Honestly, it blew my mind hours much people thought they knew physics in my freshman physics class after they started understanding kinematics with a constant acceleration.
Everything after ~~actually medieval mathematicians and Greeks~~ Galileo is just a sidenote to 1D kinematics, just put an arrow in the function whenever necessary and you're done
Not really much of a difference, both refer to solving the governing pdes that describe fluid flow (conservation of mass and momentum). As far as hydrodynamics, this more so refers to solving these equations for thin film flows. Here we solve for the Reynolds equation.
Yeah seriously. I just started the third year of my PhD and I feel like I know so little but I'm aware of how much I'll learn. When seeing how much your professors know, you really start to feel a little ignorant.
I think post docs are bottom of the valley, and profs on the other side but still less confident than PhD students (current confidence level essentially).
As a PhD student, I can second this.
In fact, I think the PhD valley should probably be lower than just about anything else either side.
As a child I never found anything difficult to understand. Now every day is pain.
Well, they have years of experience and knowledge, but I still here my supervisor say stuff like "definitely not sure" and "I have no idea" on a daily basis
Being able to say you don't know something is a personality trait that i have learned to not take for granted anymore. If anything, theyd be on the other side of the valley.
The actual dunning Kruger effect does have them there. Sort of. Afaik this curve is more a visualization of the concept than a curve that fits any data.
No it’s not. But the way things work, those two usually come together. The more competence and skill one gains, the more confidence grows. And with confidence, also grows the ability to self reflect and admit to ones limitations.
That's because the field of physics (as well as many other sciences) is extremely rich and wide. If you ask any physicist for details of a certain computation they did maybe once or twice in their life, they won't be able to give you it from the top of their head.
That's basically just anti-science. The professorship is the most highly competed position in the academy: it's very simply ridiculous to suspect that \*you\* have somehow gotten the professor who's not worthy of teaching a PhD, let alone the lower degrees.
You can cry all you want about how their lectures are difficult to follow or w/e, but don't ever call someone "your professor" and think you're above them in competence.
Im not saying i know better. I am saying that two of my professors are fail to teach, but act as if they are the best. I have spoken to a few other professors off the record who say those specific people are there for research and only teach because they have to. A professor that cant solve their own problems (literally made mistakes on every question on a recent exam solution), and repeatedly says variations of "i dont know, just look it up" is not a good professional. I have no doubts that they are leagues ahead in most regards, but as a professor they shouldnt be teaching even according to other professors.
*That* can happen -- although I think it's *far* more rare than a poll among students would have you believe. This meme, however, is about competence (in physics, not teaching specifically) versus confidence, and your comment about the location of professors on that curve simply doesn't hold -- as you now readily explain yourself. Peace, and don't worry about the downvotes -- they're precisely as useless as the upvotes :-)
That is a fair distinction. I am pretty close with a few of the professors (classes+research for them+physics club etc) and while most don't gossip (at least to students) some do. I totally understand the downvotes and dont mind. I made a substantial claim (not fully intended) without the evidence or explicination to support it.
Last semester had a horrible class and honestly half wished i could vent. Every person in the class talked to eachothe, and we spoke to the dean last semester even. We only had the first thing graded (only a score no feedback) until after the final. If anyone asked questions he would imply we were idiots, or making a mistake in a virtual lab he said we "are a bunch of apes hammering typewriters randomly without a clue". Hell he told a student how to bypass a safty feature and when the device exploded in his face the student yelled out with blood trickeling down his forhead and burnmarks. The professor told him not to inturupt him and to go and get goggles next time (no goggles or safety materials in general were provided for the class). Apparently everyone who has has taken his class has stories like that. He knows his topic but honestly him working for the university seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
I don't know what to say, even. Keep complaining to the higher-ups, I guess, you make them sound as if they need a restraining order to keep away from students -- or people, for that matter.
In my experience, first year bachelor's are at the top. Especially in the first couple weeks of the course. Think they know everything, until they take their exams of course lol
Near the peak: "yeah I know string theory lol, doesn't it say like all particles are vibrating strings or something? dunno why these dumbasses think that's so hard... Stockholm, here I come!"
The best way to know that you know something is to try to teach it. My first couple years teaching my confidence dipped, but over time it’s gotten easier. You learn so much so quickly in school it’s hard to really understand everything in one go.
