Read my previous blog entry here!
n/a ยท Blog Entry
Okay, no math today. I just wanna briefly talk about my day today.
So, I woke up late. Thankfully, I did not oversleep physics class, but I was close. So, I did not even have time to get breakfast. I hustled over to Jadwin Hall, where I always have physics classes.
Physics class was not too bad. We were discussing work and potential energy today, in two (and more) dimensions. Much of this is familiar to the student who has taken multivariable calculus, such as myself. However, there is a quiz on Friday, which I am a little scared of. I have heard that PHY 105 is a weed-out class, and this quiz, I reckon, will be the first time we will see the class in "full swing," so to speak.
After physics class ended, I hurriedly continued the writing seminar assignment (due today!) that I had begun yesterday. I uploaded screenshots of my annotations of a secondary source for my curated research paper, and then I began to write some notes down about another secondary source, so I may present about the source to my friends later in class that day. Unfortunately, soon enough, it was time for me to go to Latin class.
I don't remember if I discussed this in my blog already, but the Latin class I was placed in is the Beginner's Latin class. That is, Latin for noobs. So far, I am performing very well in the class. So well that my quiz average is a hard 100. This is because I have had 4 years of Latin experience with a tough teacher. Today, we discussed adjectives of the first and second declension. Of course, I am already familiar with the content.
Right after Latin class, I decided to go to Latin office hours. Now, you might ask, Oliver, why did you go to Latin office hours if you are performing so well in the course? I want to do extra work for Latin, and that includes reading more advanced texts. So I began to translate Catullus 1 in front of my Latin teacher, and then she suggested that I try sight-reading other Catullus poems. We tried to get through Catullus 2 and 3. I thought I did pretty poorly, but she seemed rather impressed. So impressed, in fact, that she said I should have moved up to Latin 105, which is the Intermediate Latin course. Unfortunately, because the add-drop period is over, I cannot add any other classes. However, it was fun sight-reading and translating the Catullus poems, even if it is rather difficult to translate them because of the messed up word order and such.
Subsequently I ran to the RoMa dining hall for lunch. I nearly missed it! I got there at around 1:55 P.M. I quickly grabbed some pizza and ate, then left. Right then, I finished taking notes on the first secondary source that I mentioned for writing seminar, and then I was done. Just in time, too, because right after that was writing seminar.
Of all the classes that I am taking right now, I believe that writing seminar is overall the most work and quite possibly the most challenging class. Today, we went into small groups and discussed the various secondary sources that we read, and then we made a diagram or map of sorts connecting the various secondary and primary sources we have read together. I must add some context. We are now writing a curated research paper. The instructor has selected a vast number of sources all pertaining in some way, shape, or form to the South Side of Chicago in the Postwar Era. That is what I mean when I say primary and secondary sources; they all revolve around a given topic, even if some of them are more abstract or more disconnected from the topic.
After writing seminar, I went to writing seminar office hours. Unbelievably, I was the only one who came. I basically discussed with my instructor, Osha, about some ideas that I had for a potential motive (we call the reason that you are writing a paper, the research question, the tensions leading up to the research question, and all that the motive). He highlighted some of the most generative ideas that I had, and pointed out ways in which I could potentially go. His feedback is so specific and helpful, I am glad that he is my writing seminar instructor. It seems like he really knows not only how to write, but also how to teach writing to students like me as well. I am excited for when I get to conduct an original research project for the writing seminar, which could potentially be about math (more so from the humanities perspective, like history of math).
I decided to begin studying for the physics quiz before I ate dinner today. I began by doing a one-star problem on driven oscillations, which was trivial. Then, I managed to complete the first part of a two-star problem on statics, which was not so trivial, but I still managed to do it in 10 minutes. Then, I looked at the second part, and I was unable to figure it out before I went to dinner. Dinner was at RoMa hall, and was grilled chicken. Very tasty. I decided to go to Fine Hall after dinner, and so I walked over there, calling my mom and updating her about my day as I walked. At Fine Hall, I talked to one of my friends, Thomas, who is a sophomore, and I finished up the second part, though I made some mistakes such as dealing with mass improperly and messing up angle with the vertical/horizontal. Just small things, but they add up. Hopefully practice makes perfect.
You know what? I almost forgot to talk about one of the highlights of today. Right before dinner, I received an email. It was from a graduate student; one of my topology professor's graduate students. She asked if I was willing to do a DRP (directed reading project) with her. Now, I'm already doing a directed reading project type thing (not official) with Professor McConnell of the math department, using Bott and Tu's Differential Forms in Algebraic Topology. But I am more than happy to do two. In fact, this is great. It reminds me of the meme where like a little guy has two cakes in front of him and he's like "holy shit two cakes!" There's more to that meme and whatever but still.
The last thing I did today was the physics lab. We were basically given a bunch of things and asked to model a damped oscillating system by ourselves. This would include recording data, tracking the mass, creating a spreadsheet of values, and plotting it in Google Colab. I can't lie I was not locked in. But that's okay. Next time I will be more locked in.
Anyways, I tried to do a little bit of studying math back at my dorm. Tomorrow, someone's giving a lecture on geometry! Specifically, on stable 2-systole bounds for positive scalar curvature of something like that. Anyways, imma head to bed now. Goodnight!