covering massive deficiencies. Profit first. Quick buck and gone.

[pgardn]

You're definitely right. Houston has uber wealthy areas not too far from me that have a huge demand. I'm helping somebody with Calculus AB just down the street from me and somebody else from my church who's doing Physics AP 1. You are right, for some reason the scores are pretty abysmal but I think that's due to a lot of borderline kids trying the class out whereas AP Physics 2 and C are for the really gifted.

Out of curiousity, what's your background? Are you capable w/ AP Physics C? That's out of my league at this point in time. I've done it once before but time has passed and, like you said, there's just not that much demand so I'm not going to go out of my way to relearn it. Just too much time that I would have to invest in it. Math seems to stick forever with me but I'll lose Physics/Chemistry knowledge if I don't see it for awhile

Molecular Biology BS UT Austin
Biochemistry Masters UT Austin

I was a TA and I took it seriously.
My job requires knowledge in Mol. Biology and Physics. Because these are odd partners for most people I am necessary. I got lucky and worked with really good research people (many turned entrepreneurs) who valued my persistence in figuring out stuff they did not have time for. Name gets spread about... right time right place right people I'm very lucky. The best thing that happened to me is not going forward for my PHD because my prof lost his grants due to his testicles overriding his brain. That kicked me to some fantastic people. Luck.

Yes I have tutored APC. I know the physics much better than the math. The physics largely encompasses the usefulness of finding slopes for specific realationships. (Derivatives). And finding areas under curves for specific realationships. ( Integrals) There is some calculus with extended bodies in rotation that requires some tricks with integration. And same with air resistance and capacitor charging. But it's not bad.

Without being rude, many math heads don't necessarily see the utility of what they are doing, especially in 1st year engineering physics.

The beauty of using limits to find slopes and areas is fn incredible. Also very cool with battery charging, Electric fields. The math describes the "dying off" or reaching some max value that is God like imo.

The new Physics AP1 and AP2 require some really tough concepts though. Some that APC does not touch. And yep you are right. Kids just get tossed into these classes with very little background. At least APC requires a physics prerequisite. But not for the really gifted kids. This is why I say I see a big market for the first two AP classes. I also have some software where I just write and talk on a white background so I can help some emergencies from colleague's kids on specific problems out of town. Much better than Skype.

[Mark Celibate]

Molecular Biology BS UT Austin
Biochemistry Masters UT Austin

I was a TA and I took it seriously.
My job requires knowledge in Mol. Biology and Physics. Because these are odd partners for most people I am necessary. I got lucky and worked with really good research people (many turned entrepreneurs) who valued my persistence in figuring out stuff they did not have time for. Name gets spread about... right time right place right people I'm very lucky. The best thing that happened to me is not going forward for my PHD because my prof lost his grants due to his testicles overriding his brain. That kicked me to some fantastic people. Luck.

Yes I have tutored APC. I know the physics much better than the math. The physics largely encompasses the usefulness of finding slopes for specific realationships. (Derivatives). And finding areas under curves for specific realationships. ( Integrals) There is some calculus with extended bodies in rotation that requires some tricks with integration. And same with air resistance and capacitor charging. But it's not bad.

Without being rude, many math heads don't necessarily see the utility of what they are doing, especially in 1st year engineering physics.

The beauty of using limits to find slopes and areas is fn incredible. Also very cool with battery charging, Electric fields. The math describes the "dying off" or reaching some max value that is God like imo.

The new Physics AP1 and AP2 require some really tough concepts though. Some that APC does not touch. And yep you are right. Kids just get tossed into these classes with very little background. At least APC requires a physics prerequisite. But not for the really gifted kids. This is why I say I see a big market for the first two AP classes. I also have some software were I just write and talk on a white background so I can help some emergencies from colleague's kids on specific problems out of town. Much better than Skype.

That's very impressive tbh.

