Ask HN: What is the best way to get into Physics as a coder? I don't know anything about Physics. |
Ask HN: What is the best way to get into Physics as a coder? I don't know anything about Physics. |
If you want to write a game engine or something, you just need to understand some equations and how to implement them.
If you actually want to understand physics - as in the rhyme and rhythm of the physical world - you will have to grind it out. Your coding skills won't help you much. No one has written an essay on the Unreasonable Effectiveness of Coding in the Natural Sciences [1], because there isn't much. Most you will get out of your coding skills is that you can quickly numerically simulate some physics equations. But simulating equations is not physics.
Rather than simulating the models, the skill of Physics is to build the models that correctly describe the system in question. Building models requires actions like making the correct assumptions or identifying the symmetries of the system. These skill emerge from mathematically modeling a large number of systems, in a wide variety of domains, so you get the intuitive understanding of what to do when faced with a novel system. Mathematics provides a very convenient framework for making assumptions and identifying symmetries, while coding does not.
So, really, the prescription is to master calculus, linear algebra and differential equations, and then grind your way through about ten physics courses in sequence. There is no shortcuts unfortunately.
I would recommend paying graduate students at your local university to tutor you.
Exhibit A: http://groups.csail.mit.edu/mac/users/gjs/6946/sicm-html/
Coding is very useful for parts of Physics. But if you look at the core of the physics skill - being able to build theories and models of new systems - you will see that almost all the fundamental discovery work in Physics was done before the era of digital computers. And despite of now a lifetime of usage of inane amounts of computing powers in Physics, we have hardly discovered any foundational results.
Sure numerical analysis is critical for building intuition about complex systems. And it is a necessary part of a physicists training. And this excellent book does exactly this - derives a bunch of physics equations using mathematics, and then implements them in lisp to build intuition. But writing code will help you with the core physics skill much less than actually struggling with mathematics.
Or do you even mean "physics" in the sense the word is used in computer game development ? Which is "largely" (an over broad term) mechanics; how things move, flow, deform under external forces.
Can you give us more details? That would help with giving you pointers.
To learn the basics, something like The Feynmann Lectures on Physics.
Description and links:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Feynman_Lectures_on_Physic...
The lectures online:
https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/info/
But if you are serious, know that there are really varied branches of physics, some theoretical and some experimental. The theoretical branch (and making it through grad school) will demand lots and lots of math, and not the “numerical” kind that is common in computing. You might get familiar with symbolic math computing, such as MAXIMA.
Experimental work is very hands-on, but since so much of it is quantum level, the math is also important. Lesson I learned: if you want to really do physics, learn to love math, advanced stuff.
But if you do get into experimental physics, there are some pretty exciting projects. Just today, I found this article.
If you want something done right, do it yourself: the scientists who build their own tools
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-023-04015-0
Astronomy and Astrophysics are similar. You can go experimental, and of course, reduce tons and tons of data. But cosmology is going to require mostly math as your tool, relativity and quantum physics, perhaps the twain will meet.
Of course, you could go the circular route, as I did. I got a B.S. in physics, did optical and electronic engineering, and eventually got a job supporting computing at an outstanding physics department.
I was a great experience, but when funds were cut, I went on to other, mostly computer-related, jobs.
Personally, I took a liking to optics, which requires knowledge of physics, but it was something I could hold in my hands ( i.e. a camera ) or not hold, as in space optics. My optical engineering days were very enjoyable.
Some people who do know about physics don't need coders and some do.
You need to find people who do know about physics, but who still need coders.
Physics is just too big a subject to 'know about it' enough to 'get into physics as a coder'.
Yes, you will need to know about a specific 'problem domain' within physics
One that someone somewhere needs a coder for.
But start with people, not with physics
People need coders, physics doesn't
People have physics problems that they need coders to solve
Read up, find the people with the unsolved physics coding problems that you can work out how to help them solve
Then your problems will really begin
Then you'll find out if getting into physics as a coder was right for you
I think most people never make it as far as she did. You have to be really smart and let's face it programming is not the smartest job out there. Even the best programmers mostly end up not knowing physics that well.
I'll post the site if I find it later today.
- Building a toy physics engine like Box2D or working on a Ray tracer will teach you about mechanics & light respectively.
Also the two volumes of Leonard Suskid's "Theoretical Minimum" are a great place to start for highschool math.
You cannot master all of physics not even professional physicists can master all of physics.
What you need is;
a) The theoretical minimum.
b) A niche in physics you have an interest in. (I recommend you start with the "A Very short introduction" books.
You can get into Astronomy, Cosmology, Electricity for example.
Also it would be great to have a copy 9f Richard Feynman's Lectures of physics.
[0] : https://docs.vizycam.com/doku.php?id=wiki:motionscope_app [1] : https://docs.vizycam.com/doku.php#applications
Knowing math can help you in general for sure. Knowing programming will help you if you get into numerical simulations etc.
Other than that - there is nothing to suggest here.
You choose your goal (“get into physics” is not a goal) and you start digging towards it like everybody else.
Pick up books from subjects that you think might interest you while you hang. Read a few chapters and decide if the book/subject is for you.
If you really love it; buy the book and take it home.
I did this for a number of years, and absorbed a lot from coding, general physics, quantum mechanics, and even tried to dabble in Astro physics.
soon enough you'll learn about gradients, curls, and how to implement them
Oh, and play kerbal space programs
I learned a lot of Physics watching youtube channels like PBS Space Time. That's much easier than buying a textbook.
I think the most important advice is don't try to skip ahead. It's tempting to jump straight into the cool modern physics topics like quantum mechanics and general relativity before you have the necessary background. I've gone down that route and didn't really learn anything that way.
If you haven't taken any physics at the university level, you probably want to start with one of the big calculus-based intro books like Young's University Physics. Calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra are really important, so you might want to pick up separate textbooks on those (or a single volume Engineering Mathematics textbook) unless you have already learned these subjects. Everyone speaks highly of the Feynman Lectures, but some say that they're only really beneficial after you already have a decent understanding of the subjects being covered. I believe I heard Sean Carroll say this once on a podcast, and I trust his opinion on physics matters.
The core subjects in undergraduate physics are classical mechanics, electrodynamics, special relativity, quantum mechanics, and statistical mechanics/thermodynamics. You will learn all of these subjects from an intro textbook as a first pass. After that, you'll return to each subject and essentially relearn it at a more advanced level with dedicated textbooks for each (except SR which is covered in electrodynamics). General relativity and quantum field theory are usually taught at the graduate level or as upper-level undergraduate electives, so those are best to save for last.
Having forgotten a lot of the math I learned a decade ago, I've found that having one of those Mathematical Methods books nearby at all times is indispensable. I went with Riley/Hobson/Bence, but Boas also gets good reviews. These books are a bit terse if you're learning a subject for the first time, but they're great as a reference and contain pretty much all the math you will ever need to know unless you plan on doing research-level physics.
Don't forget about YouTube. There are lots of lectures available from top universities, as well as independent content creators. I haven't looked much into physics channels yet, but on the math side I highly recommend 3Blue1Brown, especially his series "Essence of Calculus" and "Essence of Linear Algebra".
This is a good roadmap to guide your study path and has good textbook recommendations: https://www.susanrigetti.com/physics
Not quite coding though.