Parth G | I Taught Myself Particle Physics in 1 Week! @ParthGChannel | Uploaded 2 years ago | Updated 2 hours ago
...especially if I only give myself 45 minutes a day?
Yes, I set myself an interesting challenge. Although I studied physics at university, and even focused on the study of small things, I never actually learnt any particle physics. So, many years after graduating, I decided to change that.
In order to ensure I didn't end up procrastinating, I only gave myself two 20 minute chunks of learning per day. This way I would be forced to focus, and to skip past any overly complicated bits of particle physics (and ponder over them in other spare time, rather than while learning). I used "Introduction to Elementary Particles" by Griffiths, because it was well reviewed online, and I also had the internet to help me if the textbook ever wasn't clear.
I didn't think I could learn all of particle physics in satisfactory way within a week, but the truth is that this challenge allowed me to do some learning, which is more than what I would have done had I not undertaken this challenge. Providing this structure to my timetable allowed me to enjoy the learning I was missing so much.
So what did I actually learn? Well, the book first discussed the production and detection of particles. Particles can be produced in a few different ways. We talk about the production of electrons from a cathode ray tube, as well as the production of protons by ionizing hydrogen atoms. However more exotic particles do not form most of the ordinary matter we observe around us, so we have to rely on either cosmic rays (proton showers from space), nuclear reactors, or particle accelerators. The last option allows us the most control. We can smash together lots of particles at high energies and watch as they split up into smaller particles.
But then how do we know these particles are there? How can we detect them? Most particle detection relies on the fact that charged particles ionize the matter around them. This can lead to an ionization trail in cloud chambers or bubble chambers. And even uncharged particles can be detected when they split into other charged particles. The way these particles move can help us figure out something about their charge, mass, and other properties.
Now particle interactions can be very neatly described by Feynman diagrams, that show how particles behave over time. In this video we look at one that shows the Coulomb repulsion between two electrons (because they're both negatively charged). In particle physics, a force is mediated by the exchange of a particle, and in this case electron repulsion happens because they exchange a photon.
Ultimately, Feynman diagrams are based on some complicated rules that simplify down to some very beautiful visual rules focusing on the "vertices" between the lines representing different particles.
Thanks for watching, please do check out my socials here:
Instagram - @parthvlogs
Patreon - patreon.com/parthg
Music Chanel - Parth G's Shenanigans
Merch - https://parth-gs-merch-stand.creator-spring.com/
Here are some affiliate links for things I use! I make a small commission if you make a purchase through these links.
Introduction to Elementary Particles (Griffiths) - the book used in this video: https://amzn.to/3I3ld71
Quantum Physics Book I Enjoy: https://amzn.to/3sxLlgL
My Camera: https://amzn.to/2SjZzWq
ND Filter: https://amzn.to/3qoGwHk
Microphone (Fifine): https://amzn.to/2OwyWvt
Gorillapod: https://amzn.to/3wQ0L2Q
Timestamps:
0:00 - Can I teach myself particle physics in 1 week?
1:09 - Watch me learn (here's what I did!)
2:27 - What did I actually learn?
3:09 - How particles are produced!
4:55 - How particles are detected!
6:12 - Crossing symmetry (antiparticles moving backwards in time!)
6:54 - Organizing particles into groups
7:28 - Feynman diagrams
...especially if I only give myself 45 minutes a day?
Yes, I set myself an interesting challenge. Although I studied physics at university, and even focused on the study of small things, I never actually learnt any particle physics. So, many years after graduating, I decided to change that.
In order to ensure I didn't end up procrastinating, I only gave myself two 20 minute chunks of learning per day. This way I would be forced to focus, and to skip past any overly complicated bits of particle physics (and ponder over them in other spare time, rather than while learning). I used "Introduction to Elementary Particles" by Griffiths, because it was well reviewed online, and I also had the internet to help me if the textbook ever wasn't clear.
I didn't think I could learn all of particle physics in satisfactory way within a week, but the truth is that this challenge allowed me to do some learning, which is more than what I would have done had I not undertaken this challenge. Providing this structure to my timetable allowed me to enjoy the learning I was missing so much.
So what did I actually learn? Well, the book first discussed the production and detection of particles. Particles can be produced in a few different ways. We talk about the production of electrons from a cathode ray tube, as well as the production of protons by ionizing hydrogen atoms. However more exotic particles do not form most of the ordinary matter we observe around us, so we have to rely on either cosmic rays (proton showers from space), nuclear reactors, or particle accelerators. The last option allows us the most control. We can smash together lots of particles at high energies and watch as they split up into smaller particles.
But then how do we know these particles are there? How can we detect them? Most particle detection relies on the fact that charged particles ionize the matter around them. This can lead to an ionization trail in cloud chambers or bubble chambers. And even uncharged particles can be detected when they split into other charged particles. The way these particles move can help us figure out something about their charge, mass, and other properties.
Now particle interactions can be very neatly described by Feynman diagrams, that show how particles behave over time. In this video we look at one that shows the Coulomb repulsion between two electrons (because they're both negatively charged). In particle physics, a force is mediated by the exchange of a particle, and in this case electron repulsion happens because they exchange a photon.
Ultimately, Feynman diagrams are based on some complicated rules that simplify down to some very beautiful visual rules focusing on the "vertices" between the lines representing different particles.
Thanks for watching, please do check out my socials here:
Instagram - @parthvlogs
Patreon - patreon.com/parthg
Music Chanel - Parth G's Shenanigans
Merch - https://parth-gs-merch-stand.creator-spring.com/
Here are some affiliate links for things I use! I make a small commission if you make a purchase through these links.
Introduction to Elementary Particles (Griffiths) - the book used in this video: https://amzn.to/3I3ld71
Quantum Physics Book I Enjoy: https://amzn.to/3sxLlgL
My Camera: https://amzn.to/2SjZzWq
ND Filter: https://amzn.to/3qoGwHk
Microphone (Fifine): https://amzn.to/2OwyWvt
Gorillapod: https://amzn.to/3wQ0L2Q
Timestamps:
0:00 - Can I teach myself particle physics in 1 week?
1:09 - Watch me learn (here's what I did!)
2:27 - What did I actually learn?
3:09 - How particles are produced!
4:55 - How particles are detected!
6:12 - Crossing symmetry (antiparticles moving backwards in time!)
6:54 - Organizing particles into groups
7:28 - Feynman diagrams
