Writing

These are my notes from learning physics at MIT, Cambridge’s Part III and Oxford’s MMathPhys. I use them for personal reference, but they’re terse, and not good to learn from.

• Undergraduate Physics
• Undergraduate Math, Geometry and Topology, Group Theory
• Atomic and Optical Physics, Solid State Physics
• Statistics, Machine Learning, Statistical Field Theory
• General Relativity, Cosmology
• Quantum Field Theory, The Standard Model, Supersymmetry
• TeX template

• Cosmological Relaxation. My Oxford MSc dissertation, reviewing models that “relax” the Higgs boson’s mass, and motivations for model building.
• Novel Searches for Physics Beyond the Standard Model. My Stanford PhD dissertation, covering several new types of experimental searches, and their motivation.

• Learning Introductory Physics. A FAQ for high school students who want to start learning physics or taking part in physics competitions, such as the USAPhO.
• After Introductory Physics. Some tips for self-taught students on what to do after mastering the basics, including book recommendations and online resources.
• Physics Activities. Some places you can apply your physics knowledge in high school.
• The Theoretical Minimum. A short list of canonical books you could self-study, to go from the level of introductory physics to PhD candidacy.
• The Stanford Physics Qualifying Exam. A transcript of my PhD qualifying exam, and advice.

• The Surprising Subtlety of Electrostatic Field Lines (published in AJP). A fun puzzle in electrostatics and its resolution with differential geometry; coauthored with Tomáš Brauner.
• My 1,000 answers on Physics StackExchange have 3 million views; here’s a sample.
• The Meaning of Nothing. The New College Demuth prize essay, on how theoretical stories map onto reality, and why a physicist’s philosophical flexibility is a useful tool. Published in the New College Record with a wonderful illustration by Audrey Effenberger.

• Here are some memorable articles about science and everything else.
• Here are some fun videos for a rainy day.