This is exhilarating! I'm returning to the subject simply for the intellectual pleasure of it, after being out of school for 30 years, I was a physics major, but I sabotaged myself by testing out of the calculus requirement, without really having a grasp of it. Now, the calculus doesn't scare me any more (I'm 51, and have loved math my whole life) so I'm going back to the subject to finally have my eyes opened all the way with respect to 19th century classical electrodynamics, exercises and all. In the interim I've also wired a dozen houses, built elevators, written industrial and banking software, repaired a thousand electronic circuits... I'm good and READY. Thank you for this fantastic and dynamic reintroduction to this part of the greatest story ever told (so far). All those MWF mornings in the Natural Science Building at U of L are coming back to me!
Your energy is contagious, professor ! I believe it must be quite intimidating to introduce such foreign topics to students, so I really appreciate how enthusiastic you are. Thank you
Also, this lecture dances around the problem of the infinite self-energy of the electron, first really tackled hard core by John Wheeler and his student Feynman! Dr Carlson doesn't muddy the 19th century waters, but does leave little "hooks" that the motivated student will remember when it is QED time! My own undergraduate teacher was very good, but Dr Carlson's 21st century approach represents an improvement in teaching, even following Feynman in the 60s and my own professor in the 80s. This is pedagogy like it should be.
Dear Professor Carlson, If one were to imagine an infinite space containing a single charge Q at its origin and then integrate the electric field energy density throughout the entire space, does one get a finite value? If so, is the answer mc^2? Thank you! - Jim
This is exhilarating! I'm returning to the subject simply for the intellectual pleasure of it, after being out of school for 30 years, I was a physics major, but I sabotaged myself by testing out of the calculus requirement, without really having a grasp of it. Now, the calculus doesn't scare me any more (I'm 51, and have loved math my whole life) so I'm going back to the subject to finally have my eyes opened all the way with respect to 19th century classical electrodynamics, exercises and all. In the interim I've also wired a dozen houses, built elevators, written industrial and banking software, repaired a thousand electronic circuits... I'm good and READY. Thank you for this fantastic and dynamic reintroduction to this part of the greatest story ever told (so far). All those MWF mornings in the Natural Science Building at U of L are coming back to me!
Your energy is contagious, professor ! I believe it must be quite intimidating to introduce such foreign topics to students, so I really appreciate how enthusiastic you are. Thank you
Also, this lecture dances around the problem of the infinite self-energy of the electron, first really tackled hard core by John Wheeler and his student Feynman! Dr Carlson doesn't muddy the 19th century waters, but does leave little "hooks" that the motivated student will remember when it is QED time! My own undergraduate teacher was very good, but Dr Carlson's 21st century approach represents an improvement in teaching, even following Feynman in the 60s and my own professor in the 80s. This is pedagogy like it should be.
Dang, XKCD and interview dinner tips all in one lecture
Shame I couldn't take the class in person
mam ure soo energetic
Dear Professor Carlson,
If one were to imagine an infinite space containing a single charge Q at its origin and then integrate the electric field energy density throughout the entire space, does one get a finite value? If so, is the answer mc^2? Thank you! - Jim
you are most excellent, but it feels like you are a kindergarden teacher
I'm choosing to take that as a compliment. Thanks, Paulo!!