You are right about the math vs physics relationship. It's great to see the limits, definite integrals, surface integrals in action. I would like to get back to tutoring Physics C at some point but I just started a new career change so I'm busy studying all this new stuff I have to learn so it'll have to wait. I was not nearly as strong a student as you probably were so I lose it quickly unfortunately. My favorite though were the integrals with electrostatic potential (Gauss's Law, manipulating charge into charge density * volume). I always had fun with those because you had to get creative at times. Same with series in Calc BC....the students not so much :lol

[pgardn]

That's very impressive tbh.

You are right about the math vs physics relationship. It's great to see the limits, definite integrals, surface integrals in action. I would like to get back to tutoring Physics C at some point but I just started a new career change so I'm busy studying all this new stuff I have to learn so it'll have to wait. I was not nearly as strong a student as you probably were so I lose it quickly unfortunately. My favorite though were the integrals with electrostatic potential (Gauss's Law, manipulating charge into charge density * volume). I always had fun with those because you had to get creative at times. Same with series in Calc BC....the students not so much :lol

Gauss's Law, in APC anyway, usually ends up requiring very little calculus if you pick your Gaussian surface correctly.

And I am not smart if smart is picking up stuff quickly. I am curious and determined. I flat out worked hard. I thought about stuff at night. There were others in graduate school that were much "smarter" than I but they did not think about stuff as much as I did and were not persistent. I turned very goal oriented after being fairly disinterested in HS except about subjects I valued.

This is what gets me about education. It's the persistent kids that are curious that end up being so valuable. Kids that are "too smart" can also be super lazy.

The bolded is so similar to what one has to do to find moments of inertia in rotation. It's that same cleverness. I must be shown it first, then I catch on. And then one has to practice, actually think about some other body intensely, make mistakes, and then slap the head when you see it! That is true learning. You ponder a lot, get close, make an error, and then you see it and it really sticks.

[baseline bum]

Gauss's Law, in APC anyway, usually ends up requiring very little calculus if you pick your Gaussian surface correctly.


Yeah, if you have to do the integral the integral form of Gauss Law is pretty useless most of the time (unless for a theoretical result). Have you ever read Purcell's E&M book? I love the section he does on it. He gives the standard physical argument but gives a mathematical one for it too. A physicist on this forum recommended it to me and it's a really great read, on par with say Feynman's volume on mechanics (I still haven't read his quantum lectures, I don't know why honestly). Probably the best part of the book though is when he shows how you can infer the existence of a magnetic field from a (steady) current carrying wire by switching to the rest frame of a test particle where Lorentz contraction makes the wire charged (in that frame) and thus create an E-field. Then you transform back to the lab frame where your test charge is in motion and the Lorentz transformation implies the existence of a B-field. I always found that derivation really mind blowing since magnetic fields aren't the easiest thing to make sense of, at least in comparison to E-fields that seem pretty intuitive.

[baseline bum]

:lol I have probably recommended that book to you 10 times now :lol

[pgardn]

Yeah, if you have to do the integral the integral form of Gauss Law is pretty useless most of the time (unless for a theoretical result). Have you ever read Purcell's E&M book? I love the section he does on it. He gives the standard physical argument but gives a mathematical one for it too. A physicist on this forum recommended it to me and it's a really great read, on par with say Feynman's volume on mechanics (I still haven't read his quantum lectures, I don't know why honestly). Probably the best part of the book though is when he shows how you can infer the existence of a magnetic field from a (steady) current carrying wire by switching to the rest frame of a test particle where Lorentz contraction makes the wire charged (in that frame) and thus create an E-field. Then you transform back to the lab frame where your test charge is in motion and the Lorentz transformation implies the existence of a B-field. I always found that derivation really mind blowing since magnetic fields aren't the easiest thing to make sense of, at least in comparison to E-fields that seem pretty intuitive.

I have not read the book. I actually like the history books on the subjects. I read a book about Faraday and his relationship with Maxwell. Faraday was a great experimental physicist who could really not do the math. Because Maxwell understood the importance of what Faraday was doing and then could write his findings in a mathematical form we eventually ended up with Maxwells equations.

