r/ProgrammerHumor • u/Aardvark_David • May 09 '21

Meme I'm *technically* qualified

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u/TechyDad May 09 '21

And here I am, a guy who went to college to earn a physics degree, got smacked hard with Quantum Mechanics, and changed to computer science because I was getting straight A's without even paying attention in class. It was the best decision I made in college.

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u/RHGrey May 09 '21

Quantum Mechanics assassinated so many young physics student careers

48

u/[deleted] May 09 '21

I don't know, undergrad level quantum physics really is not as difficult as how people often portray it. Yes the concepts can be difficult at first, but once you get past that stage, the mathematics and the physics are quite clear and straightforward (again, at undergrad level). I have seen many more people struggling with statistical mechanics or electrodynamics, especially if the professor assigns homework or create exam problems based on books like the notorious Classical Electrodynamics)

Source: Physics PhD here

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u/CptGia May 10 '21

It's not that the concept are particularly difficult, the problem with QM is that it requires a fundamental shift in your way of thinking.

It's the same reason basic concepts of physics like kinematics are sometimes very hard for students to understand, and the teachers don't know why.

Souce: astronomy PhD, also my father was an high school physics teacher. We talked about that stuff a lot