Hockenbrizzle

I'm a mechanical engineer in physics and I've had no formal training in writing code or computer science, yet, I am now doing simulations for atomic physics in Python. I am designing some software library package which will serve as a sort of diagnostic/design tool for future experiments with a machine being built.

I've run into the problem of figuring out how to organize the whole dang thing and sometimes have to go back and re-write a lot of code. Can you recommend any good books that introduce computing concepts for applied physics and engineering?

But we read material that is significantly more difficult when we are adults, no?

It's never too late to learn book binding ;)

I'll probably try and make a book of this some day, but first I'm going to make a copy of R. Hammings' The Art of Science and Engineering.

Do anyone know of research groups involved in this?

Just visited European XFEL a few weeks ago. The linear accelerator was about 2km long and I believe the total cost of the laser is over 1 billion Euro, but nevertheless this is an awesome idea :)

Awesome sauce.

I wonder if they plan to make it modular like the folks over at Project Ara from Google ATAP. That would be a total hit with the Maker community.

Holy moly +1 for this answer.

Forming habits and getting to the point of autopilot is how it happens for me. At some point you don't even notice it because you are so focused. It's just like getting up to go swim every morning. It's cold as hell and you don't feel like it, but you know that after 10 minutes in, you will feel great. And then you just get into the routine.

The last part by dropit_sphere is a particularly good thing to understand about oneself. Can't have it all the time and you gotta use it efficiently when you do.

A lack of mathematical intuition is a serious problem for many people from engineering to biology to economics. It certainly plagued me throughout my engineering bachelors studies and is something I continually work to get better at.

In my opinion, physics students learn the best framework for thinking and get a very good mathematical intuition. For example, here's a problem from an introductory QM book that really threw me for a loop when I was studying:

A needle of length L is dropped at random onto a sheet of paper ruled with parallel lines a distance L apart. What is the probability that the needle will cross a line?

This reminds me of a quote that went something like:

"Most children are already physicists. Sadly, our education system beats the curiosity out of them"

Was that Feynman or someone else?

Hey that would be great. I am a bit new to HN, is there a way to PM someone?

Nice! I am also learning German. I've just moved to Heidelberg about 10 months ago. It is a difficult language... :/

Did you take classes?

Certainly do!

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I did about half of the welding on the buggy and I actually learned how to weld while we were building it. YouTube videos were enormously helpful and welding is really fun.

Technically this was for my university, but we raised funds for it without their help and built it not out of requirement, but out of interest.

Great question. I'm excited to see the other responses.

I'm a visiting scientist at a nuclear physics institute, but my degree was in mechanical engineering. Currently working on creating highly charged isotopes to be used for cancer research.

Last year I built a single seat off-roading buggy with some friends, which was a really rewarding, and fun project.

Current side project is learning to work with some RPI's to make a mesh network that I could use for my sound system. Also, since we can't be on computers all of the time, learning to play guitar and training for a triathlon.

Totally agree. Nothing quite tones up everything like swimming does.