Personally i I find it necessary to go back to the very basics of what the first people were doing in order to understand the better mathematical modeling. The unifying of E and B fields was of course huge. I think I am naturally more of an experimental type than a theoretical type because I have to have a model before the math makes sense.

But honestly, you move a wire in a magnetic field and you get current flowing through a wire? That's fn fantastic. Or you find a potential difference, set a wire across it and you get a circular B field around the wire? Fn fantastic. Farmers using coils to "steal" fields from power lines, brilliant and illegal. And some of these farmers figured it out by accident with wire rolled into big spools in a storage house under a power line... The math is cool, but just the physical fact that these things happen just blows me away. And you have to orient things properly or it does not work. Then you immediately feel the vector nature of all this stuff. When you just get to play with wires and batteries and magnets and test your ideas of the fields that should be there.

Oh. The fact that the B field has to change (flux) to make current run through a wire loop... this stuff is fantastic just to play with. Or you just make charges oscillate back and forth at a certain rate and you get light or an X-ray or a radio wave... when you actually do this stuff yourself.... it's just as cool as fishing. Almost.

[pgardn]

:lol I have probably recommended that book to you 10 times now :lol

Its on a big list. Believe me. I will eventually get to it.

I get interested in too many things as I get older it seems.

[baseline bum]

I have not read the book. I actually like the history books on the subjects. I read a book about Faraday and his relationship with Maxwell. Faraday was a great experimental physicist who could really not do the math. Because Maxwell understood the importance of what Faraday was doing and then could write his findings in a mathematical form we eventually ended up with Maxwells equations.

Personally i I find it necessary to go back to the very basics of what the first people were doing in order to understand the better mathematical modeling. The unifying of E and B fields was of course huge. I think I am naturally more of an experimental type than a theoretical type because I have to have a model before the math makes sense.

But honestly, you move a wire in a magnetic field and you get current flowing through a wire? That's fn fantastic. Or you find a potential difference, set a wire across it and you get a circular B field around the wire? Fn fantastic. Farmers using coils to "steal" fields from power lines, brilliant and illegal. And some of these farmers figured it out by accident with wire rolled into big spools in a storage house under a power line... The math is cool, but just the physical fact that these things happen just blows me away. When you just get to play with wires and batteries and magnets and test your ideas of the fields that should be there.

Oh. The fact that the B field has to change (flux) to make current run through a wire loop... this stuff is fantastic just to play with.

I know what you mean about looking at it historically. It just blows my mind looking at this shit from Einstein's perspective:

(1) Galiean relativity holds for mechanical phenomena by Newton's second.
(2) The laws of physics should be simple.
(3) Then why shouldn't the principle of relativity hold for electromagnetic phenomena too? Why would mechanical phenomena ever be a special case?
(4) Then light has to have the same speed in any reference frame or the principle couldn't hold for E&M.
(5) Then we get the invariance of the spacetime interval from (4) by considering light clocks in motion vs still relative to some observer.
(6) Then we get the Lorentz transformation from (4) and (5), as well as other cool shit like time dilation and length contraction.

And once you have (6) you see a B-field is required to exist near a current carrying wire.

[baseline bum]

Its on a big list. Believe me. I will eventually get to it.

I get interested in too many things as I get older it seems.

Do you have any specific books you think are outstanding in various subjects in physics?

