From being terrible at math to a quantum physicist - my journey
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- čas přidán 4. 03. 2019
- My path into theoretical physics wasn't a super traditional, since I started off very very bad at math. I hope this video shows you there's no such think as someone who isn't a maths person- since I ended up majoring in pure maths and loving it.
- Věda a technologie
If you think you're bad at something and you want to get better, I have a book recommendation for you. It's Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool. It goes through the evidence for why peak performers are not necessarily the most naturally gifted, but the people who do the right type of practice. Then it talks about how you might do this yourself. (I kept recommending it in replies to people, so I thought I'd just pin it here.)
Thank you.
You are more me than I am myself.... I used to hate physics and never got a grade above C, now i got an A... Caie's are real close and this was all i needed to hear to go pick up my books and study....thanks
Because you've started out being bad at math, would you be interested in teaching people such as myself to get better in math since you may now how our mind works? I'm interested in Math and Physics, but I'm not good at it.
Exactly what I was looking for. In the States we have a culture of perfectionism coupled with lack of self esteem. Everyone always tells me they can't nor are willing to attempt things outside their skill set; starting at bottom math, many night classes and failed classes and dropping out for financial reasons, it took me 13 YEARS to become an Engineer!
I'm glad I found your channel again. Thanks for sharing your story.
@@wastedblues2 That's awesome! Well done on pushing through!
Being bad at something is the first step towards being good at it.
Thank you that has inspired me
Wow! You are about to begin my whole career.
Jake the dog
Realising you're bar is the first step
@replying_OK_to_idiots lol
This proves that a great teacher can make ALLLL the difference
This proves that a great teacher can get their students engaged in the subject and that student can make ALLLL the difference through hard work and practice. I suck at working hard. I need to work hard on getting better at working hard.
You are a teacher
Preach
this is so true no matter what, back in freshman i was one of the low tier math course students who barely can derive/isolate an equation, so I decided to push myself upwards and enroll in a more advanced course, in that class the teacher was amazing, he made me interested in mathematics and turned it into one of my favourite subjects. And now I'm trying to get into the country's top university in mechanical engineering, the world really is weird.
Always the case, a good teacher can make a tough course easy to understand and make students love it. A bad teacher will make a easy course tough and make students hate it.
aaah girl, that's the story of my life! I am so glad you shared this. I was the worst student in my entire school, had to repeat years, my math teacher never asked me anything, she always skipped my seat as she hated any interaction with me and now, I am going to study astrophysics!!
Are you studying astrophysics now? Honestly i've always hated math or never cared enough to put the effort in. I went into criminology for university but my true passion is studying the universe. I want to drop out and study astrophysics but first i'll learn math hahaha
how is the courses of astrophysics?
@@mameemia astronomically hard
@@whannabi hahae do you have to do lots of chemistry in astrophysics or was that astronomy????
@@mameemia I just finished my masters in astrophysics! Really hard.
I am a 68 yr old female who wishes she had heard this video 58 years ago. I am a self taught artist (my mother was an incredible artist) who has spent the last several years becoming more and more mesmerized by quantum physics. Thank you for taking the time to spread your truth to so many young people who will be able to do something with it!
Maybe an opportunity to explore quantum art?
Yes,what she did is what we as students need,and thank as you.
It's not an opportunity wasted-- you can still do it! You're in a wonderful position to do it too, since if you don't wish to study for a new career then you get to study for the pure joy of learning. The kids don't get that!
I identify with this too, though I'm a little younger (approaching 40). I never ever considered sciences in school, because nobody in my family or acquaintances was a scientist, and I didn't have inspiring teachers. I also started with something arts related, ended sorts of accidentally in computer science later and unexpectedly were quite good at it and have worked on it so far, but I'm suddenly very interested in sciences.
Your comment is 2 years ago, and I hope you managed to do what you wanted to do.
This is what everybody who thinks "I'm not good at math" needs to hear.
That's what I was hoping :)
Forty years too lat for me I afraid.
I don’t think so. I really recommend Peak by Anders Ericsson
@@LookingGlassUniverse That they only need a great teacher? Or that pure Math isn't school Math? I do not think it is necessarily a story for those who say that, just for those with an interest or motivation already.
For me because I was always bad at mental arithmetic I assumed I would also be bad at maths. Well, I kind of am, but it's a faulty assumption to make. Just like those who are good at spelling or have neat handwriting are not necessarily the best writers.
Wow, this was very inspiring. Thanks for sharing Mithuna, the world needs more people like you!
The god just commented!
Waiting for your next video.
You are awesome yourself sir! Love your videos
Thanks so much Grant! I don’t know about inspiring, but it drives me up the wall when people say they aren’t good at maths, so I thought I’d make this.
GUYS, PLEASE DO A COLLAB!
okay it was very comforting to know that there are people who are bad at math but ended up having careers revolving around math. This was all I needed to see to convinced myself that I too have a chance of becoming an engineer. Even if I suck at math.
I hope you've been able to pursue this dream in this past year! I'm an electronics engineer. I was in bottom set for maths through school, rejected to study A-level physics and chem. I came into engineering through a job on an assembly line. At 30, I've been accepted to study Theoretical Physics at a Russell group uni.
You are not bad at maths. You are not stupid if you see an equation you don't understand. Maths is like lego, you build up maths skills brick by brick. If you don't get something, you're missing a brick. But you can find it!
