AMA heather 2017-02-20

DanielSank

Feb 20, 2017 22:00

Welcome the Physics Stack Exchange AMA with heather

2

David Z

@heather It happens sometimes

vzn

hi all/ heather thx so much for participating! 1hr chat session with heather as special guest. more info here. meta.physics.stackexchange.com/questions/9613/… DS volunteered to moderate. plz stay tuned for future sessions/ guests too. :)

DanielSank

lol

ACuriousMind

Please keep conversation unrelated to the AMA out of this chatroom until it ends. Thank you.

DanielSank

As the "moderator", I will be gently keeping us on track to address the upvoted questions from the meta.

Questions from the meta

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:01

quick side note: an hour goes fast. I would be very much willing to answer questions after the official AMA ends as well.

(though of course that will be non "moderated" time.)

DanielSank

There is also a side chat for people to discuss questions to ask here.

Side chat

Someone please pin those two links.

Let's get started.

heather

Alright then.

DanielSank

Heather is a physics student who began using this site last year. In a short time, she has become one of the main participants in chat and has answered several good questions.

heather, there were a lot of questions on the meta about your physics studies.

How did you originally get interested in physics?

heather

Well, my Dad is very interested in physics himself, so there's always been physics books around the house. But I really started getting heavily interested in the sciences starting in middle school, when I started to learn more complex math and could start understanding books about physics.

I really kicked into gear in studying physics the beginning of last year, though.

DanielSank

Interesting. Was math just a gateway to physics or did the math itself draw you in?

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:05

The math itself has drawn me in, but my main focus is physics.

DanielSank

(I'll keep asking stuff until others start joining in)

What does your dad do?

heather

He's an electrical engineer, though he also has experience in plasma physics.

DanielSank

Mom?

heather

She's a bank teller currently, but she's also been interested to some extent in the sciences (she took engineering classes in school).

DanielSank

Oh so they both have college+ degrees?

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:07

My mom has taught me a lot about writing and how to express my thoughts clearly, which is obviously really important.

@DanielSank actually, no. Neither have full college degrees, though they both took college courses.

DanielSank

Wow!

But they both encourage you in physics?

0celo7

I didn't know you could call yourself an engineer without a professional degree.

heather

@DanielSank definitely. They encourage me in all of my various interests, really.

Juan M

What research fields interest you and why?

vzn

(noticed from chatting heathers dad is interested in amateur fusion!)

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:09

@0celo7 well, seeing as he's worked as an engineer for quite a few years, I think he can call himself an engineer. =)

0celo7

@heather If you work as a doctor but never took the boards, you're not a doctor.

heather

@JuanM Oh, gosh. Many different ones. Currently, quantum computing is at the top of my list, and because of my dad, nuclear fusion and plasma physics are also on the list. However, just in general, I love reading about physics, mathematics, and computer science.

DanielSank

@0celo7 Let's take that to the side chat.

vzn

she mentioned this site/ farnsworth fusor.net en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philo_Farnsworth

DanielSank

@heather Someone in meta noted that your interests are very wide, and asked whether you feel a particular mastery of any particular subject.

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:13

@DanielSank, I don't think I have a mastery of anything - in fact (and this is dodging the question a bit) I don't think anyone really has a mastery of anything. To more directly answer the question, no, I don't - I dabble and skip around more than I should, which actually leads me to a deeper understanding, I think.

vzn

heather how did you hear about stackexchange? what were your initial impressions? fyi youve gained a lot of points on the site in a short amt of time, congrats on that!

heather

As I come back to things, I notice things I haven't before, and make new connections, which helps me learn.

@vzn Thanks. Interestingly enough, my dad happened upon stack exchange, and I originally joined mathematica stack exchange, because that's what he joined. Then I found physics and I loved it! It was the summer, and during the summer I started to really start self learning, so it came at the right time.

One semi-negative impression I had, though, was confusion over what things were closed for, especially with regards to the homework policy.

DanielSank

LOLOL

You know how I feel about that...

heather

Yep. Now, I kind of realize the irony of that impression =)

DanielSank

Since you mentioned math again, someone in meta wanted to know how your math knowledge compares to the usual curriculum at your school level.

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:16

Ah, good question.

vzn

@heather yes you seem to be highly motivated wrt self learning which is not common although theres a lot of commitment to that by many in this chat room which is inspiring to see at times. are any of your friends interested in some of these same STEM subjs you are? both girls/ boys? or do you find yourself different than your peers?

heather

@DanielSank So, there's two parts to that. Currently, I'm in geometry, which as far as I know is technically a sophomore year highschool class. However, I'm not the only 8th grader in that class (in fact, there's quite a few in that accelerated track). With regards to my own studies, I've read about single-variable calculus, which I have a semi-decent understanding of, set theory, linear algebra, and dabbled in other areas.

