The h Bar

8:21 PM

I'm just messing, that's all

@Danu: Now you know what I look like :)

Just messing? :)

Though, I often feel left out because I don't do GR & half the people in here do it.

@JamalS not really, but you know what I look like

@KyleKanos Wait, weren't you doing some cosmology stuff?!

Nope, I do Supernova Remnants

8:22 PM

How do you... not need GR?!

The other Kyle does cosmology stuff, I think

Because plasmas are diffuse enough material to not warp space

I like GR most because of it's connection (pun intended) to diff. geometry

If I wanted to model the actual explosion of a supernova, I'd probably need GR

So messing = brass?

@JamalS Har har har

@KyleKanos IDK, I'm Dutch

::giggles::

8:24 PM

@KyleKanos You could quite easily learn GR, if you tried... At least the basics (I don't know more than that either)

@Danu The German Wiki translated to brass

Are you familiar with tensor notation in the context of SRT?

@Danu It is one of my goals after I graduate

@KyleKanos then, sure :D

@KyleKanos :D cool

@KyleKanos: I'd recommend 'Applied Differential Geometry.' Once you learn that, GR comes as a very straightforward application.

8:25 PM

@JamalS: Burke's book?

ISBN 978-0521269292

Yeah

If you want a quick course

Otherwise, it's Spivak

Added to my Amazon wish list

Pirate it :)

I have Joel Franklins Advanced Mechanics and General Relativity

That's what we used for my Mechanics + GR course a number of years ago

But the course was awful

So I didn't really get much out of it

By the way, you program in Fortran, right?

8:29 PM

That I do

@JamalS Wrong. The way to go is Lee's Introduction to Smooth Manifolds, for basic DiffGeo

Trust me, it's based on experience

Is it dense?

Spivak is too high-level if you're not a mathematically oriented student (i.e. have 2-3 years of mathematics - for mathematicians, under your belt)

That I agree

Have you seen Burke's?

Lee's book starts with some high level stuff in the first half of the first chapter but then builds up reasonably simply - and he has good appendices that cover all the basics you need

@KyleKanos have you ever taken formal math courses (Analysis, Topology?)

8:31 PM

@Danu Nope and nope. Calc I-III, Number Theory, Diff Eq I & II, and Linear Algebra were the requirements for the Mathematics Minor I got in undergrad.

PS I don't think you really need to understand DiffGeo at all to do basic GR

@KyleKanos OK, so you're more like me

Yeah, but, it's interesting!

You will need to familiarize yourself with some analysis and topology before you can handle DiffGeo (if you want to learn about it at all)

I'm currently struggling quite hard in my DIffGeo course without this background material

Ah, I actually have a diff geom question for you Danu

Calc I-III may be OK in terms of analysis. Do you know the formal statement of the inverse function theorem, for instance?

8:34 PM

With a metric connection, it's defined such that it is compatible with the metric structure, i.e. parallel transporting two tangent vectors preserves the inner product. Now, if I choose it to be compatible with the structure of a Lie group G, what does that mean?

@JamalS no idea.

In my program, Riemannian geometry only comes after a full semester of DiffGeo

@Danu For some function $f(a)=b$ we have $f^{-1}(b)=a$ if both are differentiably continuous & something else

e.g. the electromagnetic potential is a U(1)-connection

Ok

@KyleKanos hmmkay, as long as you have some idea, and know where to look it up you may be OK

But you will definitely need some topology (compactness, Hausdorff, second countability are all very important)

For GR or DiffGeom or both?

8:36 PM

DiffGeo

not at all for GR

Well, it depends how in depth you want to go in GR

Not really, it depends on which direction in GR

Yes, that's better put.

you can go all the way as far as cosmology is concerned 100% without hardcore math

Touché

8:37 PM

Maybe you need some DiffGeo for really understanding the precise statement of some singularity theorems

but even that, I'm not sure of

...but DiffGeo is pretty cool, and worth learning IMO

it does give some very very neat insights

even something as basic (in that context, at least) as the idea that a vector should be identified with a derivative blows my mind

^yes, that was not at all obvious to me

One of my favorite results is still the Chern-Gauss-Bonnet theorem

that smells of topology

instant dislike grows inside of me

haha

The left hand side is differential geometry

And the right hand side is topology

Which is partially why it's a great result

Well, it's getting late... I need to be up early for a flight to London... Wish me luck with my uni interview :)

8:53 PM

GL GL

you'll be fine

try to make the impression that you're also a chill dude

I don't know whether you are

but you should be, it really helps in life

don't be that angry nerd person ;)

Ah, that's what my teacher told me today - 'Jamal, just relax.'