@@e.s.r5809 My classical mechanics professor told us this on the first day of class: "If you think your question is simple and stupid, in physics, those are often the most difficult questions to answer."
yes me too 😭! everytime i tell people i want to be a mechanical engineering they say “you must be really good at math and science” and i just think “😅sure”. i just finished my first year of college and instead of taking calculus 1 like all the other engineering students, i am starting from the bottom. i failed college algebra and got a C the second time around. Now i am in trigonometry and seeing more people come out and say that they persevered despite not being “naturally good” at it is so inspiring.
@@e.s.r5809 This video and your comment are inspiring.
I'm in my early 30s; been working in trades and manual labor since high school. I want to go to school for electrical engineering, but I'm worried that I'll end up failing.
I was pretty good at high school math, but in college I preferred drinking and getting high to studying. I guess all I can do is dive in and make learning my life so I can accomplish my goals.
How is it going?
it's wonderful how she could switch between courses that interested her, which ultimately led her to where she is. Wish I had that opportunity in my education system 🤷🏻♀️
Same here, we don't get to choose which courses we'd be interested in, i mean yeah I understand there are fundamental courses to each field but the idea of choosing other courses on top of these fundamental ones could help students figure out what they really want and what's their core of interest is, our educational system here in my country is literally the worst, I'm planning to go abroad as soon as I retake my finals and gather enough money, I could pursue my dream field there
That was a surprise to me. Back in the 60s you had to choose one subject or another and that was that -- none of this possible changing and experimenting from year to year. I really liked reading about quantum theory and wanted to go into physics, but I knew that my maths just wouldn't be good enough, so I went into Psychology instead (not realising that statistics, which was my ancillary subject, was also degree level maths!) I never heard of half of the courses and different conceptual models of maths that you describe, they would have been totally beyond me. Your ability to describe complex ideas in a straightforward way is extraordinary, I am looking forward to hearing of your future researches.
I hated math in school, I’m an Electrical engineer now thanks to CZcams. Shoutouts to Prof. Walter Lewin, Khan Academy, Michael vin Biezen, Prof. Leonard and others (:
I'm really happy you mentioned prof Leonard. He is amazing
Khan academy giving me the goods
Wow , you learned online . People like you make my day .. good luck .
how many backlogs do you have bro ?
So amazing you took the initiative to find the resources you needed! Best of luck in all your endeavors!
Math teacher: [Laughs and walks away]
Mithuna: *CHALLENGE ACCEPTED*
Meanwhile this math teacher is still teaching stupid subjects like parabolas, trig and precalc
She won...
I and many others would have just stayed feeling dumb
Somehow someone telling you it's really hard and you can't possibly do it is much more motivating than someone telling you ooooh it's eeeeasy (when you are struggling).
SO good for you Mithuna that you went ahead and took that class anyway. You are a real math badass and a true inspiration to others.
I am 16 years old and I want to become a scientist. I was always passionate about time travel, the beginning of the Universe, quantum mechanics and now, string theory. I love math, but this semester I started with a bad grade and this really makes me feel insecure about myself. Also my class is good at math.
I'll come here 10 years later if I become a scientist. Thank you for inspiration 🥰
Good on you! Math is something anyone can improve at with effort, so just go for it and don’t worry about your current grades!
DO IT!!! I have severe ADHD and have struggled with tests and grades but I never give up and now I am doing research and outreach programs. You can do it no matter what if you want it hard enough!! Good luck to you and always reach out for help if you need it from faculty.
I'm also in the same condition, hope I become better
Did you learn topology
Just gotta put in the work! I just yesterday took my last exam for my physics masters. I am someone who flunked my way through uni just barely passing at every turn. But that was my fault, it was because I was lazy. Passion is everything, but you absolutely must not wait for it to drop success into your lap. Dont be like me. Do all your homework and do it as well as you can. Build up your work ethic and try your hardest to learn even in the classes you think are pointless and that you dont like, because trust me, even if you end up taking your preferred science at university, there are going to be classes you hate. Work hard, eat well, and keep going.
I come here in 10 years to see if i become informatic engineer
Bring me luck, i'm sure I get it
9 years and 10 months and counting.
Until next time. All the best
Good luck bro!
Yapp, you did it. Pssst.... Dont say No in few years if a fellow student ask you 4 help on a crystal-storage.
6 years and 9 months and counting.
I failed calculus multiple times, I'm starting my master's in plasma physics in the fall en route to a PhD, it can be done!
@skubb Heave dude u are cool.
@skubb Heave im 14 and im teaching myself physics, algebra, trig, and precalc(havent gotten to calculus yet, it pretty hard) with things like books and websites and videos. I use openstax, the great courses plus, khan academy, and other stuff. Great to here there are others like me out there! :)
@skubb Heave borrow some money! Sell yourself 😉, but finish up!
I also failed Calculus 1 and 2 multiple times; passed 3 because it was the professor’s last semester so he passed most of the students. By then my gpa dipped below 1.8 and the college warned me I’d be expelled by the next semester if I wasn’t up to it. I wasn’t, and failed out. Life hasn’t been great with depression, many more failures and all.
If anything, people should use this as a fear to succeed. No one acknowledges those who never made it, only the few who do.
I learned calculus once via a correspondence teaching course. Learned it to where I had some kind of grasp of the essentials and could solve problems they set us like calculate the square root using calculus and some quite strange things.
Sort of knew how to see the inherent calculus in many things.
Then I forgot it all because I never used it.
Now I try to learn calculus again and it just fatigues me to death all the endless beginner stuff. Every new tutor I find seems to have nothing more than a bigger 'approach route' entailing more and more 'basic' stuff that I never needed back then.