DanielSank

Heh, so definitely ahead of the usual curriculum. Nice.

heather

@vzn Yeah, I've got a good number of friends also interested in STEM subjects like myself, both boys and girls, though a few have turned to the dark side and befriended biology =)

DanielSank

Dude, biophysics is really interesting.

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:19

Though I do sometimes feel a bit extra nerdy compared to the average 8th grader =)

anonymous

Good lord, I'm in time :). So how does this work? We ask heather questions or she will answer the questions one by one from the question pool ? :-)

Juan M

what books have helped you to grown in an appetite for this subject?

heather

@DanielSank I'm just joking around =)

vzn

@heather are you satisified with the classes available to you, are they challenging, do you wish they were different somehow? next year 9th grade youre going to new school? have you started looking into next years classes, any reaction?

DanielSank

@anonymous go here for a minute.

vzn

Feb 20, 2017 22:20

@DanielSank eg QM biology is an increasingly big deal! photosynthesis etc :)

heather

@JuanM Oh, so many. I like the Theoretical Minimum by Leonard Susskind, Apostol's Calculus, Halmos' Naive Set Theory, Chuang and Nielsen's Quantum Computing and Quantum Information (I'm going to stop here, I have a large bookshelf)

Juan M

what do you see yourself doing in 10 years (academically speaking)

heather

@vzn well. I could always hope for more science classes, for sure. In 10th grade, stuff gets super interesting, because that's when it switches over to block scheduling in my district (don't ask about 9th grade, the way the do it is funky) and I can take Chemistry I and AP Chem, AP Physics I and II, Precalc, AP Prob and Stats, so on and so forth. So I'm really excited for that.

@JuanM 10 years - oh, geesh, I'd be 24-25. That's almost scary to think about. So, I'd probably want to be researching physics, or be some sort of engineer, or getting a PhD if I need it in my field (I dunno how long these things take). I can't really give you a great answer here, because I'm still not completely sure exactly where I want to go. I just know I want to do something with math, physics, and programming.

vzn

@heather great to hear that you have a lot of options wrt college AP classes (fyi for nonamericans those are college level classes in HS).

DanielSank

@heather Experimental physics = math+physics+programming+engineering. Just sayin'...

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:25

@vzn oh, and I also get to take dual-credit college courses senior year from a community college nearby (the way I think I'll set it up, I'll be maxing out on the math courses offered at the highschool junior year).

Juan M

Is physics an acquired taste or is it something that you think you're born enjoying?

heather

@DanielSank Yeah, I know. I'm probably going to end up in experimental physics.

@JuanM Both, I think.

sorry, don't have much of an opinion on that one. =)

Juan M

:)

DanielSank

From meta: Are there any real-world problems you find particularly compelling and would like to address as a scientist/engineer?

Thomas Klimpel

Do you have "laboratory sessions" at school? If yes, do you have to write reports of the sessions with the measurement results and some blah, blah?

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:28

@DanielSank Just for clarification, is that the global warming, diseases, pollution question?

anonymous

@heather Have you completed Apostol's calculus? It is quite a high level book!

DanielSank

@heather yes

heather

@ThomasKlimpel Not really. Last year we got to do a few things such as dissecting a chicken wing, but there we only had to identify a tendon, a ligament, etcetera. But there aren't nearly as many labs as I personally think there should be for a science class.

@anonymous Not rigorously, no, but I have worked on some problems from it.

@DanielSank Okay. Well, if I'm going to dream, break-even fusion would be an absolutely amazing thing to achieve.

helping solve the energy crisis and all that. But I think that's the sort of thing that will be solved incrementally, in bits and pieces, not in one giant leap (though it could be, you never know).

DanielSank

@heather So you'd like to work on fusion!

heather

@DanielSank I have so many interests, I don't know what all I'd want to work on. But fusion is one of them, yes.

DanielSank

Feb 20, 2017 22:32

This leads into another question from meta: have you ever solved a real-life physics problem? In other words, have you used physics to solve a problem that came to you through life and not necessarily from a book?

heather

Actually, yeah, a couple times, though not as many as I'd like.

DanielSank

go on...

heather

Time number one, I was helping my dad with soldering, and he helped me use Ohm's Law to figure out what resistor we needed.

@DanielSank sorry, slow at typing.

