Physics

Q: What can you do with a physics degree?
A: With a graduate degree you can work for high-tech industry, a government lab, or a college/university. With an undergraduate degree, there are many possibilities; I got my bachelor's degree along with a police officer, a patent attorney, and a medical physicist.

Q: Can we do the Schrodinger's cat experiment?
A: No.

Q: Why are you dressed like a slob?
A: Because I like to be comfortable.

Q: Why don't you have a PhD?
A: Because research isn't fun enough for me.

Q: Why do you prefer to be called Erik?
A: Because I don't see a point in emphasizing a hierarchy in the classroom or forcing displays of respect. I hope to earn your respect by demonstrating my expertise in physics and teaching.

Q: Can you give me a study guide?
A: Yes, see the relevant tip sheet.

Q: How do you solve for _______?
A: It depends. There is no single way to solve for anything in physics.  It always depends upon the physical situation and the data you are given. For example, acceleration could be determined in these ways:

• Deduced as free fall (ay = -9.8 m/s2)

• Calculated using a variety of kinematics equations

• Calculated using net force and mass

Q: Can you tell me what's going to be on the quiz or final?
A: Not really. Anything in the chapters(s) covered by the test is fair game. And you might need to use some skills and knowledge from previous chapters.

Q: Are you writing backwards when you make lightboard videos?
A: No, I flip the video horizontally.

Q: Why do you get mad when people say g = -9.8 m/s^2?
A: Because it's not true; g = 9.8 m/s^2.

Q: Why do you get mad when people say g = "gravity"?
A: Because it's not true. Gravity is the phenomenon, not this particular variable. Call it "little g", "gravitational field strength", or "magnitude of free-fall acceleration."

Q: What are your favorite areas of physics?
A: Physics education research is the most interesting to me, simply because it is relevant to my job. I like reading about astrophysics, though my educational background in this is not strong. For the topics we cover in the classes I teach, I am strongest in thermodynamics. 

Q: How do I tell if another instructor is any good?
A: Look for three things:

• Email them and ask for a syllabus before the term starts. If you get it (or one from a previous term) in a reasonable amount of time and it looks informative, then this is a good sign that they are organized.

• Look into how lectures are structured. If it is almost entirely student-led discussion, then you might have a lazy instructor. If it is almost entirely lecturing with you passively taking notes, then you might have an instructor who doesn't know or care about active learning.

• See how grading is done. If it is based on just a few papers or high-stakes exams, then you are unlikely to get regular and substantive feedback on your work.

Q: What are your favorite sportsball teams?
A: I like the Timbers and Blazers for pro teams. I like Chemeketa and the Oregon Ducks for college teams. I like the Salem soccer team (CFC Atletico) and basketball team (Salem Capitals). And I like North Salem High School.

Q: What were things like in the 1980s?
A: The movie The Breakfast Club does a pretty nice job of capturing the youth culture of the time, at least at my high school (South Salem High). People could be pretty mean; there was not a lot of tolerance for people who were different and it was probably pretty awful for some. If you played D&D or liked computers, then you had to hide it to avoid ridicule. The AIDS epidemic really brought out some incredible cruelty that is hard to fathom in retrospect. Most people recognized that racism was wrong, but pretty much every other "ism" you can imagine was on full display without apology. There was no streaming and even watching taped movies was a special treat. Most people had a choice of 5 or so channels unless you were rich and had cable. When I was young you got to watch your favorite movie (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory) the one time per year it was televised. You had one phone line and you maybe carried around a quarter in case you needed to call someone at a pay phone. There was more wandering around on foot or by bike. The arcades were really fun as the home video games were pretty primitive (Pong and Atari). People often played multiple sports instead of specializing early as they do now. And more people participated either formally or informally. Downtown Salem would smell bad at times when the paper mill (at the location of Riverfront Park) would emit some chemicals. Eating out was a pretty uncommon treat, even though my family had a decent income. Fact checking was tough without the internet; you had to dig through an encyclopedia or go to the library. Some of us were scared of World War 3 as things were very tense with the Soviet Union. Photography was much more expensive and cumbersome. You got your news from a half hour on TV at night or reading the newspaper in the morning. So you couldn't insulate yourself with like-minded people as tends to happen today.