Going into what they seem to think are completely necessary prerequisites that in fact I've never known, didn't know when I knew calculus.
Khan academy is like that. I tried going that way. No way. can't do it. They put you on a path that seems never ending with calculus at the end of it. So they say. But you sort of see no sign of it while you're struggling with all that 'approach' stuff. So I never completed that. They exhausted the hell out of me.
Does that mean anything to you at all? Seeing you had issues with it and presumably have gotten to quite an understanding by now?
Would you have any idea where I might find that concise, precise, pithy approach that served me so well once before?
(I tried to find it again but it was from NSW Tafe here in Australia and the course and that material long gone and forgotten. Just a few pages of explanation, demonstration and exercises, sent through the post one a week or a fortnight or something and - bang! no problem, right into it... I'd love to get back into it. ).
I did my B.Sc.(Physics) in way back 1976.
Now I'm 63 years old and again started learning relativity and quantum mechanics.
It's fun !
Thanks ma'am for your very inspiring speech...👍👌
Can I start a physics course in India +2 in science after that left for business studies.
Great to meet you in youtube. I did my Physics degree back in 1989 and recently i begin to study quantum mechanics. Happy to know that there are someone who also study quantum physics inn one’s 50’s 60’s or 70’s!!
If you don’t mind sharing, what did you do for a career? People with physics degrees end up in all sorts of jobs from engineering, to computer science, to finance, and (of course) physics because it’s such a versatile and transferable field of study. I’m always curious to see what people with physics degrees end up doing career wise.
I graduated in Elec Eng in 1985 but recently started to learn about quantum field theory since it bothered me that I did not have a good understanding of virtual particles. Light bulbs went off after I watched an RI video about QFT by David Tong. czcams.com/video/zNVQfWC_evg/video.html&ab_channel=TheRoyalInstitution I am much happier now as I understand much more but I realized that I have to learn group theory which I had never even heard of before. Thank you for a beautiful video.
Did you forget everything since then?
Watched this video 3 years ago and I was terrible at math to the point that basic derivatives would scare me but this video inspired me and I started to relearn physics and maths.. I've gotten an MS in physics specialising in spectroscopy working towards publishing 3 papers and preparing for phD rn.. Quantum mechanics still scare me and I spend weeks wondering what the heck did I got myself into 😂 but I love it and I wanna thank you for such an inspiring me.. 2019 me would've never dreamed of choosing this field ever..
I am in my 50s and shaped my whole life around avoiding things because I have a lower IQ than what I feel is required for many things I wanted to do; learning is a struggle (I suspect I have a learning disability) for me and I failed math every year of high school. Now, as someone older I have told myself I want to get a knowledge of math and physics to about a second year of university of a math or physics student and have started learning from elementary school math onward. It's going to be a long journey!
Good luck !
I can bet whether you succeed or not ,you'll get true satisfaction and become an inspiration for others !
Thank you, I needed to read this. I wish you the best
I wish you the best ❤ Wonderful motivation :)
For a long time I wanted to go to a art/musician high school, but then I realised how interesting math and science can be. So I decided to take the entrance exam to a sience high school. It was really hard, because I missed the basics of math so I had to study all those things again.
Yesterday, I got the Results: I PASSED
omg CONGRATSSSSS!!! Keep doing what you love!
@@vilili8785 of course ;))
Well done!!
This isso good
I'm so happy for u:))
Yooooooo that's basically me when I was 13 I thought I would never think of doing science and maths
I may have my students watch this video. I hate when they say "I 'm not good at math".
But wouldn't that only be helpful for those motivated enough already? For school-age kids, the point could even be moot as what really changed her mind were university-level subjects.
My students are college students.
They say it because people have told them this lie. That is what academic tracking is all about, and shamefully bad teachers who laugh at students who challenge this prejudice.
Ur name auto?
Depends on what they mean by saying "I'm not good at maths", I think.
Some might mean "I don't like doing maths", and this is what you mean, I think.
Some also could mean "I need some time to fully understand it, because I'm not an overflyer and have to walk on foot".
In German, we have a phrase "den Wald vor lauter Bäumen nicht sehen" which litterally means 'not to see the forest due to the vast amount of trees', and this often happens to students at maths classes, I think.
This is a really important fact to share with the world. I earned a PhD nearly 15 years ago in nuclear & particle physics and I would describe my high school and undergraduate years as being passable in math courses. Typically getting a B or C -- except in Diff Eq. or Linear Algebra and then I finally got A's. I was much more naturally inclined towards the humanities (music major to start off college), but I had a passion for understanding the inner workings of our universe so I stuck with it and am all the better for it. Thank you for sharing and being a role model for all those that come after you.
Hey Mithuna, I’m currently 17 and a junior in high school. You have no idea how much this video means to me. I was always rubbish at maths and struggled with my love-hate relationship with it. It felt like something impossible to be good at, like an unreachable goal. But I’m starting to fall in love with it ever since I got a calculus textbook. Ill be taking the hardest maths my school offers next year too, and if all goes well, I can see myself doing maths in college. No one really believes in me since I’ve been so bad at it all my life, but I hope to prove to everyone that I’m capable, just like you are. Thank you so much for posting this- you’ve inspired me so much. it would mean the world if you replied!!
Edit: I got a 5 taking AP Calc BC! I’m majoring in CS and math now!
if you want to get a jump start in higher level mathematics, you should try learning some formal logic/proofwriting and then some kind of abstract algebra like group theory
you got this!