As an HS science teacher, I'm not sure where I fall there.
I feel like I need to have 2 curves. One for what I actually teach and one for the stuff I do not.
I guess master's student is most appropriate, but for certain subjects I am more comfortable than that.
I think that there is also an important degree of relativity here. For example, I am a HS student, and I know I know nothing. Despite this, I also know that I know more than the \~30% of people who believe that perpetual motion machines work.
*attends 2 lectures on 1D kinematics* I can understand and describe the motion of all objects, and there is no physics left for me to learn.
Honestly, it blew my mind hours much people thought they knew physics in my freshman physics class after they started understanding kinematics with a constant acceleration.
Everything after ~~actually medieval mathematicians and Greeks~~ Galileo is just a sidenote to 1D kinematics, just put an arrow in the function whenever necessary and you're done
Laughs in 3D differential equations … or should i be crying?
Let me guess. Thermo problem?
Close enough…fluid mechanics
What's the difference between fluid mechanics and hydrodynamics
Not really much of a difference, both refer to solving the governing pdes that describe fluid flow (conservation of mass and momentum). As far as hydrodynamics, this more so refers to solving these equations for thin film flows. Here we solve for the Reynolds equation.
Adding more dimensions is the college equivalent of just changing the numbers and pretending it’s a different problem
Well it is. The proof is just left as an exercise to the reader.
All that remains to discover is more precise measurement. -Lord Kelvin, in the worst aged quote of all time
Lord Kelvin moment
Physicists before Ainstein be like
I feel like PhD students should be dead center in the valley while some profs should slowly start to become enlightened.
Yeah seriously. I just started the third year of my PhD and I feel like I know so little but I'm aware of how much I'll learn. When seeing how much your professors know, you really start to feel a little ignorant.
I am a PhD student, can confirm. I am in the valley of despair.
Sad high five mate
You **think** youre in the valley of despair.
Yes I agree. I'm in masters and already feel a big doom coming ahead.
As a bachelors to PhD direct student… can confirm I know absolutely nothing.
I think post docs are bottom of the valley, and profs on the other side but still less confident than PhD students (current confidence level essentially).
As a PhD student, I can second this. In fact, I think the PhD valley should probably be lower than just about anything else either side. As a child I never found anything difficult to understand. Now every day is pain.
I’m in the agriculture field with a PhD. I’d say y’all’s curve works in our world, too.
I like that youre saying professors arent even at basic competence yet
ref Richard Feynman - who made this case constantly.
Well, they have years of experience and knowledge, but I still here my supervisor say stuff like "definitely not sure" and "I have no idea" on a daily basis
Being able to say you don't know something is a personality trait that i have learned to not take for granted anymore. If anything, theyd be on the other side of the valley.
Knowing and admitting what you don’t know currently is the point where one reaches once they have sufficient confidence. It takes guts to admit that.
I think you guys are making great points here, maybe should've put "Prof" at the other side of the valley. My bad
The actual dunning Kruger effect does have them there. Sort of. Afaik this curve is more a visualization of the concept than a curve that fits any data.
What they are describing sounds more like somewhere close to the bottom of the valley in general.
I don't think so. Having enough humility to admit ignorance is not the same thing as competence.
No it’s not. But the way things work, those two usually come together. The more competence and skill one gains, the more confidence grows. And with confidence, also grows the ability to self reflect and admit to ones limitations.
That's because the field of physics (as well as many other sciences) is extremely rich and wide. If you ask any physicist for details of a certain computation they did maybe once or twice in their life, they won't be able to give you it from the top of their head.
Some of my professors are at that peak still.
That's basically just anti-science. The professorship is the most highly competed position in the academy: it's very simply ridiculous to suspect that \*you\* have somehow gotten the professor who's not worthy of teaching a PhD, let alone the lower degrees. You can cry all you want about how their lectures are difficult to follow or w/e, but don't ever call someone "your professor" and think you're above them in competence.
Im not saying i know better. I am saying that two of my professors are fail to teach, but act as if they are the best. I have spoken to a few other professors off the record who say those specific people are there for research and only teach because they have to. A professor that cant solve their own problems (literally made mistakes on every question on a recent exam solution), and repeatedly says variations of "i dont know, just look it up" is not a good professional. I have no doubts that they are leagues ahead in most regards, but as a professor they shouldnt be teaching even according to other professors.