I'm also working a bit on a program that simulates various ideal quantum circuits, which requires understanding the math and physics behind quantum gates.

vzn

@heather cool! python right? are you using a library for that?

heather

@vzn Python 3, yes.

Using numpy to help with the matrices.

vzn

Feb 20, 2017 22:36

fyi some have mentioned this in here, re QM toolbox/ python qutip.org

heather

I'd specifically like to answer John Duffield's question over on the meta post:

1

A: February 20th Ask Me Anything with heather: Question Pool

I note your interest in quantum computing. I work in IT, and I've taken careful note of the way digital electronic or "ordinary" computing has advanced in leaps and bounds over recent decades. Advances in computing has changed our lives, for the better. In that time I've seen a lot of very positi...

"How long will you retain your interest in quantum computing if it delivers diddly-squat?"

vzn

youve mentioned QM computing/ shors law quite a bit in chat. what drew you to QM computing?

0celo7

@JohnDuffield your question is being answered

heather

is the first part, and I'd say, it hasn't delivered diddly-squat. In fact, I'd say it's delivered a whole lot. Shor's algorithm, Grover's algorithm, many other algorithms, working qubits, and much much more - it's amazing we've come this far, and research is only increasing! I can't imagine quantum computing will end up delivering diddly-squat. In fact, I can't even see where that question is coming from.

0celo7

@heather Has it produced economic value?

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:39

The progress being made in labs like @DanielSank's amazes me and only makes me want to go deeper into quantum computing.

DanielSank

Well, we haven't produced anything more useful than a silicon PC though... right?

I think his point was that while there's been progress, we haven't actually produced anything to the benefit of man kind (not that I agree with that statement).

heather

@0celo7 as far as I'm aware, not yet, but the fact that we've come up with algorithms that will help break current cryptography - that seems like it could lead to some economic value.

vzn

@0celo7 aka "has it increased the GDP" :P

0celo7

@heather Seems pretty nefarious to me!

heather

@DanielSank Physics itself, and just the idea of exploring what's out there, benefits human kind, just as Beethoven or Mozart benefits humankind, in my opinion.

@0celo7 True. But what about simulating quantum mechanical systems? That could help with research that may have industrial applications.

0celo7

Feb 20, 2017 22:40

@heather So your answer is that it has delivered something that malicious hackers (e.g. the government) would love to have access to?

heather

Or more efficient search algorithms.

vzn

@heather yeah really wanna hear the details about your visit to DSs/ martinis lab (santa barbara/ google), ideally maybe you could even write a blog about it, & say put it on DSs blog. :)

0celo7

@heather Do you have any idea how long/how expensive it will be to have quantum computers that can model quantum systems or search things quickly?

heather

:35565288 I think there's a limit, so no, I'm not sure I would. But also, currently quantum computing is also funded by private researchers, so I'm not quite sure that's a fair comparison.

@0celo7 speaking as a non-expert, I don't want to say anything stupid/idiotic, so I'll decline on answering that. =)

DanielSank

@heather That's a really good point. Sorry for deleting the question. I deleted to avoid pummeling you with too many at once.

0celo7

Feb 20, 2017 22:42

@heather So if by the time you are finishing undergrad, and there is still no progress in quantum computing, you'd still be interested?

DanielSank

(For the record, the deleted post by me above asked if heather thought it would be ok for Beethoven to receive millions in public tax money)

Thomas Klimpel

Do you know Scott Aaronson, and what he hopes to get from quantum computing? Do you think google is pursuing quantum supremacy for the same reasons as Scott, or just to have some achievable milestone?

heather

@vzn It's kind of a funny story, actually. Khan Academy does this thing called the Breakthrough Junior Challenge, and I found out about it (it's basically where kids make a video about math/science and submit it in a contest) and thought it would be fun. I was trying to think of a topic and my dad said something along the lines of "I heard of this thing called quantum computing...why don't you google that?"

2

@0celo7 I don't know. Maybe not? It depends, really.

vzn

@0celo7 qm computing ultimate viability/ practicality an open question of the field & there is an active debate in this other room, feel free to join/ add anytime chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/13775/physics-meta

heather

@ThomasKlimpel I know who Scott Aaronson is, but due to the risk of having an incorrect assumption, I'm not sure of his hopes for quantum computing.

0celo7

Feb 20, 2017 22:45

@heather So what would you want to do if quantum computing turns out to be a hoax?

heather

However, I think google's reasons go beyond just having an achievable milestone. As a company, they obviously would like to make money from it, and I think quantum computing has multiple avenues where that is possible or even probable.

@0celo7 The idea of quantum computing being a hoax I don't believe really makes sense at this stage.