Wow!!!! I loved your story!! When I was in 2nd grade I volunteered to resolve a math calculation at the blackboard, and when I was there, I completely blanked in front of the whole class. The teacher, instead of helping me solving the problem, she just send me back to my seat. I hated her and I still do. I was bullied of course. That moment defined my whole academic life. In a fraction of second I turned from a happy kid that loved math to a very unsecured, fragile and timid little girl. This lasted until I was in my first yr in college. When I took a class in math 125, I decided to study all by myself. And I excelled. I was best grade in my class and I understood that it wasn’t my fault in 1980, I really understood and liked math. And then what? Today I am an auditor in a big high tech corp, accounting became my life and I love it. But my passion will always be engineering. I wanted to be an astronaut as a kid. I’ll make sure to do that in my nxt life. And all of this bc of a bad teacher. What would had happen if that teacher would have helped me overcome my fear right then and there? I would probably be writing this from NASA. Teachers: BE a teacher, a mentor.
@@larahporter8123 This is so important, I think we underestimate how much a teacher who cares can make a difference in our life!! It is so impressive how you overcame that :))
Bottom maths class club, high five! Yeah I was bottom maths too, but had a couple of great maths teachers and I ended up doing well. I love your story Mithuna as it shows that our test scores are not immutable facts about ourselves, we can change things around if we are passionate and work hard. And good job for always diving in at the deep end! Most people would scare themselves out of doing that for the sake of grades.
Oh and you have a great collection of books! ;)
Yeah, I have some really excellent books ;) I was planning on sending you photos when I finally get to read your book to my nieces. (I'll give you a proper review then- but I loved it!)
I didn't realise you'd had the same experience with maths! It's weird how we get our maths scores at such a young age handed down to us like they are our fate. I honestly don't think there's such a thing as being 'bad at maths', there's just, 'not enough practice at maths- yet'.
@@LookingGlassUniverse Absolutely! And how many grown ups do you meet now who say "I was so bad at physics/maths in school," when you tell them you are a physicist. I get that all the time and I'm like "noooooooooooooooooo!". Loads of adults who tell themselves they can't ever learn things: good job educational system!
And yeah I hope your nieces like the book! :D
Yes! I didn't notice them until I read this comment, but damn those are some good books. Book reviews on this channel would be an amazing addition!
I love that idea!
Hahaha! I have the exact same reaction- at least internally. It never seems to convince people when you tell them it’s not true.
"He laughed and walked away"
Look who is laughing now 😊
I’m in high school at the moment and everyone considers me to be a humanitarian student however i decided to specialise in physics, math and chemistry for a very similar reason as you, its just so interesting. As am lacking the basics Im struggling a lot and my physics and chemistry teacher actually talked to me about dropping out of the class. To be honest it completely broke me because of how much i love the subject but always seem to fail the tests. But i refused to leave because i know that something is keeping me there and it will get better eventually thanks to the work Im putting in. This video was very inspirational thank you, it will always remind me to keep going even if i fail.
Wow! We finally get a peek behind the looking glass. Thanks for sharing your backstory; it really resonates.
Thank you so much. I partly wanted to make this video to reassure other people who had had/ were having similar experiences.
@@LookingGlassUniverse hey I don't know if u would read it or not but if u do , I want to ask that what should a school student from India do ? I love physics but what we learn , the way we have to cram in all the information for the tests , it just makes me question my decision on taking science as a stream , this also effects my performance in mathematics ( I used to be good but now I'm just average) , and since this is my last year of school , I have pressure of getting a good college ( I think u may know about the infinite people in race for IIT's ) and honestly we don't have good teacher for these subjects either , plzzzz reply
@@chromatron5230 school can be like that :( Just push through for now and don't worry too much about grades. It doesn't actually matter that much what university you go to. What matters is that you keep the passion for it alive, and try to understand it at a deeper level (when you have time! don't stress about it too much right now)
@@chromatron5230 Become a life insurance salesman who gets paid by commission and have to give a percentage of your cut to your boss. That's what I did, and hated it, and went straight back to college.
From a guy trying to learn maths on his own.. very encouraging! Thank you.
Good luck ! You can do it !
Good luck! If you’re looking for resources, rice university has a series of online textbooks called openstax that are totally free and they have some great ones on maths.
Went from middle school concepts on Khan Academy at the age of 19 and I am now studying pre-calculus to begin the calculus series. I am 20.
@@daphnec4016 wow.
@@jasontempleton2445 You can do it. I promise.
Your story is really similar to mine. I have never been any good in Sciences or Maths and also went into the Humanities. However, as an adult and having been in the workforce, I actually grew to love Astronomy and that led to Physics and that led to chemistry and even into Pharmaceuticals. Everything became easy and I was like a sponge and kept absorbing more and more studies and more and more literature on these subjects. Carry on and good luck madam.
Thank you so much for sharing! It means a lot. My confidence is struggling quite often since my path to where I am right now hasn't been straight, like I'm not meant to pursue physics. So glad to have found your channel.
2 things: 1) A Short History of Nearly Everything rejuvenated my passion for science in a way that no other book could match. Absolutely incredible. 2) That Dali clock is super cool.
Yea
I'm horrible at math as well, and yet I'm in med school. It's been a journey. Don't let anything stop you from becoming what you really want to be.
Not that I’m trying to be rude or anything but how does math have much to do with medicine
Ilayda Bayram it does lol
@@ilos9883 first year we took a math class and physics, which is basically requested for biophysics and physiology sooo...
