Congrats on great presentations everyone. I heard more physics last week than I have for a while. In particular I enjoyed Nick’s presentation on Calabi-Yau manifolds. It was a pretty crazy application of a lot of different kinds of math. He also made me feel like I understood the physics despite not really knowing much about it. Providing the illusion of understanding is a sign of a great presentation. Even though it wasn’t relevant to our class it was cool seeing how some algebraic geometry slipped in there. Looking forward to everyone’s presentations next week!
April 15, 2018
Takeaway from week 1
3 Comments
Nick
April 17, 2018 — 00:07
I realise that I covered a lot in a really short time. I’m sorry it was only an illusion, but I think it’s a really fascinating subject and hope I’ve piqued your interest at least a little.
gljohns3
April 16, 2018 — 11:30
The illusion of understanding. That’s great. Maybe that’s all string theory is… (sorry Nick!) For the record, I did pick his as my favorite talk.
gbarkle
April 16, 2018 — 00:02
Haha I agree that the “illusion of understanding” is a good outcome for a presentation. A presentation which is a general introduction to a concept should make you feel comfortable with the topic discussed without overwhelming you with the details. Nick’s presentation sounds really interesting, hope to see more great topics next week.