If you’re a student, you know that your immediate future is more or less planned out for you. Sure, there’s a little bit of freedom in what you do, but most of your life is already set. When you’re in elementary school, the plan is to then go to secondary school. When you’re in secondary school, the plan is often to continue on in higher education. But when you’re in university though, things begin to…

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You might be having a bad day, or you are tired and just want to curl on your bed with a good book and escape reality. Perhaps you feel like you were taking advantage of, or slighted in some way by a person who didn’t even acknowledge you. All of these are unfortunate situations. And still, it’s good to keep being kind. Sure, it takes a bit of emotional investment to be kind to others,…

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I’ve often thought about why I enjoy mathematics, physics, and then comics. The first two go together quite naturally. We aren’t surprised when someone who likes mathematics also has an interest in physics. The two are practically overlapping. But comics? Comics seem like a whole different story. They’re funny, artistic, and rarely have anything to do with mathematics or physics. It would be reasonable to think that comics are the odd one out. However, I…

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When I first started my undergraduate degree in physics, I would get frustrated when I couldn’t understand a concept. This happened when I worked as an undergraduate research assistant with little previous knowledge about the subject. I suddenly had to start learning about more advanced ideas like tensors and general relativity, which were topics I hadn’t ever studied before. At the same time, I had to learn this largely on my own, since there weren’t…

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If you go to a basketball game, it may take you a few minutes to understand the rules, but pretty quickly you will figure out what’s happening. Sure, there might be niche rules here and there that leave you baffled, but you can still follow along. Furthermore, you don’t have to be an expert at basketball in order to enjoy watching others play. Unfortunately, this isn’t the view people take of mathematics and science. Often,…

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If there’s one skill I have, it’s worrying. I’m good at worrying about everything. From things that are worth worrying about to things I have no business being concerned with, I can find myself going down the rabbit hole of panic for just about anything. This comes out most frequently after I am asked the question, “What do you want to do with your life?” I know that people ask this in a well-meaning way.…

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You’re interested in learning a new mathematical topic. After reading some popular articles that speak in broad terms about the subject, you are energized to go on a deeper dive and learn the details. You open up a textbook, pencil in hand and ready to expand your horizons. You start going through the introductory chapter, motivated with the dream of working through the whole textbook. You make a little progress, but you find yourself pausing…

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