@@Mari-zr1vl Makes sense, thanks for the explanation
I failed biology and almost failed chem but I'm in med school now so it all worked out in the end lmao
Wow! What a story! I’m blown away partly because there are a number of similarities to my own story, but mostly because your path pretty much matches what I WISH my path had been, now that I’ve become old enough (68) to know where my interests lie. I especially like the way you took classes just to explore new areas and how you’ve made connections between these various disparate subjects in much the way I have. I only just discovered you on You Tube so I’m going to have to do some catching up watching.
Many people can learn a lot from your path. I see that you tried many different applications of mathematics, and you were not afraid to change your direction when things didn't really suit you. I like that you were willing to work hard by reading and practicing a lot, and never stopped exploring. Thanks for sharing your story.
i'm going to come back to this video everytime i berate myself about my grades or feel like i am not and never will be good enough to study a subject i really want to. thank you so much for posting this, and making me realise that being unqualified, not good enough, or even completely shit at something never means that you have to quit.
Good luck! I think that is the attitude for success :)
Teachers should know to support students instead of trying to crush their dreams saying that they are not good enough.
Im Saying from a personal experience .
Im proud of you Mithuna
You go girl....
My programming professor in university harshly told me not to come to the class because I will fail it anyway :(
@ Learn SFi My 'teacher' discriminated me infront of a whole class and harshly told me to change to an art stream just because I made a simple mistake during an experiment on the first day of chemistry practical class.
Truly, a single word from a teacher can give adverse impacts to a student's self confidence.
Teachers and doctors have destroyed so many lives. Leave this subject, or else you will fail. Amputate this hand, else you will die.
@@murtithinker7660 Seriously? That sounds so funny. Amputate someone else's hand or you will die. I would have laughed at that idiot who called himself a doctor. Sounds like a Kurt Vonnegut novel
This is really inspiring. I was also terrible at mathematics before especially when I was in elementary but when I entered first year high school I got interested to and fell in love with, because of the fact that math equations are super beautiful in the eyes. That beauty inspired me and I took advantaged of that inspiration.
When I was in 2nd year High School I got more curious about mathematics and even though my batch was only focusing on algebra, I was already studying calculus that time and through calculus I discovered quantum mechanics and that time I thought quantum mechanics was just so simple and easy to comprehend but as I get into the in-depth of it, I realized that quantum mechanics was deemed one of the hardest part of physics or maybe this is the hardest part of physics. Until now I still struggle to understand quantum mechanics, that's why my study nowadays is focused on the classical mechanics which is probably the prerequisite of it.
I want to be a Quantum Physicist like you and this story of yours gave me inspiration. I will definitely study as much physics and mathematics as I can so in the future I can comprehend quantum mechanics. My dream is also to be a mechanical engineer and a mathematician.
Great video. Your path to becoming a quantum physicist is inspirational, and your early struggles with maths is very relatable. I think you are being modest. You are clearly very smart, but what really impresses me is your determination to excel in an area that interests you, regardless of what others thought. Thank you.
Man....and here I am wasting my life with trying to finish Dark Souls 2
I really need to change
i just finished darksouls 3 and bloodborne. Not an easy task. I actually found it harder to finish than my degree.
It's perfectly possible to finish all DS titles and even harder games while doing a degree in chemistry, can confirm.
at least you are doing something I waste my life sleeping and staring at the walls :(
@@learnsfi2422 Sleeping is good for building muscles, it's not a waste and we physicists stare at walls quite often.
@@UnforsakenXII Great news then I am a healthy physicist :D
I too get really frustrated when I hear people say that they don't have the "smart-gene" or whatever to become good at something. Talent is not natural, it's a product of hard work, having the right opportunities, and access to the right resources. I'm glad that you are using your channel to purvey this information and hopefully inspire others to reach their potential too. Keep up the hard work my friend!
There's a lot more to it. Genes and predispositions are still extremely important. There's a reason why most theoretical physicists are really smart and it's not because the less smart people just didn't work hard enough. People with higher IQ will always have much easier time developing their abilities in almost any field.
@@maro9993 I'm not sure what your point is. If you're saying that people who don't have the correct gene or some inherent predisposition cannot achieve certain things in life, then I disagree with you. That's kind of like saying, the only way to get wealthy is by being born in rich families. If you're saying that some people get really good at things without hard work, then I also disagree. I DO agree that not everyone experiences the same level of difficulty in achieving things. Genetics might play a big role in that, but so do many other factors such as one's environment, and the kind of exposure that one gets to things in their formative years. In fact, there are studies that suggest that these factors are more influential than one's IQ. In any case, yes, there are many factors that can ultimately aid or hinder one's development in a particular field of interest... But that's not the point. Just because someone else finds it easier to do something, that does not mean that you will fail at doing the same thing. In fact, there are many studies that show people who get really good at things all spend about the same amount of focused time, invested in a subject. In other words, no professional in any field has reached such a level significantly quicker than any other professional in the same field, which might indicate an inherent cognitive advantage. Also, those who are less skilled in the field generally had spent proportionally less time, focused on the subject. Don't underestimate the remarkable potential of the human brain. Neural plasticity is an incredible feature we can all exploit. The kind of thinking you speak of can be dangerous and harmful. Most people never reach their true human potential in life due to drawing the wrong conclusions from such lines of reasoning.
