Winter Reading
Lucas kept his mind engaged over winter break with the following resources:
Lucas kept his mind engaged over winter break with the following resources:
Winter term, round two!
This trimester, I’m taking Linear Algebra (the last required mathematics course for the physics major), Introduction to Astronomy (a really popular class with a really cool-sounding lab), and Analytical and Computational Mechanics (the next of the core physics courses in the major).
I’d forgotten how much I enjoy math, and it’s always exciting to start learning in an entirely new field (astronomy, this time). I woke up to some beautiful snowfall this morning, too, so my second winter here is definitely off to a good start!
Before my return, I developed a few habits that kept me occupied and, in theory, helped my mind stay fresh over break and maybe even offered a bit of academic preparation for the term ahead. For this post, I figured I’d share a few of those strategies, because it’s all too easy to fall out of a learning mindset (or just get plain bored) over vacation.
First, I started reading The Feynman Lectures on Physics. It’s not the most technical textbook (at least not yet), but Feynman‘s thinking and writing is so elegant that the lectures have served as an excellent way to keep myself familiar with various concepts, and to develop a more big-picture view of the science as I get more serious about the major. Furthermore, the first volume of these lectures are focused on classical mechanics, which works out nicely considering this term’s physics course is essentially a second, more-in-depth look at exactly that.
I also got my textbooks ahead of time, although I spent more time with the astronomy one. My plan had been to get ahead on readings, and maybe even make a nice Quizlet, but . . . that didn’t exactly happen. Too much fun with friends. But I did spend some time flipping through the book and looking at all the pretty space pictures, so I’m gonna count that as motivational work!
I guess the title of this post is cheating, because the other mental exercise/preparation I engaged in over break wasn’t reading, but rather using a couple of online resources to give myself a sneak peak of what I’d be learning in Linear Algebra. Both Khan Academy and Brilliant proved to be excellent platforms for such, although they have different approaches.
As I remember having a great conversation about last term in my Introduction to Educational Studies course, Khan Academy’s videos are particularly effective due to their simplicity and independence. What I mean by that is, Khan Academy videos are usually simple voice-overs accompanied by screen-recorded written work or examples. What’s more, these videos are often self-contained, which makes it easier to jump in to whatever topics are particularly interesting or of use to you, saving time and making the process of learning itself feel a lot more manageable. In light of this, I used Khan Academy’s series of videos on linear algebra as bedtime stories for myself some nights.
Brilliant, on the other hand, is made up entirely of distinct courses, each of which are broken down into chapters and exercises presented in a combination of type, imagery, animation, and Fun Interactive Internet Thingies. I followed that website’s Linear Algebra track, but saved it for when I was more awake and alert. Although I didn’t get all the way through, I can already say it made my first class in the subject feel familiar.
I hope these examples are helpful to anyone else out there wondering how they can keep on learning over breaks, or that they’ve at least given you some more ideas on how to pass the time while waiting around before college. I know it helped for me, and it’s made my return that much more exciting, not to mention manageable.
Lucas is in his sophomore year at Carleton, bringing with him a passion for all things nerdy and a talent for overthinking and awkwardness (and self-deprecation). He hails from Pasadena, California, and yes, he realizes it gets cold out here. He currently sees himself majoring in Physics, although he hopes to explore Cinema and Media Studies, Chemistry, Economics, and Computer Science (among many other subjects) as well. He misses his bearded dragon. Meet the other bloggers!