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Society of Physics Students
Mission
The objectives: to encourage and assist students interested in physics to develop the knowledge, competence, enthusiasm, and social responsibility that are essential to the advancement of physics; stumulate interest in advanced study and research in physics; promote public interest in physics.
ACTIVITIES:
We have meetings about once a month. Discuss club activities, make nerdy jokes. Free pizza.
We have Sci-Fi movie nights usually about once a month, in the style of Mystery Science Theater. Free pizza and soda as well.
We sometimes go to the rec center to play indoor soccer, and a bike ride may be in the works.
We have board game nights as well. Food is potluck style, usually chips and snack/junk food. Members and grad students are encouraged to bring their spouses, children, girlfriends/boyfriends. Games typically include Risk, Settlers of Catan, etc.
During the spring semester we will put on a community physics demo night, open to the public.
>> DISCUSSION AREA (post comments and read replies)
For current physicists' social information, check out these websites:
American Institute of Physics
American Physical Society
Physicists Bill of Rights
(Author Unknown)
We hold these postulates to be intuitively obvious, that all physicists are born equal, to a first approximation, and are endowed by their creator with certain discrete privileges, among them a mean rest life, n degrees of freedom, and the following rights which are invariant under all linear transformations:
- 1. To approximate all problems to ideal cases.
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- 2. To use order of magnitude calculations whenever deemed necessary (i.e. whenever one can get away with it).
- 3. To use the rigorous method of "squinting" for solving problems more complex than the addition of positive real integers.
- 4. To dismiss all functions which diverge as "nasty" and "unphysical."
- 5. To invoke the uncertainty principle when confronted by confused mathematicians, chemists, engineers, psychologists, dramatists, and other such folk.
6. When pressed by non-physicists for an explanation of (4) to mumble in a sneering tone of voice something about physically naive mathematicians.
- 7. To equate two sides of an equation which are dimensionally inconsistent, with a suitable comment to the effect of, "Well, we are interested in the order of magnitude anyway."
- 8. To the extensive use of "bastard notations" where conventional mathematics will not work.
- 9. To invent fictitious forces to delude the general public.
- 10. To justify shaky reasoning on the basis that it gives the right answer.
- 11. To cleverly choose convenient initial conditions, using the principle of general triviality.
- 12. To use plausible arguments in place of proofs, and thenceforth refer to these arguments as proofs.
- 13. To take on faith any principle which seems right but cannot be proved.
SPS Officers: Brian Faulkner, Gunnar Miller, and Chris Z
Contact Information
Brian Faulkner, President, brianfaulkner@vandals.uidaho.edu
Gunnar Miller, Vice President, gunnarmiller@gmail.com
SPS sps@uidaho.edu
Interested in joining SPS? Email Brian to be included in the emails.
Department Quotes
(Click for more)
"You either have imaginary mass or imaginary momentum. Since imaginary momentum makes no sense, it must be imaginary mass!"
--Dr. Phil Deutchman (Said about quantum tunneling)
"It's like taking your life in your hands and clapping."
--Jake Turner (Said about General Relativity)
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