A blog about learning
Reading time: 25 min
THINGS TO KNOW If you’re interested in studying physics in Germany but aren’t sure whether the bachelor’s program is really the right choice for you, you’ll find a practical overview here: from the program’s structure and content to requirements and career prospects, as well as a sample study plan and personal insights.
Continue reading “Insights into Studying Physics – What You Need to Know and Why It’s Worth It”Reading time: 18 minutes
LIFE STORIES My first master’s semester has a lot of surprises in store for me. So much is happening around me that I’m having a hard time focusing on my studies at all. Is it possible to be the star of a soap opera and understand relativistic quantum mechanics at the same time?
Continue reading “Life Doesn’t Take a Semester Break – Navigating My 1st Master’s Semester”Reading time: 10 minutes
LIFE STORIES Even in my seventh semester at university, I still find it difficult to find the right balance between work and relaxation. My Bachelor’s thesis is coming up soon and I’m faced with physical problems that I can’t yet imagine tackling on my own.
Continue reading “Quantum, cows and paleoclimate – An update on my 7th semester”Reading time: 18 minutes
THINGS TO KNOW Summer is over, the sun is lower above the horizon, and the sun’s radiation becomes weaker overall. The probability of getting a sunburn also decreases significantly. But what is the actual reason for this? Why can’t you get sunburn from visible light and where does it come from instead? In a nutshell, the physical answer is: It has to do with the radiation spectrum of our sun and the size of energy packets. And with that we are already in the middle of quantum physics.
Continue reading “Light quanta and sunburn – An introduction to quantum physics 2024”Reading time: 8 minutes
THINGS TO KNOW More than half of all German students have a job while studying. This brings more than just financial benefits. The double burden on young people, most of whom study full-time, is enormous – but not impossible to keep up.
Continue reading “Double Burden – Studying and working in Potsdam in 2022”Reading time: 12 minutes
LIFE STORIES The Magnus-Haus, capital representation of the DPG and seat of the regional association Physikalische Gesellschaft zu Berlin, is an important European site of the scientific history of physics. After the designation as EPS Historic Site, the ceremonial unveiling of a commemorative plaque by the presidents of the European Physical Society (EPS), Luc Bergé, and the German Physical Society (DPG), Lutz Schröter, followed on October 15, 2021, during a festive event. I was able to attend this event as a member of the Potsdam regional group of the jDPG. An unique day in the world of the DPG.
Continue reading “The World of the DPG 2021 – Physics, Journalism and Me”Reading time: 8 minutes
ETHICS EXPLAINED – PART 4
THINGS TO KNOW How do we find the path to happiness? Should we follow our desire? Or should we rather seek “stoic tranquillity”? The philosophers of antiquity answered these questions in many different ways. Their answers can be found in the so-called “virtue ethics”.
Continue reading “Philosophers in search of happiness – The 3 best-known virtue ethics at a glance”Reading time: 8 minutes
ETHICS EXPLAINED – PART 3
THINGS TO KNOW In the course of human history, numerous religions have developed in the most diverse forms. They all share a belief in something supernatural. But what is it exactly, this transcendent being, and can its existence be proven?
Continue reading “8 minutes Philosophy of Religion: Is there a God?”Reading time: 7 minutes
ETHICS EXPLAINED – PART 2
THINGS TO KNOW The second Kantian question has also led to discussions between utilitarians, discourse ethicists and followers of Kant: What should I do? We humans need moral principles in order to be able to react quickly and well in certain situations.
Continue reading “How am I supposed to act? – Moral principles simply explained”Reading time: 8 minutes
ETHICS EXPLAINED – PART 1
THINGS TO KNOW Look at the picture on the right. What do you see? Black and white stripes, distorted and lying crookedly on top of each other? Well, at least that’s what your brain makes you believe. In reality, the stripes are parallel to each other. No matter whether you already know this optical illusion or not, it poses an existential question: If our brain can deceive us like this, what is still true?
Continue reading “The search for absolute truth – 4 epistemologies in brief”