So, what do you mean by 'chill dude'?

So I can act 'chilled' :) lol

don't be the angry nerd type

hope you know what I mean :P

if not, you may be the angry nerd type

:D

Agh, not really

Yikes!

What is it?

lmao

Don't leave me hanging!

8:56 PM

just messing with you

Try to be social and stuff

t's important to get ahead in life

you've got the academics down

dont worry about that

My Weschler test indicated I was below average socially

well, that usually happens with people like you who work disproportionally hard on their academics :P

it's important to overcome that

Isn't that what's required?

To maximise success in that field?

what?

To be the best I can be, I have to maximise the time I spend, no?

8:59 PM

No

Well, I'm still young, I'll probably change in the future

to be the best you can be, you have to enjoy your life. Get rid of these naive external morale-type things. You're the one who has to live your life, so make sure you love it. Don't try chasing that dream if you're doing it because of some external motivation

10,000 hours

@JamalS I'm just warning you to not become that guy in social isolation because all he does is work work work

@KyleKanos the greatest bullshit ever heard. Also, I think Jamal is already more than halfway there

@JamalS, In the end, you have to let go of 'being the best' is what I'm trying to say, I guess

While the number might be wrong, I think the intent is correct: if you want to be a master at something, you need to spend a ton of time doing it

9:03 PM

@KyleKanos: You can't 'master' physics

@KyleKanos The intent is to fix a number, and that's ridiculous

^

@JamalS Of course not, but you can master your subfield

We've all spent several thousands of hours, I think

This is not the point (anymore)

Hours well spent

9:04 PM

Several thousand sounds about right

My advice is also specific to Jamal (we talked quite a bit outside of SE)

make sure you have friends. GOOD friends. Ones you can really relate to, and that can really help you on a personal level

Really, you're so far ahead in academics right now that you can afford to invest some more time in being social

and if you don't do it now, it'll only become harder and harder to 'be fun' (I understand that fun is a subjective notion, but I"m talking about the stereotypical notion of social, 'cool', etc)

Oh god, my MIT interview may have gone badly then... All I talked about was computer programming, mathematics and physics...

...and that non-academic part of life often turns out to be more fulfilling (and importnat, at least to me) than you may have thought

@JamalS don't worry about it. You'll get into a top school for sure

...and maybe the MIT people are psyched to see someone as dedicated as you

I'm trying to give you some 'life advice' that I learned the semi-hard way

But how do you 'be social.' It doesn't come naturally to me.

An easy way to start is to start doing your homework together with other people in your program

If you find that you're way ahead of them, just spend time talking to them, maybe you can help them understand some problems - try not to be a showoff or drag overly advanced stuff in it though when you do this

I personally never do a problem set alone.

There's a group of 3-6 people that I work together with

and you get to know each other, talk about physics but also other stuff, etc. You become friends.

9:11 PM

@JamalS Find the largest local/University sports team (whatever sport it is) and start watching them play. One topic that appears regularly amongst my colleagues is sports

@KyleKanos watch out, this may be quite specific to the US

@KyleKanos: Danu's advice I can definitely implement, but sports... Agh, I can't.... I feel sick thinking of it...

...although football (soccer) is usually OK, I guess in the UK people care about that stuff too

@Danu Soccer with most EU sports fans?

just be yourself

9:12 PM

@IceBoy Not if that means total seclusion!

Ever play Dungeons & Dragons (or other related dice-based role-playing game)?

I like Chess

I play against some people at my school, during breaks

@KyleKanos this is also an option; I hear a lot of people like it in the physics scene (although I personally am not into that kinda thing, fantasy and all...)

But of course we're in total silence for that...

@JamalS this is also an OK, though not GREAT way to make friends

9:13 PM

@JamalS who cares what people think

No, I'm not into the fantasy thing either.

@IceBoy I would love to do chess-boxing heh :D

you can do both

That looks like fun... if it weren't painful...

@JamalS Anyways, just make sure you don't become lonely. It's really not that hard; as you'll notice, many people will be looking to make new friends

if you show some initiative to hang out/do stuff with people, it'll be relativetly easy

9:15 PM

I play the clarinet, I could join a band :)

@JamalS there's definitely uni-related orchestra's and stuff. Good idea

my point is just be yourself, don't change because of peer preasure

Don't be afraid to say "Yes" to the question, "Hey, we're gonna go check out this move X this weekend, you in?"

Unless it's a really bad movie

@KyleKanos no, ESPECIALLY if it is.

