Forces
Fluctuations
Fields

A dilettantes guide to the universe

by Chris Vaca, the Holy Cow

What is FFF and who is it for?

FFF is for the curious-minded individual who is ready to cast off the shackles of ignorance and embrace the world of reasoning, empiricism, and good ol' fashioned hard work.

This education project is meant to be a modern introduction to the laws of physics where rather than study esoteric examples of the laws of physics that are historically and technologically irrelevant, we will focus on the fundamental aspects of logic and reasoning that physicists employ across the subdisciplines of the subject.

Finally, FFF is for all of the physicists starting their careers. Please note that I take the viewpoint of Sir Ernest Rutherford with regards to this matter; There are only two types of scientists in the world, physicists and stamp collects, please be part of the former group and disdain the latter.

How to best use FFF and experience FFF

Physics is NOT a spectator sport. In order to truly gain the abilities of Sir Isaac Newton or Einstein (among many others), you MUST pick up your writing utensil and calculate yourself. So if in the text I tell you CALCULATE, then for the love of Einstein, CALCULATE.


With regards to the website: It is critical that you use either Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox when working with the Python simulations built into this website as the interface is not designed to work with the Safari (Sorry Macintosh OSX users).

Who the hell are you and why should I trust you to teach me anything?

I am a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) with a Ph.D. in physics and I have been a physics, astronomy, chemistry, and engineering educator since 2009 (told you I was a dilettante). I am currently an assistant professor at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, CA.

I have collaborated with UCLA, USC, and NASA through many STEM education programs and I am currently the Principal Investigator for the Transitions And Research Across INterfaceS (TRAINS) National Science Foundation funded program (NSF Award #2150298). So I have credibility through association up the wazoo.

HAH! You made a mistake.

Thank you kind reader . Please forward me the mistake ASAP to forcesfluctuationsfields+@+gmail.com and I will happily credit you with fixing it. Remember, a textbook is a monumental task and I ask for your forgiveness for my mistake, and thank you for your contributions to my STEM education project.