@@chinacharltan I understand potential of the human brain, I read a lot of studies about this topic, first of all I never said any of those things u mentioned, that wasn't my point. I just see so many people working extremly hard and smart everyday to achieve certaing things, and most of them fail miserably. Envoirment is very important, the thing is, potential of our brain is different in every single human being, we are all very different. I never said not to strive to achieve greatness or try to fullfill ur dream, i just see the everyday reality. It also depends on what exactly is ur dream, but what i meant is more like - find ur predispositions and then try to improve upon it. If we talking about intelligence it depends how exactly u define it - as far as i know and learned while studying u can call it overall capacity for learning and speed of learning, so it obviously makes big difference. There are a lot of conflicting studies on this topic, and some people say that emotional intelligence is more important factor, but a lot of studies also say that Fluid intelligence is the most important factor in overall success in life. And fluid intelligence also highly correlate with emotional intelligence so... We can change our brain a bit, sure, we can improve a lot, sure, but it still doesnt' change the fact that person with IQ 140 will learn and understand the material in 1 week, while other person with much lower IQ will need maybe even a year to understand and learn the same ammount of material. Alot of what i say is also derived from my personal experience with genius people. Among my friends I had both people with extremly high IQ ( 150 + ) and really low IQ (80) and I can tell u that difference is dramatic
I, myself am a big proponent of self growth and developement, but Im also a realist and i see how different we all are, I just, atleast think, that I understant how big role in everything we think do and are luck is playin.
@@maro9993 Thank you for clarifying your point. Yes I agree that the definition of intelligence is not very well understood. And yes I agree that intelligence plays a role in success. But I think it would be a gross oversimplification to state the failure is due to lack of intelligence. Even if there were a correlation between failure and low IQ, correlation does not imply causation. There are so many other factors that could be more indicative of failure, than merely intelligence. So reducing the problem to lack of base intelligence can be harmful, in that in can cause people to believe that they have no control over their own success.
I do believe that many people end up in fields that they don't do well at. But I don't think their performance is due to a lack of predisposition. I think it has more to do with one's passion. People often choose their occupational fields incorrectly, in that they base it on superficial criteria such as job availability, market, potential earnings, social status, and pleasing family. They tend to ignore their passions, or sometimes they do it against their own will. It is no surprise then that most people perform poorly. I think the real issue that needs to be addressed is for people to understand what it is that they are passionate about in life, and what gives them purpose and meaning. This is the key to realising your potential.
Thank you- I really appreciate your videos both for explaining difficult concepts, but also (perhaps mainly) for how you demystify the process and show how much more accessible these topics are than one might have thought.
Thanks so much I really need this kind of inspiration and a kind of “push” for myself right now... I’m also someone who’s considered herself a “humanity student “ and is now deciding to go into science field... this video gives me so much courage and encouragement on pursuing my dream.. despite my insecurity in my knowledge and ability in doing science... at the end it’s really the amount of interest and effort you put in that help you achieve your goal... thanks so much 😭
Hi Mithuna, can't believe I only found your channel today, it's great. I abandoned my original dream of physics when back at school specifically because my maths was rubbish, I get the impression your "terrible at maths" is very different to mine! So while this was enlightening to listen to, I am still pretty sure I would've never made it as a physicist. Saw you did AEOUD, I'm doing my first in a couple of months, perhaps see you at one some time (provided we both finish our theses...good luck!)
Hey! Thanks for the message! I can’t reply via the website for some reason, but here’s my email: looking.glass.universe at gmail. Drop me a quick message and I can respond properly!
How you doing man?
Hello everyone! I made a list of books that Mithuna mentioned in this video! :D
1. (1:17) Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
2. (2:57) Dwight E. Neuenschwander - Emmy Noether's Wonderful Theorem
3. ( 6:53) Eduard Prugovečk - Quantum Mechanics in Hilbert Space
4. (8:25) Giancarlo Ghirardi - Sneaking A Look At God's Cards. Unraveling the Mysteries of Quantum Mechanics
5. (11:14) Lewis Carroll - Through the Looking Glass
Thanks very much!
Well i have read two of them.. Bill Bryson"s book was great!
I love this video! It's an interesting story. I love how you found your path and wasn't stopped by people who thought you needed to already be good at something in order to become good at it.
i loove your journey of just doing what you liked and what you want to do and nothing else, and finding your path through that! you sound like the person who just loves learning and its honestly so so heartwarming! kudos man
a good friend of mine has a phd in theoretical physics and he said when you get to uni, forget everything what you thought maths was in high school. this is where it gets real. i am really bad with numbers, but i have a geometrically strong brain and a good understanding of visual calculus and group theory. just numbers...confuse me. like they have no meaning.
same goes for me here
Man I wish I'd come across this channel when I was still in school, didn't take physics because of how bad I was in maths and ended up in a complete different educational & career path. This has definitely inspired me to start learning maths again (from the basics) as a hobby though, who knows where it'll eventually take me but your story was quite a bit inspirational
You can do it buddy
I did a lot of self study on quantum physics and signal processing before starting my M.S course. One of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Gave me the confidence to take challenging subjects every single time in my course and now I’m familiar with many domains.
Thank you. Just what I needed to see and hear. Congratulations on your achievements
I want to become a physicist but due to being very bad at math I sometimes feel that I should just drop the idea but still physics never fails to fascinate me and the more I think about not pursuing it in the future, the more I study it and fall in love all over again😂. Thanks for the video though, makes me feel motivated towards my goal.
Godspeed!
Being good at math isn't essential but makes a very math intensive and difficult subject that much more difficult.
