Welcome to a New Semester: Learning, Building and Exploring Physics Together

A new semester brings new opportunities to learn, explore ideas, solve problems and develop new skills. To all my students returning to campus or beginning a new stage of their academic journey, welcome to a new semester.

This semester, I have the privilege of working with students at three different stages of their physics education journey: Level 100 BSc Physics Education students in Calculus I, Level 300 BSc Physics Education students in Electronics I, and first-year MPhil Physics Education students in Advanced Quantum Mechanics.

Each course presents a different challenge, but they are connected by one fundamental idea: learning physics requires us to understand concepts, develop mathematical reasoning and apply our knowledge to solving problems.

Level 100: Building the Foundation with Calculus I

To my Level 100 BSc Physics Education students, welcome to Calculus I.

For many of you, this semester represents the beginning of your university journey and a transition into a different way of learning mathematics and physics.

Calculus provides much of the mathematical language we use to describe the physical world. As we explore concepts such as functions, limits, derivatives and their applications, I want you to go beyond memorising formulas and procedures.

We will continually ask: What does the mathematics mean, and how can we use it to describe a physical situation?

My advice to you at this stage is simple: build a strong foundation. Ask questions, practise consistently and do not allow small gaps in understanding to accumulate. The mathematical skills you develop in Calculus I will support many of the physics courses you will encounter throughout your programme.

Level 300: Electronics I, Now with Arduino

To my Level 300 BSc Physics Education students, Electronics I will give us an opportunity to move from physical principles and circuit theory towards practical electronic systems.

We will study fundamental electronic components and concepts, including resistors, capacitors, diodes, transistors, amplifiers, power supplies and digital electronics.

This semester, however, I want us to take the course a little further.

We will incorporate Arduino programming and practical projects into our study of electronics.

Rather than limiting ourselves to calculations and circuit diagrams, we will explore how electronic components, sensors and simple computer programs can interact to create working systems.

My aim is to gradually change the question from:

“How does this circuit work?”

to:

“What can I design and build using what I have learned?”

There will be moments when a circuit refuses to work, a component behaves unexpectedly or a program produces an error. Those moments are not failures. Troubleshooting is part of electronics, and learning how to identify and solve such problems is an important skill in itself.

As future physics educators, I also want you to think beyond building electronic systems. Consider how affordable technologies such as Arduino could eventually help you teach physics differently, demonstrate physical principles and create practical learning experiences for your own students.

MPhil: Going Deeper with Advanced Quantum Mechanics

To my first-year MPhil Physics Education students, our journey in Advanced Quantum Mechanics will demand a different level of mathematical and conceptual engagement.

Quantum mechanics challenges some of our everyday intuitions about nature. At the postgraduate level, our objective will not simply be to manipulate equations or reproduce standard derivations. We will examine the mathematical framework carefully while continually considering its physical meaning.

Throughout the course, I will frequently return to one question:

“What does this result mean physically?”

At the MPhil level, I also expect our discussions to go beyond what we know towards how we know it, how we communicate it and how difficult quantum concepts can be taught effectively.

This is particularly relevant to Physics Education. Understanding a sophisticated physical concept is one challenge; developing effective ways of helping someone else understand it is another.

I hope our discussions will therefore combine advanced physics with the critical thinking expected of postgraduate students and future researchers and educators.

Three Levels, One Learning Community

Although these three groups are at very different stages, there is something I expect from everyone this semester: curiosity, consistency and active participation.

For my Level 100 students, build your mathematical foundation carefully.

For my Level 300 students, be prepared to calculate, experiment, program, build and troubleshoot.

For my MPhil students, be prepared to question assumptions, engage deeply with the mathematics and discuss the physical and educational implications of what we study.

And for everyone, ask questions.

Science advances because people are willing to ask why, how and what happens if we try something differently.

Looking Forward to the Semester

Teaching students from undergraduate foundation courses through advanced postgraduate physics is one of the things I find particularly interesting about academia. In the same semester, we can move from introducing the mathematics required to describe change, to building programmable electronic systems, to examining the quantum mechanical description of nature.

Different classrooms. Different levels. Different challenges.

But the same goal: to understand, to question and to apply what we learn.

To all my students, welcome to the semester.

I look forward to learning, building, calculating, programming and exploring physics with you.

Dr Isaac Kwesi Acquah
Lecturer | Medical Physicist | Researcher