Yeah, I'm really picky with my movies, and there haven't been any good ones lately :(

9:17 PM

@JamalS Note that you won't be going to watch the movie, you're going to be social :)

Anyone here watched Stanley Kubrick's films?

@JamalS Doesn't really matter, you can have fun watching bad movies beforehand and afterwards, and even during

@KyleKanos exactly

@JamalS sure!

Some of his films, not all of them

I always found Full Metal Jacket amazing

I love 2001

9:18 PM

so haunting

...although I'm not sure this will be the favorite movie of many freshmen :D Maybe they'd appreciate it though

Not so keen on the science fiction, but on the underlying metaphors, symbolism, etc.

Have you seen 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf'?

It was made in 1966

One of my favorite films

classic

I'm into classics too.

music, not so much...

I do like classical music

There's a music group where I live, and they hire musicians from around Europe to perform in a monthly meetup

Join an orchestra

But the majority are old people (at least 75)

9:21 PM

so

I like going regardless for the music

age means nothing

a friend is a friend

No, I know, but I stand out

@IceBoy Sorry, but this is too 'easy'.

@JamalS Orchestra's are a good thing, as I already mentioned.

My wife and I are around 30, most of our friends are around 50

9:23 PM

I love Jazz too

cool

Benny Goodman, Duke Elington

classics

Speaking of music, @Danu, I assume you've seen: youtube.com/watch?v=BipvGD-LCjU?

2

The song's called 'finite simple group of order two' :)

(Of course, it describes a romance in terms of group theory.)

This is pretty funny.

Is there any way to set up a reminder for myself to post this on Valentine's day?

9:28 PM

I'll remind you :)

@Danu There was an invention a long time ago called a "calendar" ;)

What? What's that?!?

Oh, you mean a Google Calendar? :)

Calendar

A calendar is a system of organizing days for social, religious, commercial or administrative purposes. This is done by giving names to periods of time, typically days, weeks, months, and years. A date is the designation of a single, specific day within such a system. Periods in a calendar (such as years and months) are usually, though not necessarily, synchronized with the cycle of the sun or the moon. Many civilizations and societies have devised a calendar, usually derived from other calendars on which they model their systems, suited to their particular needs. A calendar is also a physical...

@Danu Aww, what an epic movie

9:29 PM

What movie is that?

Jumanji

haven't seen it - LOL

Surprisingly, I've watched it, in Spanish class!

When I was 10

Oh shit! It's Mrs. Dunst

whoa, she looked like that only 20 years ago?

Yep

she was also in Interview with a Vampire:

That was a good movie, for a vampire movie...

9:34 PM

Back in 1994.

...but seriously guys, how do I set up something that'll alert me

Google Calendar can send emails

Can't you put a notification on your phone?

I can do it on my iPhone

Where are you going to post it?

@Danu just go to your calender on the wall and write it on Feb 14

seriously :-)

@IceBoy Don't have one. Why would I?

9:40 PM

Tattoo it on your hand lol

Orly? sorry.

I thought most people still use paper...

@IceBoy No apologies necessary, haha. I just don't see any use for a calendar - I've never actively used one and also don't use an agenda or anything like this, I just remember stuff.

I've even abandoned paper, I have a whiteboard behind my desk now :)

@Danu great vid for valentine's day...do you have a YouTube account you can link it there

@JamalS ... I take lecture notes for sure, on paper. When I do assignments, though, I TeX it.

9:43 PM

Sometimes I TeX my notes

I have 30 hours of classes per week, there's no way I can TeX that much.

Yeah, good point

A friend of mine who is a mathematician uses something called 'tex mex'

Or something phonetically similar to that

It's a relaxed LaTeX, where what you type get's converted directly into what it would look like in the PDF

As if you're editing the PDF, rather than the source

LyX

Hmm

He said 'tex mex', agh he has a bad memory anyway

I'm fast at LaTeX, it's not that

I just don't want to spend all of my time typing up shit

that I already wrote down

The way I do my problem sets is I never write anything down

I do all the manipulations in my head

and write as I think

9:47 PM

Out of curiosity, how's the level of your problem sets?

Are they easy?

Not to me

to you - maybe

Example: Prove that $\mathbb{C}\mathrm{P}^n$ is Hausdorff

Other example: Give a counterexample showing that $A\geq B\geq 0$ (where $A$ and $B$ are symmetric operators on a finite-dimensional Hilbert space) does not imply $A^2\geq B^2$.

Yet another example: Prove Kramers' theorem

I know a proof of the first using exact sequences

Is that what you would use?

Or how do they want you to do it in your class?

no ring theory

only topology

the way I did it was using the homogeneous coordinates on projective space

(I'm not entirely sure this is standard terminology)