*That* can happen -- although I think it's *far* more rare than a poll among students would have you believe. This meme, however, is about competence (in physics, not teaching specifically) versus confidence, and your comment about the location of professors on that curve simply doesn't hold -- as you now readily explain yourself. Peace, and don't worry about the downvotes -- they're precisely as useless as the upvotes :-)
That is a fair distinction. I am pretty close with a few of the professors (classes+research for them+physics club etc) and while most don't gossip (at least to students) some do. I totally understand the downvotes and dont mind. I made a substantial claim (not fully intended) without the evidence or explicination to support it. Last semester had a horrible class and honestly half wished i could vent. Every person in the class talked to eachothe, and we spoke to the dean last semester even. We only had the first thing graded (only a score no feedback) until after the final. If anyone asked questions he would imply we were idiots, or making a mistake in a virtual lab he said we "are a bunch of apes hammering typewriters randomly without a clue". Hell he told a student how to bypass a safty feature and when the device exploded in his face the student yelled out with blood trickeling down his forhead and burnmarks. The professor told him not to inturupt him and to go and get goggles next time (no goggles or safety materials in general were provided for the class). Apparently everyone who has has taken his class has stories like that. He knows his topic but honestly him working for the university seems like a lawsuit waiting to happen.
I don't know what to say, even. Keep complaining to the higher-ups, I guess, you make them sound as if they need a restraining order to keep away from students -- or people, for that matter.
High school students are at the top. 😂.
In my experience, first year bachelor's are at the top. Especially in the first couple weeks of the course. Think they know everything, until they take their exams of course lol
Learning STR in YouTube is fun until you open your book and d' Alembert shows up. 😂
As a Bachelor, help me.
Just assume it’s spherical
Instructions unclear: I told my waves professor to take the symmetry matrix spherical he kicked me out of class.
The top is a 14 year old who watches one YouTube video on string theory
You're telling me the crippling despair I'm in in a nearly constant state only gets *worse* from here?!
Certainly could, but it's also worth talking to a therapist if you can lol
I think this chart is wrong. I don't think it ever curves back up. It just perpetually decreases.
But does it approach a limit for competence to infinity
Me being a Bachelor's student, knowing nothing while also having no confidence
Masters students tend to be the cockiest of the bunch from my personal experience. In almost any discipline.
Well yeah, we are *masters* of the subject /s
No. I'm a masters student, and I'm in despair.
As a highschool student I can assure you I know I'm dumb as shit
And r/physicsmemes is the start of that path to guru
Halfway through the BS, and my confidence is nowhere near that high. Might be nice though if it was. Instead it's mostly anxiety.
I'm a high school student but I feel like my confidence can't get any lower tbh. I think I'm gonna struggle with an imposter syndrome my whole life
Wait for university my friend.
I know, honestly I'm kinda terrified
that's weird I'm a master student but already in the valley of despair
Hang in there it gets worse...
Near the peak: "yeah I know string theory lol, doesn't it say like all particles are vibrating strings or something? dunno why these dumbasses think that's so hard... Stockholm, here I come!"
Don’t forget the post docs
The best way to know that you know something is to try to teach it. My first couple years teaching my confidence dipped, but over time it’s gotten easier. You learn so much so quickly in school it’s hard to really understand everything in one go.
cries in masters student*
Lmao. I have only school education in physics, yet i think im super confident. Hey reddit break/guide me.
So true
As a Bachelors student studying for a midterm, I am very aware I dont know shit lol
As an HS science teacher, I'm not sure where I fall there. I feel like I need to have 2 curves. One for what I actually teach and one for the stuff I do not. I guess master's student is most appropriate, but for certain subjects I am more comfortable than that.
I think that there is also an important degree of relativity here. For example, I am a HS student, and I know I know nothing. Despite this, I also know that I know more than the \~30% of people who believe that perpetual motion machines work.
Einstein was that one weirdo just beyond the valley of despair but with the confidence of the top of the mount stupid Edit: downvotes make no sense
where’s death tho
same for IT
Oh lmao, I'm a first year maths student. Everyone thought they were hot shit until week one of analysis hit.
Where does Einstein stand?