About us
This is a group for anyone who has ever rigorously studied physics – or has wanted to. Here's why you'd want to join us:
- If you feel like physics is the most interesting and most difficult subject that there is;
- If you're burning with a desire to deeply understand the universe at its smallest and largest scales;
- And if you thrive in an environment of learning through collaboration with people like yourself...
... then you've found the right place!
Join us to participate in lively discussions and learn core material in serious study groups. We offer multiple tracks of study, regularly host special events and talks, and are constantly tweaking the meetup to make it more useful. We also stay in touch between meetings to motivate and help each other continue learning.
Everyone is welcome from every level of experience! Many of us are (re)discovering physics after college (sometimes long after) and it can be easy to feel rusty or underqualified. Don't fall into that false narrative! If you think some of the material in this meetup is too advanced, we want you to join us so that we can help you learn!
Upcoming events
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Particle Physics Advanced Study Group
·OnlineOnlineCome 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.
Reading Assignment: Read Rubbia sections 18.1-18.7 (Quantum Chromodynamics)
Photo Credits: Lucas Taylor / CERN (http://cdsweb.cern.ch/record/628469)
8 attendees
Physics Essentials: Modern Mechanics
·OnlineOnlineJoin us in a guided group study of the most essential subject in physics: mechanics! Unlike your high school or college mechanics course, we're following two deeply insightful textbooks:
- 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.
4 attendees
Quantum Gravity Explorations
·OnlineOnlineOverview
This is a collaborative study group dedicated to understanding the foundations, motivations, and current landscape of quantum gravity research. Our goal is breadth over depth: rather than mastering every technical detail, we aim to build a clear conceptual picture of why quantum gravity is challenging, what the major approaches attempt to do, and how they compare.Nevertheless, developing a coherent understanding of quantum gravity does require engaging with the mathematics. We will work through explicit equations and derivations to understand how gravitational dynamics emerge, how quantum consistency constrains theories, and why certain results are unavoidable rather than assumed.
Participants should have a basic familiarity with the principles of quantum mechanics, quantum field theory, and general relativity, and be comfortable with the Lagrangian formalism of physical theories.
What to expect
- We assign readings, lectures to watch, and curated exercises prior to each meeting, which will be announced below.
- During the meetings, one or more of the volunteers will walk through the assigned materials and moderate the discussion.
- Additional discussion between meetings will take place on our chat server, where we can exchange solutions, notes, interesting and relevant articles, etc. Notes and solutions may also be hosted in our Github repository.
What this group is NOT
- Not a popular science or sci-fi discussion group.
- Not a high-pressure, exercise-heavy bootcamp.
- Not a forum to strongly endorse or air grievances against any one approach to quantum gravity .
For casual physics chat or general discussion, please see our other Meetup groups.
Community & Continuity
We maintain a live chat server for continuing discussions between meetups, and a link can be provided upon request if you’d like to join. This even is part of the broader Physics With Friends community, which hosts multiple collaborative study tracks across physics and mathematics.Materials & Assignments
For the next several meetings, we will be going through Barton Zwiebach’s A First Course in String Theory, 2nd Ed. (Amazon link).- Read sections 6.6-6.9 of Zwiebach, and work through problem 6.9
9 attendees
Differential Geometry: Visual Geometry and Forms
·OnlineOnlineThis ongoing study group explores Visual Differential Geometry and Forms by Tristan Needham — a highly visual and intuition-driven approach to modern geometry.
Rather than beginning with heavy formalism, Needham develops geometry through pictures, maps, curvature, symmetry, complex analysis, and differential forms. The emphasis is on understanding first and computation second.
One of the unique features of the book is the historical context it provides. Many ideas are motivated by real problems that originally drove the development of geometry — navigation, mapmaking, optics, mechanics, and spacetime physics.
We have completed Act I and are currently working through Act II of the book.
### Road Map of the Series
The book is organized into large thematic “Acts,” each developing a different geometric viewpoint:
Act I — Curvature and Geometry (completed)
Curved surfaces, Gaussian curvature, geodesics, intrinsic geometry, and the question: What is geometry?Act II — Maps, Conformal Geometry, and Hyperbolic Space (current focus)
Metrics, conformal maps, cartography, complex analysis, Möbius transformations, and hyperbolic geometry.Act III — Curves and Surfaces in Space
Curves, torsion, minimal surfaces, and the geometry of embedded surfaces.Act IV — Geometry and Relativity
Spacetime geometry, Lorentz transformations, Minkowski space, and foundations of general relativity.Act V — Differential Forms
Exterior calculus, integration on manifolds, Stokes’ theorem, and the modern language underlying much of theoretical physics.What to Expect
• Discussion-based format (not a formal lecture)
• Calculus and mathematical curiosity recommended
• Visual and conceptual emphasis
• Participants range from beginners to experienced physicists and mathematicians
• Select exercises and demonstrations during meetingsSchedule
This group meets every two weeks, alternating with our companion study group on The Road to Reality.
New participants are welcome at any time.
Why Study Differential Geometry?
Differential geometry sits at the intersection of mathematics and physics and provides essential foundations for:
• General relativity
• Gauge theory
• Modern geometry and topology
• Complex analysis
• The mathematics of curved spacesMore in Physics With Friends
This event is one of several collaborative study tracks in the Physics With Friends community.
Explore additional meetings here:
https://www.meetup.com/physicswithfriends/events/Come prepared to think visually.
6 attendees
Past events
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