DO IT!!!! If you stopped any time in the last two years, here is your sign to keep going!
Do try to switch teachers if at all possible.
"I became great so you could become greater"
Very inspiring story, thank you
CZcams suggested this video out of no where. Glad the algorithms sent it my way. Appreciate you taking the time to tell your story. I'm 58 and finding more to learn the older I get. Enjoy your journey!
You have a fascinating history! I’m totally addicted in your videos. You’re amazing!!! Cheers from Brazil!
This was really inspiring! I'm an electronics electrical engineering student and I remember my tech advisor trying to talk me our of engineering because I did so poorly on the math portion of the entrance exam. She allowed me into the program by scheduling in math tutoring but I never went to it because they often belittled me and wouldn't let me work on my own, which is what helps me the most. I didn't do too well in college algebra and because of that and the fail on the entrance exam, my advisor doubled down on me switching majors because next up was Calculus. I stuck with it and chose a professor that changed the world for me. I not understood Calculus, but did well enough to teach it to someone who was having breakdowns every time they went to class. They too did really well in the end. It's a real shame that people can't have faith in the students when all they need is a professor or tutor on the same wavelength. I really loved math, I was just extremely bad at it. Now it's my favorite subject and I self-study it on the side. Your video showed me that when no one else believes in you, believe in yourself and prove them wrong.
omg I was more of a Humanities student before too but now I'm a math major. One of the reasons was A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson, too. Loved that book, love this video💕
That has to do with you being very pretty :D
By the way, Cabrera means smart in my native language.
Loved this! Thank you for sharing your excitement for quantum mechanics. You are both a particle and a wave to me!!!👋😎
Excellent video. Interesting journey and you are very camera friendly. So keep them coming, please. Thank you 🙏
Honestly, "personal" videos are surely the best ones. Please, don't get me wrong: educational videos are great: I love them. But, somehow, I still think that sharing with others the reasons behind your academic/life path is quite remarkable and brave. Wonderful video.
"But he couldn't stop me" The cavalier way of reminiscing that is a story in and of itself
I just want to say 'hats off'. You've done what I wanted to do, only 40-50 years ago. Given your journey, I think you'd make a good teacher. You're very inspiring to a lot of young people, especially women.
Thank you so much, It was much needed to me at this point of time in my life
This was fantastic. What you said at the end was exactly what I learned: what you can do with the right amount of practice. This idea is pure gold.
So much respect for you and your path. Good luck
I admire that you are not afraid of things. I admire your courage. That's so different from when I studied physics. I ended up with a doctorate degree, but I wished I had accomplished this your style.
Inspirational story! I love how passionate you are about math and physics. Proof (I'm sure there's a math equation to be discovered for it too) that passion and math aren't mutually exclusive concepts.
Thank you for making this video. As a single mother of two that is having quite the existential crisis, I find it very uplifting that someone who considered themselves bad at mathematics was able to ascend to this level of understanding.I will subscribe and aim to understand everything there is to understand about this world as far as it can be understood. Thank you for your video!
Your videos have been always very well produced and original. Keep up the good work and follow the rabbit!
You are already doing it. Your approach and implementation are really great. You have a talent for teaching. It's a pleasure.
Thank you very much!
Props to your mom.
You're a whole queen, super inspiring!!!! As someone who enjoyed arts and languages back in school, considering myself being terrible at maths and physics, your story is very comforting to hear. I'm 22, after high school I was able to do an education as a trainee to become a clerk basically. After finishing that, I've been working in the field for 3 years but I'm longing for a change and a higher education. I love being creative and I wanna learn lots of languages and yet I can't seem to find anything I would want to do as a job in that direction later. That's when I started digging and found my curiosity spark for the field Astronomy. Which obviously requires maths and physics skills. I'm thinking about giving in a try!! Not very sure whether I can do it yet but if I don't give it a shot I'll never find out, right??
This is great ! You remind me of Richard Feynman. He always said that there were no special people or gifted people, just people who worked hard at it and didn't give up, and got a kick out of it. He got a kick out of physics and going from knowledge to understanding. You are greatly inspiring. Feynman seemed to have found his interest earlier in life than you did, but not that much earlier.
Very nice to meet you Mithuna! I follow your channel since...2 or 3 years ago? Can’t even remember. Don’t stop posting, your content is really awesome!
This chat videos are also very nice. Maybe you could start filming things like these more often!
Thanks for coming along with me for so long!! Maybe I should film more videos like this, it's been really fun :)
@@LookingGlassUniverse yes please shoot. U r a CZcams sensation?
OMG! U replied. Wow! Getting a like from Quantum physicist like u is out of the world feeling. Ur channel is growing nd growing. Soon it will cross millions. Once again thanks. I'm an Indian from the state of Assam.😊😊
Yes, u r a CZcams sensation for me. 😊😊
Highly inspirational! Your passion for the subject is admirable & a great example to aspire to.
Thank you, this is really encouraging! I dropped out of high school as a teen due to mental health issues and have been on disability since - I'm doing my high school degree online at age 28 now, and I'm hoping to go to uni for physics after. I constantly doubt myself, and whether I'm "good enough", especially at maths. This... I needed this. x
Just want you to know I went from a “gifted student” to a drop out too. It can happen to anyone. Life has complicated problems on all levels! I’m now on a similar journey to you.. good luck friend. We’re never too old or incapable of learning as long as we’re still living.