1. For newtonian mechanics I love Kleppner & Kolenkow. The problems are so much fun and it gives the best explanation of Newton's laws I have ever read. Most physics books just give you the formulas with a couple of paragraphs that essentially repeat the formulas in a long and drawn out way. It also doesn't shy away from polar and spherical coordinates, which is rare for a freshman level book. The problems are really hard though, it would have probably kicked my ass up and down the school if it was my freshman book. But sometimes you gotta get your ass kicked to learn something.
2. For a little more advanced mechanics (eg principle of least action) Taylor is really good. Much clearer and better written than Goldstein. And not chock full of errors that confuse the hell out of the reader like Goldstein. It's crazy how straightforward Taylor makes this subject, but it's not watered down.
3. For quantum I like Shankar. I can't front, I love the math and that's the only way I can make any sense of QM.
4. For E&M nothing touches Purcell. It doesn't shy away from math but doesn't get lost in it either (unlike say Griffiths).
5. For SR Taylor & Wheeler (1st edition from the 1960s) is phenomenal. The first couple of pages of the book talk about sacred units and how if you get rid of the idea that time has to be in the sacred unit of seconds (and express it in terms of meters) everything in SR is so much easier. It allows you to set c=1 and the transformation back to standard units is just dimensional analysis with factors of c. It's full of interesting and challenging problems, very few of which you could understand just by throwing equations at them.

[pgardn]

I know what you mean about looking at it historically. It just blows my mind looking at this shit from Einstein's perspective:

(1) Galiean relativity holds for mechanical phenomena by Newton's second.
(2) The laws of physics should be simple.
(3) Then why shouldn't the principle of relativity hold for electromagnetic phenomena too? Why would mechanical phenomena ever be a special case?
(4) Then light has to have the same speed in any reference frame or the principle couldn't hold for E&M.
(5) Then we get the invariance of the spacetime interval from (4) by considering light clocks in motion vs still relative to some observer.
(6) Then we get the Lorentz transformation from (4) and (5), as well as other cool shit like time dilation and length contraction.

And once you have (6) you see a B-field is required to exist near a current carrying wire.

It just nice to be able to appreciate some of what other people have figured out. Or some breakthrough analogy that lets you feel it. The idea of light being the constant and time and space being variable was/is something that would never have occurred to me. I always knew there was a frame of reference problem, but I would never have had the slightest idea how to deal with it. I remember when I was told what wind was as a kid. It had really bugged me. And I remember when I thought the opposite poles of magnets just squished air molecules in between them so it made them repel and pushed the air out when opposite poles attracted AFTER I found out about air. I had so many things so wrong.

I even waited outside for an airplane to land on our street when my parents told me they were going up to the sky to another place. And the They fn left in a car to go were all the planes were. An airport... Thanks for telling me. Letting me get all excited and bam, reality. Bums a little one out.

[baseline bum]

It just nice to be able to appreciate some of what other people have figured out. Or some breakthrough analogy that lets you feel it. The idea of light being the constant and time and space being variable was/is something that would never have occurred to me. I always knew there was a frame of reference problem, but I would never have had the slightest idea how to deal with it. I remember when I was told what wind was as a kid. It had really bugged me. And I remember when I thought the opposite poles of magnets just squished air molecules in between them so it made them repel and pushed the air out when opposite poles attracted AFTER I found out about air. I had so many things so wrong.

I even waited outside for an airplane to land on our street when my parents told me they were going up to the sky to another place. And the They fn left in a car to go were all the planes were. An airport... Thanks for telling me. Letting me get all excited and bam, reality. Bums a little one out.

Have you ever seen Einstein's thought experiment for why E = mc^2 should hold? It's so cool. It's based on a box that emits a packet of radiation and when you assume that packet of emitted radiation doesn't change the mass of the box you get a contradiction of the laws of mechanics (by considering the center of mass of the box/radiation system). So you have to assume it does lower the mass of the box by some mass m and then the formula m = E/c^2 for the mass the box itself loses just jumps out of the derivation. It's called Einstein's box. It's not the derivation he actually published, and it requires a result from deBroglie about momentum of radiation AFAIK (maybe Einstein had another way to show pc is the energy of radiation of momentum p? I think it was considered an experimental fact at the time), but it's still a pretty fun way to explain the most famous formula in science.

