What we’re about
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 (4+)
See all- Plasma Physics Study GroupLink visible for attendees
{ – Been here before? This week's agenda is found below. – }
Plasma is matter in an ionized state, where electrons separate from atoms to create a dynamic mixture of charged particles that comprises 99% of the visible universe. We’ve started a new group to study the physics of plasma, a fascinating subject that examines how this unique state of matter interacts with electromagnetic fields to exhibit complex collective behaviors that govern phenomena from stellar fusion to space flight.
Our goal is to explore theoretical frameworks, including magnetohydrodynamics, kinetic theory, and wave-particle interactions, along with modern issues in applied physics, such as plasma confinement, heating methods, and stability control.
We're working through Richard Fitzpatrick’s Plasma Physics: An Introduction (2nd edition), with additional books and resources found online. A freely available web version of the book can be found on the author’s website.
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 material in their own words, 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!
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 the material. 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.
Prerequisites: An undergraduate level of knowledge of electrodynamics and thermodynamics is essential. If you’re missing these, please come to our other study sessions instead!
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.
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Plasma physics agenda for this week:- Check back here soon. Updates are posted within 48 hours of the last meeting.
- If you're joining us for the first time, simply start reading Chapter 2 of the book and come to the meeting – we'll get you caught up!
- Physics Essentials: Modern MechanicsLink visible for attendees
(If you’ve been here before: See below for this week's homework.)
Join 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.
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Homework for this week’s meeting:- Check back here 24 hours after the end of the last meeting to see next week’s assignment.
- If you’re joining us for the first time, simply download a Kindle preview of the book and read chapter 1.
- (Re-)Learn Quantum MechanicsLink visible for attendees
(Returning students: Please see below for this week’s homework.)
Attention Schrödinger & Heisenberg fans! Have you misplaced your wavefunctions and eigenvalues or never learned how to find them in the first place? Then join us for a weekly study group to learn (or re-learn) quantum mechanics!
We’re following the structure of the MIT OpenCourseWare Quantum Physics I class, which includes comprehensive video lectures, lecture notes, and assignments. These will be supplemented by the various textbooks and resources that you and your fellow students bring to the group.
What to expect – Here is our current format:
- Before each meeting, we will assign ourselves a lecture to watch 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 lesson(s) in their own words, and others will present their solutions to (or attempts at!) the exercises.
- Every 4th meeting will be a dedicated problem-solving session with no lecture.
- 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 the material. 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.
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*** Suggested assignment for next week ***
- Check back here 24 hours after the end of the last meeting to see next week’s assignment.
- If you’re joining us for the first time, simply watch Lecture 1 and come join us!