Hey, I'm just 16 but I came across your video and I have to say you're so inspirational! You're so very smart! An idol 💕👏
Solving the schrodinger equation is probably the most beautiful thing we learned in p-chem. I loved your story, you're a brilliant young woman.
This channel reignited my love for maths, ... and this video compelled me to go back and do a Masters.
I've just started an MSc in AI last month, all from that one video on the DFT.
It also got me watching PBS Space Time and working on my ability to fully grok the math involved ^_^
Keep up the great work!!!
Thank you for sharing your story. That was very inspiring and insightful.
Wow that was so inspiring thank you for sharing!! What an amazing mindset and awesome example of being curious and not letting your own limitations hold you back! I am super intrigued now and I’m going to watch your videos and also think of how I can apply this in my life! ❤️
Thanks a lot for this, I certainly learned one very important lesson of life from this. I'm a grade 12 student from India - been interested in Astrophysics and QM since age 15, but currently lost due to the academic pressure. I've faced this dilemma of whether to opt for something or not, many times, and sometimes I missed the good opportunities just because I felt I'm unprepared. Your sitting in the classes and courses that you had no idea about, or that didn't belong to your background, certainly has given me much hope now, there's nothing wrong in trying, I will not miss any chance now. Thanks a lot for this, I'll definitely watch this video many times to get the guidance !
Good for you. It's awesome when people discover what they're really into. Even more so when they get to pursue their interests. Good work putting this video together.
So awesome and inspiring. I'm 66 now and love your videos. I still have a way to go with understanding them all tho. You may not think so, but it seems to me you are on a path to enlightenment. Peace and blessings, and keep up the great work!
What an amazing story! I’m glad you didn’t give up on pursuing your dreams. Also, your PhD work sounds super cool!
First of all, you are adorable. I am a physics undergrad student of Brazil, and took a path similar of yours from high school to majoring physics.
Wow, a true role model for grit. Very very few people would have persisted in circumstances like that. Very inspiring;. there's also an area that I don't do well in, but want to. I'm looking forward to your future contributions to the field that you clearly love. I just discovered your channel and feel like I found a gold mine since I also find quantum mechanics fascinating.
So good to hear you had the determinism and self confidence to push out of the standard model of society. All the best in your pursuits.
What an amazing story! You followed your curriosity and achieved success Thank you for sharing. Love it. Saving it.
You’re so pretty! Also I have a similar story. It’s nice to hear a success story! Keep it going 💪
You're quite attractive yourself, lady.
@@alirubaii4839 why would you think so?
@Varoon It's sad that people have become so full of rage and sensitivity that you can't even be nice anymore without people attacking you....
LOL I thought you said no creepy comments? I suppose you get a free pass haha
yup, she is pretty
Glad to know you have still managed to become interested in these ideas along the way, one of the many harsh realities that had always frustrated me about school was because of the time demands and some other tasks which I found to be pointless. I just hope to find a course that I'd be willing to work hard on and that would somehow transform me into a person that would be willing to endure the system.
Really interesting journey through these subjects! Thanks for making this!
This is exactly me. I’m 16 at the moment and recently I’ve just started to pick up science. I went from 2-3s to 7s/8s
Wow. How did you do that?
That's really impressive
congrats wow!
How did you do that? Like how do you revise
@@kalipsicao790 I just read the GCSE science combined science textbook and made posters for each topic. Do this and one day before the exam, watch every video on my gcsescience and make more posters.
Really inspiring especially the way you chose fields of study with a tint of surprise and adventure.
Above all youve taught people how to transform and overcome weakness by determination.
Love the video. I’m actually 16 myself and terrible at math and physics. I’ve been trying to study some algebra and some basic physics online but I just don’t know what I’m doing. :( this video was really inspiring and is motivating me to continue along the path to becoming a physicist, so thank you!
Excellent.
All pupils and teachers need to know that things like this can be achieved!
You are a great role model!
I've always enjoyed your videos. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us, and also now your story with us.
A very inspiring and personalized story.
Thanks for sharing this to the world.
Hi, I'm fifteen and have a strong aspiration to follow research science in quantum physics, and I relate SO much to this video! I'm very passionate about several things (music, literacy, etc.), but over the past two years I've sort of settled into physics and maths being my pathway. It's strange, because I used to hate maths and struggle with seemingly simple things, but once I started learning it on my own and had a really good teacher, I was studying calculus in year 9. I unfortunately struggle with keeping my work to a rubric, as I tend to be passionate about my work and studying so I write in-depth complicated stuff about the subject rather than just keeping everything to the structure. Because I get poor grades in these subjects, I often feel like I'm not going to be any decent at science as a career, but seeing this video gives me reassurance!
You're amazing Mithuna. Thanks for sharing your story, it's very inspirational!
Girl, you're so inspiring, I loved this, I randomly ended up on your video on HUP, and out of curiosity watched it and I'm hooked! Keep up the great work
You inspire me! Got this just when I needed ! Thank you very much and also you’re extremely gorgeous ❤️ keep making amazing videos for us !
Thank you for sharing. That was the most humble, honest and mostly inspiring story I have ever heard of the path of learning. I am too old now to use the knowledge for economic gain, but despite being rather poor at math, I've always had a fascination with it and Physics. Anyway, thank you!
What an inspirational story Mithuna! Thank you for sharing. I’ve enjoyed every video you’ve done and your great sense of humor and style too :-) Best wishes in your journey in QC and beyond, I’m sure we’ll be hearing more from you.
Thank you very much!
I feel quite identified and inspired while watching this video. Thanks for sharing!