The Undergrad Road Map to Astronomy & Physics
All academics can be derived from the new quantum logic, and it's fair less restricting. Success does not have to be one thing. In fact, success is defined by the observer (student). However, navigating this new quantum university can be a bit complex. Answers are not readily available and directions are not always clear. In fact, typically the only way to know were you are going - is to know where you have been. It's from this standard of navigation that a map can be developed.
This view of academics and education is analogous to astronomy.In astronomy, determinations of star types and ages came from cataloging the characteristics and properties of stars observed. A brief study of the history of star catalogs shows how the use of these collections, we were able to develop simple characteristics of the Earth's motion and later produced the work of Guass and Geodesy. Beyond the simple catalogs came the first photographic records of the stars. Now stars could not only be mapped by their relative position in the sky - but more specifically, their brightness. This was the birth of photometric astronomy. In parallel spectroscopic catalogs of the stars were also developed. From thism it was noticed that stars had different classifications based on temperature and luminosity. Further, these classifications could be used determine a star's age. As the photographic library (catalog) grew so did the photographic evidence of the types of stars - detailing a path of star life from birth to death. Further, the First, you should reference the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram, a plot of star types along a diagram develop by Astronomers Hertzsprung (1911) and Russell (1913). This diagram (after observation of thousands of stars) noted a seemingly obvious observation - mass was proportional to brightness (luminosity) and temperature. In other words, the larger the mass of the start the higher its luminosity and temperature From this diagram and this seemingly obvious mass-luminosity relationship, the age of a star can be determined - a. birth (nebula/proto-stars), b. main sequence (the sun), c. death (super novae, white dwarfs, red giants, black holes). Beyond this, stars can also be classified by spectra; {O,B,A,F,G,K,M}. This classification is based on the surface temperature of the type of star, with O the hottest (@30k to 50k K~ all temperatures are in degrees Kelvin - K) and M type stars the coolest (@ 2k to 3k K).
If you used your computer's resources to follow the links and study the highlighted areas, you would have built your first working library. This same method is valid for determining a path in science. First you need to find your stars. In science, the luminaries are your professors. However, among the luminaries there are pseudo-stars. These need to be distinguished before observing your stars. If you looked into the lives of people like Newton, Gauss, Bohr, Einstein and Rutherford, {use the above method to do a brief study} you would find that they were professors. These are your stars and observation of their paths will give you an idea of what you path might be like. However, there are professors who don't do any research (they just teach) and they are the pseudo-stars.
From this understand, one can classify a base set of "stars" central to physics (and all of science). These would be [Newton, Gauss, Rutherford, Bohr and Einstein]. These "stars" of physics can be studied in the same manner as the stars in the H-R diagram. Further, you can classify other "stars" by these standards. For example, is there someone beyond Einstein who would (could) be the next standard ? Why are the standards listed here standards? Through out your early education both undergrad and grad, you are a proto-star. Once you enter the post-doc phase you are a new star. No matter the direction students (proto-stars) will develop in, they all begin in a cloud state (a nebula). Only once you have moved beyond the BSc, can you say that you have become a proto-star. While the standards are the desired goal, and form the foundation of your undergrad studies, you should also look at the stars (physicists) around you.
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