2

0celo7

@heather Humor me please

it's good to have multiple aspirations

DanielSank

The only way I can see it being a hoax is if the CIA already actually has a quantum computer and they're funding academic and private contractors to throw everyone off the trail :-P

0celo7

@DanielSank I said that to push your buttons, but I guess it didn't work :P

@heather I meant "if quantum computing turns out to not work for you for some reason."

heather

@0celo7, well if I didn't do quantum computing, I'd probably head into plasma/particle/nuclear physics, engineering, computer science - see the thing is, I don't know if quantum computing is my path as it is, so I have plenty of aspirations. Aerospace engineering and electrical engineering also interests me.

@0celo7 Oh, I see.

DanielSank

Feb 20, 2017 22:48

Since we're on this, the very top voted question asked about your experience at the Google Quantum AI lab.

vzn

@heather are you thinking of participating in the khan challenge?

DanielSank

(realize bringing this up is a bit self-serving, but hey, it's the top post)

heather

@vzn It already happened - I didn't finish the video in time. I'm hoping to do it next year though.

@DanielSank The most amazing thing that's ever happened to me. Period.

2

DanielSank

@heather My heart melts.

heather

So, backstory: Daniel Sank very kindly invited me out to California to visit Google's Martinis Lab.

I got shown around their lab, including where they keep the quantum computers, their clean room, and their electronics/shop style area.

0celo7

Feb 20, 2017 22:50

@heather Wonder how your mom feels about that, after the whole "giving you life" thing.

heather

I certainly learned a lot about some of the problems facing quantum computists (if that's a word) today.

@0celo7 I considered that sort of a given #1 when making that statement - it's kind of hard to do anything without existing. =P

I also was lucky enough that when I arrived, one of the covers was off of the dilution refrigerators, so I got to see inside!

That was quite exciting.

vzn

@heather yep youre definitely a geek :P (welcome to the club!) :)

heather

@vzn What, that wasn't clear already? =P

0celo7

@heather Serious question, do you look and act like a nerd?

AccidentalFourierTransform

@heather you mean when you were born?

0celo7

Feb 20, 2017 22:53

@AccidentalFourierTransform :D

anonymous

@0celo7 Can we have some "serious" question please? What's going on! XD

@AccidentalFourierTransform

AccidentalFourierTransform

0celo7 is happy.

DanielSank

Well, in the meta, several folks were interested in your rock climbing experience.

Can you talk a bit about that?

heather

@0celo7 well. I don't wear glasses with the tape on them, but I do wear glasses. I don't wear that short plaid mini-skirt thing with suspenders like the sterotype seems to be, and I don't generally wear a shirt with a pocket to keep a calculator/pencils in (everyone knows you keep those in your jeans pocket). Seriously, though, i do dress rather sloppily, I have a few quirks/etc, and I carry around nerdy books, so you could probably peg me as a nerd pretty quickly =)

@AccidentalFourierTransform Yeah, I was born in a dilution refrigerator, it was rough =P (Kidding, obviously)

@DanielSank Sure. I started rock climbing maybe...four and a half years ago? I'm on a climbing team, so we train together and go around and do competitions. I really enjoy it - it's a sport that challenges both the body and the mind.

DanielSank

Travel out of state?

heather

Feb 20, 2017 22:56

If anyone else is a climber, I generally can climb V3-V4 bouldering, and 5.10c-5.10d toproping.

@DanielSank Sometimes, yeah. Divisionals this year was in Chicago, so that was pretty fun.

vzn

@heather is there much natural rockclimbing in iowa or is it more climbing walls?

heather

@vzn well, the general stereotype is that Iowa is flat which isn't true - there is some natural climbing - but generally, you head to a climbing gym.

(the climbing is like 2+ hours away from where I am)

AccidentalFourierTransform

Climbing corn fields horizontally

0celo7

lol

heather

@AccidentalFourierTransform What did you think I meant by natural rock climbing? =P

anonymous

Feb 20, 2017 22:59

@heather Do you believe in specializing in a particular sub-field of a subject (like QC) or do you feel that dabbling in various sub-fields helps one gain more experience ? Like you know they won't teach you QC atleast in the first 4 years of college. Would you have liked a QC course in your undergrad? Or would you be happy learning various other (maybe even unrealted) topics instead of QC ?

DanielSank

We're just about done. Thank you everyone for the questions. Obviously, the chat will not implode into a black hole at the official end time of the AMA, so please stay here and keep chatting as long as heather is willing to answer.