[pgardn]

Have you ever seen Einstein's thought experiment for why E = mc^2 should hold? It's so cool. It's based on a box that emits a packet of radiation and when you assume that packet of emitted radiation doesn't change the mass of the box you get a contradiction of the laws of mechanics (by considering the center of mass of the box/radiation system). So you have to assume it does lower the mass of the box by some mass m and then the formula m = E/c^2 for the mass the box itself loses just jumps out of the derivation. It's called Einstein's box. It's not the derivation he actually published, and it requires a result from deBroglie about momentum of radiation AFAIK (maybe Einstein had another way to show pc is the energy of radiation of momentum p? I think it was considered an experimental fact at the time), but it's still a pretty fun way to explain the most famous formula in science.

I have read that one but forgot about it.
But squared laws show up very often in physics so it makes since with the basic idea of spreading out. If I hold a light up to your eye 1 meter away you might say that light has an intensity of 1. If I move the light 2 meters away the photons spread you will now say I see an intensity of 1/4 of the original. Like the SA of a soap bubble that grows by 1 radius. So energy carried in a photon increase by a squared law. I have seen a number of other math and physical explanations. I have even seen one that explains the changes in the length of an object as it nears the speed of light using geometry. It was wacked but made sense. I gotta look that one up again. There are so many good modern physics explanations I just tend to forget them because they are very unique.

[pgardn]

Do you have any specific books you think are outstanding in various subjects in physics?

1. For newtonian mechanics I love Kleppner & Kolenkow. The problems are so much fun and it gives the best explanation of Newton's laws I have ever read. Most physics books just give you the formulas with a couple of paragraphs that essentially repeat the formulas in a long and drawn out way. It also doesn't shy away from polar and spherical coordinates, which is rare for a freshman level book. The problems are really hard though, it would have probably kicked my ass up and down the school if it was my freshman book. But sometimes you gotta get your ass kicked to learn something.
2. For a little more advanced mechanics (eg principle of least action) Taylor is really good. Much clearer and better written than Goldstein. And not chock full of errors that confuse the hell out of the reader like Goldstein. It's crazy how straightforward Taylor makes this subject, but it's not watered down.
3. For quantum I like Shankar. I can't front, I love the math and that's the only way I can make any sense of QM.
4. For E&M nothing touches Purcell. It doesn't shy away from math but doesn't get lost in it either (unlike say Griffiths).
5. For SR Taylor & Wheeler (1st edition from the 1960s) is phenomenal. The first couple of pages of the book talk about sacred units and how if you get rid of the idea that time has to be in the sacred unit of seconds (and express it in terms of meters) everything in SR is so much easier. It allows you to set c=1 and the transformation back to standard units is just dimensional analysis with factors of c. It's full of interesting and challenging problems, very few of which you could understand just by throwing equations at them.

I would read 1) first. I always look to mechanics so I feel the contrast with modern physics. I got textbooks out the gazoo I might need to load the library with the above or, I might already have some of them. Got too much on the list. I'm gonna need to live 100 years longer to understand it all. Then it will change on me.

[DMC]

Yeah all that theory shit is cool but when you use it to create a pulsed beam that can burn through several inches of solid graphite at over 2 MeV, that's even cooler.

[pgardn]

Yeah all that theory shit is cool but when you use it to create a pulsed beam that can burn through several inches of solid graphite at over 2 MeV, that's even cooler.

Actually that's probably hot. But I tend to agree. I like to see physics in action. It's one thing to say this theoretically can be done. It's another thing to do it. The engineering guys who actual create the experiments/technology have gotta feel really satisfied. I'm lucky because the simplest things freak me out. I remember getting a hand driven Van de Graffmachine and making a capacitor out of foil tapped to both sides of a plastic transparency and charging it not believing it would work (in theory it should) and shocking the crap out of myself. Delightful. Then I just made little ring capacitors out of the same material and charged them. The trick was transporting them around the room so coworkers and friends would pick them up. They just had to touch both sides of the foil plastic ring. Sometimes they would discharge them accidentally and not get shocked. Some of them would stay charged for an hour on a dry day.

Too much fun stuff to fiddle with. Good for camaraderie after a hard day of getting nowhere.

