Author Archives: kiwinerd

Summary notes

Posted on 2012/09/22 by kiwinerd

Hi everyone, I have started a summary book which contains plain-language descriptions of the material we have covered so far in the syllabus. This should be useful in studying for Tests. I will update the summary file each week as … Continue reading →

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More about colour confinement

Posted on 2012/09/20 by kiwinerd

Hi everyone, I accidentally spent a bit too much time in our seminar yesterday on housekeeping matters, and consequently had to rush through discussing the colour force and colour confinement. In our future seminar classes I will make sure that … Continue reading →

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Higgs/LHC lecture on Tuesday

Posted on 2012/09/20 by kiwinerd

Hi everyone, An eagle-eyed student in our class noticed that one of our UofT particle experimentalists will be giving a lecture on campus on Tuesday (September 25th) which will be helpful in writing your Essay 1. For more information, please go … Continue reading →

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Notes for Sep 26

Posted on 2012/09/19 by kiwinerd

Hi everyone, Next week we will be focusing on physics insights from two extremely famous physicists from history: Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. Here are my notes. Newton is famous because he figured out new laws of motion and gravitation … Continue reading →

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Reading for Sep 26

Posted on 2012/09/19 by kiwinerd

For next week’s class, please read:- the first part of chapter 2 of Greene: pp23-46 the following plain-language summary of topics for next week Newton and Gravity / Einstein and Special Relativity Next week we will begin discussing gravity in … Continue reading →

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Essay 1: the LHC and the Higgs

Posted on 2012/09/19 by kiwinerd

Homework Assignment 1 (5%) This is the first of three written assignments in Fall semester. Due date: Wed 03 Oct 2012 by 2:10pm N.B.: The following description may seem a bit long at first, but don’t panic! I deliberately designed … Continue reading →

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About Class Discussion Etiquette and Oral Presentations

Posted on 2012/09/18 by kiwinerd

Hi everyone, A student emailed me recently mentioning that they find the idea of giving oral presentations a bit scary because they are shy. The advice I thought up for them in response is actually applicable to the whole class, … Continue reading →

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Unofficial cycling announcement

Posted on 2012/09/18 by kiwinerd

Note: this announcement has absolutely nothing to do with the course.  Paying attention to it is entirely voluntary. Ignoring it will not affect my opinion of you at all. Preamble Do you bicycle? I do. Since I moved to Toronto … Continue reading →

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Notes for Sep 19

Posted on 2012/09/12 by kiwinerd

Hi everyone, It was a true privilege to meet you all today in our seminar. I’m thrilled to have a class full of such talented people! Here are my class notes for September 19th. Looking forward to our next seminar … Continue reading →

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Reading for Sep 19

Posted on 2012/09/12 by kiwinerd

Hi everyone! Next week on September 19th we will be talking about particle physics, a.k.a. subatomic physics. During our two-hour discussion, we will talk about the building blocks of subatomic particles together with the forces that act on them. The … Continue reading →

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