Physics 20 Reading List #1

Welcome to Physics 20!

Physics 20 lab is all about finding an efficient, harmonious, and fun way
of bringing together the ideas of physics, the tools of computer
science, and the methods of numerical analysis.

In this lab you will study
- Physics: You will solve simple physics problems
that are not easily done using pencil and paper.
- Computer languages: You will use several languages and programming
environments, and find that different languages are better suited
for different types of tasks. And just as for foreign languages,
familiarity with several computer languages makes it
easier to learn new ones.
- Programming: You will gain valuable experience in programming
and debugging techniques.
- Numerical methods: You will learn the basics of effective methods
for solving mathematical problems such as performing integrals or
solving ordinary differential equations.

In this lab, you start discovering a productive and enjoyable way for
you to use computers to do quantitative science; later in your career
you will find that you have built up a toolbox of tools and techniques
with which you are comfortable, and that can be useful in many
occasions. Just which particular tools and techniques you have
acquired will depend partly on contingency (such as your taste and
mine), but nevertheless they will suit your style of doing
computations, and they will serve you well.

In this lab, the underlying current in your adapting to new tools and
developing your style of doing computation will be the pursuit
beauty: beauty in physics, in the graphical presentation of
information, and in programming. In all three, beauty is synonymous
with clarity, economy, power, efficiency, generality:
- in physics (and especially in theoretical physics), beauty
has been a guiding principle for the development of more and more
general, economical, and powerful theories;
- in the graphical display of information, beautiful graphs and
tables display data with clarity and economy, emphasize important
trends and features, and encourage statistical and mathematical inference;
- in programming, beauty serves as the first line of defense
from complexity and from bugs: beautiful languages and codes
manifest the parallelism between a program and its mathematical and
physical content; ugly languages and codes hide it and provide a
breeding ground for inconsistencies and inefficiencies.

Thus, this week I am giving you three short readings about beauty in
these three areas.

The first (to be handed out in class) is ''Beauty and the quest for
beauty in science'' (Physics Today, July 1979, p. 25) by Subrahmanyan
Chandrasekhar. This is a short lecture on the topic that
Chandrasekhar would later write up in the charming Truth and
Beauty: Aesthetics and Motivations in Science (Univ. of Chicago,
1987).

The second is a review in Salon magazine of Edward Tufte's books
on displaying information. Tufte's books are considered seminal
contributions to the theory and practice of statistical (and to some
extent, physical) graphing. Later in the course we will consider in
detail at some of Tufte's lessons; for the moment I wanted to give you
an idea of why beautiful graphics is important. We have two of Tufte's
books in the lab: you are encouraged to start browsing them. Tufte's
website is also a good
resource that you might enjoy exploring.

The last is an excerpt (also handed out in class) from ''Machine
Beauty: Elegance and the Heart of Technology'' by David Gelernter
on the importance of beauty in computer languages and programs.
Disregard the part about the special status of human minds, which
reads a bit like a rant.

You are encouraged to discuss these readings with the other students
in the lab and with your TA. You can also post comments or questions
to this blog, by clicking on the ''COMMENTS'' link below.

After you're done with the reading, move on to the assignment, which
is due by 4pm on October 7. Discuss the delivery mode of the
assignment with your TA.