Oh btw the braking system on the baitcasters are a thing of beauty. The little "weights" you can move closer or further away from the axis of rotation is cool. The engineering of such smooth surfaces is ridiculous as well. All the new materials they have come up with for fishing line... The plastics they use to make kayaks. The amazing peddle drives with the cool chains. Who would have thought Penguin wings would work better than a little prop... not me.

[Wild Cobra]

Yeah all that theory shit is cool but when you use it to create a pulsed beam that can burn through several inches of solid graphite at over 2 MeV, that's even cooler.

That is one hell of alot of power to channel.

[Mark Celibate]

Do you have any specific books you think are outstanding in various subjects in physics?

1. For newtonian mechanics I love Kleppner & Kolenkow. The problems are so much fun and it gives the best explanation of Newton's laws I have ever read. Most physics books just give you the formulas with a couple of paragraphs that essentially repeat the formulas in a long and drawn out way. It also doesn't shy away from polar and spherical coordinates, which is rare for a freshman level book. The problems are really hard though, it would have probably kicked my ass up and down the school if it was my freshman book. But sometimes you gotta get your ass kicked to learn something.
2. For a little more advanced mechanics (eg principle of least action) Taylor is really good. Much clearer and better written than Goldstein. And not chock full of errors that confuse the hell out of the reader like Goldstein. It's crazy how straightforward Taylor makes this subject, but it's not watered down.
3. For quantum I like Shankar. I can't front, I love the math and that's the only way I can make any sense of QM.
4. For E&M nothing touches Purcell. It doesn't shy away from math but doesn't get lost in it either (unlike say Griffiths).
5. For SR Taylor & Wheeler (1st edition from the 1960s) is phenomenal. The first couple of pages of the book talk about sacred units and how if you get rid of the idea that time has to be in the sacred unit of seconds (and express it in terms of meters) everything in SR is so much easier. It allows you to set c=1 and the transformation back to standard units is just dimensional analysis with factors of c. It's full of interesting and challenging problems, very few of which you could understand just by throwing equations at them.

bum,

have you read the book, Quantum? A good friend of mine recommended it to me. I think I'll check it out but I wanted to hear your thoughts

[baseline bum]

bum,

have you read the book, Quantum? A good friend of mine recommended it to me. I think I'll check it out but I wanted to hear your thoughts

Sorry, I haven't heard of it. Who is it by?

[Mark Celibate]

Sorry, I haven't heard of it. Who is it by?

The book is by Manjit Kumar and focuses on the lives of Bohr, Einstein, and the other major players of the time. I'm sure it's probably a book that's beginner-friendly since my friend doesn't have a strong math or science background but I haven't read any non-textbooks on quantum mechanics either so I probably qualify as a beginner as well.

I'll keep in mind those other books you mentioned too.

[Quadzilla99]

https://www.axios.com/computer-programmers-may-no-longer-be-eligible-for-h-1b-visas-2342531251.html

[baseline bum]

https://www.axios.com/computer-programmers-may-no-longer-be-eligible-for-h-1b-visas-2342531251.html

Finally Trump actually doing something that makes sense.

[baseline bum]

The book is by Manjit Kumar and focuses on the lives of Bohr, Einstein, and the other major players of the time. I'm sure it's probably a book that's beginner-friendly since my friend doesn't have a strong math or science background but I haven't read any non-textbooks on quantum mechanics either so I probably qualify as a beginner as well.

I'll keep in mind those other books you mentioned too.

I'll have to check it out.

[DarrinS]

https://www.axios.com/computer-programmers-may-no-longer-be-eligible-for-h-1b-visas-2342531251.html

Too bad this didn't happen sooner. My company is jam packed with those people.

[boutons_deux]

Finally Trump actually doing something that makes sense.

Tech industry didn't pay Trash, Bannon, Miller enough. Need deep deeper in their pockets.

[ElNono]

Finally Trump actually doing something that makes sense.