ACuriousMind

::turns off black hole implosion device::

heather

@anonymous oh, I'd be happy learning just about anything related to physics! I think dabbling in different fields definitely helps one gain more experience. I also think it isn't good to completely isolate yourself from other topics; I just don't think that's completely healthy.

vzn

thx all for your participation, great audience today & we can always use volunteers for the chat sessions, plz drop by our Physics room whenever

DanielSank

@ACuriousMind You keep that thing outta here!

heather

Feb 20, 2017 23:01

I'm still willing to answer questions, so keep on asking if you wish =)

0celo7

@heather what are your favorite shoes?

heather

@DanielSank, I appreciate you taking the time to moderate, whether or not you moderate from here on out is up to you, of course =)

@0celo7 Uhm...tennis shoes/sneakers for every day wear (though I do have a pair of knock-off converses that I like the design of) and climbing shoes for when I want to undergo pain and suffering. I think that goes on my strange question of the day list.

DanielSank

@heather I'll stick around. I have questions for you. I won't moderate much though.

0celo7

@Danu The condition $\nabla R=0$ (covariantly constant curvature tensor) is equivalent to: parallel translation of nondegenerate plane sections does not change sectional curvature.

heather

@DanielSank sounds good.

DanielSank

Feb 20, 2017 23:03

@heather One thing I really wanted to know is how your daily hours are distributed between homework/family/personal projects (physics reading)/sports/everything else.

And, importantly, are you satisfied with this distribution?

heather

ah, yes, good question. a lot of my time is obviously taken up by school (basically from when I wake up (minus time to get ready, obviously) to 3:20 ish when I get home.

DanielSank

Indeed.

I was always rather frustrated by how much time school sucked out of my younger years.

0celo7

@heather Make and model?

DanielSank

Believe it or not, I really disliked school.

heather

three nights a week i have climbing team, and two of those days are weeknights - one of the weeknights from 6-9 (pm) one from 7-9 (pm) and the weekend day 7-9 (pm).

@DanielSank I dislike school as well. I really only like it as a social outlet.

DanielSank

Feb 20, 2017 23:05

Oh wow that's a lot of sports time. That's really, really great. I'm happy to hear that.

heather

and occasionally I like my teachers or what have you, but school itself I detest.

0celo7

@heather Converse are ok. I wore those in middle school :D

DanielSank

@heather Yeah, that's more or less how it was for me.

heather

@DanielSank Yes, I love it =)

DanielSank

I loved my high school bio class.

Keeping physically active is one of the best things you can do as a scientist.

Do not ever give that up so long as your body is able.

As you get older you have to fight for it, but it's a fight worth fighting.

3

heather

Feb 20, 2017 23:07

then for family time, sometimes my dad and i will spend mornings working on projects, or my mom will take me out to get a new pair of jeans or just to chill together (same on the latter with my dad). We eat meals together a decent amount. so I'd say the remaining time is decently well split between family and personal time (and sometimes the two overlap).

dmckee

I let stress get on top of me last year and have been out of the gym for about eight month. Started back last week. Feel better already.

DanielSank

@dmckee I'm so happy to hear it.

heather

yes, I want to rock climb for the rest of my life =) i also want to do track and field this year.

DanielSank

@heather Nice.

@heather Ooooh, nice!

I did discus.

heather

so changing the various times - I'd basically bring school down to zero until I can take cool classes starting in 12th grade (though I guess I'd keep my math classes). and I'd add in social time with friends. I'd spend the balance of extra time on my personal projects and family.

anonymous

Feb 20, 2017 23:09

@heather Which one would you prefer? Would you like to be a research/theoritical scientist (like Stephen Hawking) or something like an entrepreneur cum scientist (like Elon Musk) ? Do you have any interest in being an entrepreneur ?

heather

I think I spend a decent amount of time on exercise and wouldn't change that.

@anonymous some interest in being an entrepreneur, i suppose, though I think that's lessened. when I was younger, I had a baking "business" and i'd literally bake cookies and brownies and sell them. i did pretty well. i don't really do it anymore because school, basically, and i don't have as much interest in baking anymore. but really, I think i love science and experimental science just for itself, and I don't know if I'd want to make it a company. obviously, that could change.

in response to the second most upvoted question, "Do your parents know that you are internet-friends with people from all around the world, most of which are at least twice your age? What do they think about that?"

yes, they know, and they think it's cool I know these people who are nerdy like me and can get help from them.

DanielSank

That's good.

heather

in response to your question @DanielSank about the relation between rock climbing and the mind, I think it's a positive one - I always feel tired but at the same time energized after climbing, and I definitely feel a lot better doing it than I think I would without.

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