Physics With Friends

This event is one of the many other collaborative study tracks in our Physics With Friends community. Check out all of our other events to find additional physics topics that you might want to study together!

Please note that the Math Methods in Physics meetup series is a highly mathematical meetup for everyone who is serious about learning the advanced branches of math and physics that one needs to master in order to deeply understand the tools used in solving real problems. It is not a general discussion group for popular physics topics or sci-fi tangents. For casual physics chat, please attend our regular "Discuss Physics and Make Friends" event, held every third Wednesday of the month.

Come join us to study particle physics! We meet for two hours every other week to work through the recently released Phenomenology of Particle Physics by André Rubbia. This book devotes equal attention to both theory AND experiment. We'll learn about the modern mathematical and physical frameworks that are used to make predictions about and analyze the results of real physical experiments, including:

• quantum mechanics
• special relativity
• Lagrangian mechanics
• quantum field theory
• QED, QCD, and gauge field theory
• the Standard Model
• math methods in multivariable calculus, group theory, Hilbert spaces, and more

All of this learning will happen within the context of past and present experiments, so we will also be diving into applied topics that include:

• particle accelerators and detectors
• radioactive decay
• deep inelastic scattering
• hadron-hadron collisions
• solar neutrino oscillations
• cosmic rays
• computational physics

This book includes a healthy dose of Python and Mathematica computer code interspersed throughout the text, so anyone interested in computational physics can jump directly into doing analysis and simulation.

Prerequisites: So long as you have taken college calculus and physics at some point in your life, you should be fine. We run several other active study groups that dive further into the topics mentioned here, including quantum field theory, relativity, math methods, and electrodynamics – please join us in some or all of these other meetups! In addition, we will share with you a number of other useful resources that the group offers to help you through any topics you’re struggling with.

BEFORE COMING to the meeting: Please have a copy of the book available to you in some form. If you aren't ready to buy a physical or digital book, you can download a free sample through Amazon/Kindle and see if you like it.

We maintain a live chat server for staying in touch between meetups. Ask us for a link.

This event joins our other existing collaborative study tracks. Please note that this particular meetup series is a highly mathematical meetup for everyone who is serious about learning advanced physics topics at a graduate or advanced undergraduate level. It is not a general discussion group for popular physics topics or sci-fi tangents. For casual physics chat, please attend our regular Discuss Physics & Make Friends event, held every third Wednesday of the month.

• Modern Classical Mechanics, by Helliwell and Sahakian, is our primary text. It offers a fresh take on classical mechanics, treating it as a logically coherent system rather than a bag of tricks. It introduces powerful tools like the Euler-Lagrange equations and Hamiltonian dynamics without assuming a deep math or physics background. The authors focus on the “why” behind the equations, helping readers see the physical ideas and symmetries that unify different problems.
• Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics, by V.I. Arnold, emphasizes the deep, geometric language of physics. We use this as a secondary resource. Arnold’s approach connects simple Newtonian mechanics to powerful ideas like manifolds, symplectic structure, and group theory – concepts that also show up in quantum mechanics and modern physics.

The material starts with familiar concepts and carefully develops them into advanced topics. Don't worry if you feel like you don't have enough background for the latter; our group is incredibly friendly and paced to support learners from a variety of backgrounds. We encourage questions, discussions, and a spirit of curiosity. Whether you're revisiting physics or exploring it for the first time, you're welcome here.

What to expect – Here is our current format:

• Before each meeting, we will assign ourselves a reading and a set of exercises that everyone is invited to try for next time. (All of this is optional and there is never anything expected or required – this is a self-study group!)
• During the meeting, one or more volunteers will teach the lessons from the assigned readings, and others will present their solutions to (or attempts at!) the exercises.
• Between meetings, we will collaborate through our chat server and/or small study sessions during "office hours". New members should especially take advantage of these to get up to speed. Ask us for details and links to these fantastic resources!

Prerequisites: So long as you have taken at least some amount of college calculus and physics at some point in your life, you should be fine.
We maintain a live chat server for staying in touch between meetups. Ask us for a link.

This event joins our other existing collaborative study tracks. Please note that this particular meetup series is a highly mathematical meetup for everyone who is serious about learning field theory at a graduate or advanced undergraduate level. It is not a general discussion group for popular physics topics or sci-fi tangents. For casual physics chat, please attend our regular Discuss Physics and Make Friends event, held every third Wednesday of the month.

Having technical trouble joining the meeting? You need to use the Zoom app and log in with a (free to create) personal Zoom account before you can join our meeting. You might not be able to join directly from a web browser if you can’t log in.