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Richard Crudo
Graduate Student Richard Crudo Research Group Affiliation:
Particle and Field Theory University of Connecticut
2152 Hillside Road, U-3046
Storrs, CT 06269-3046
| Room No: | P217 |
| Phone: | (860) 486 427-3601 |
"The most incomprehensible thing about the universe is that it's comprehensible." (Einstein)
Welcome
Hello and welcome to my homepage. My name is Richard Crudo and I am a third year graduate student and doctoral candidate at the University of Connecticut. I am currently pursuing a degree in theoretical physics, specializing in particle and astrophysics. On this web site, you can find information pertaining to my research and teaching interests, as well as my philosophy about life and physics.
Philosophy on Physics
I have always held a fascination for the beauty and consistency of nature. For me, physics epitomizes the quest for truth because it is the purest science devoted to understanding the way in which nature works; it is the study of Nature in her purest form. Unlike biology, physics encourages us to ask “why?” and unlike philosophy, physics yields enough evidence to answer this question.
Physics means many things to me but above all else, it is a language in its own right; a logical way of thinking. It is the process by which rational conclusions are made from basic observations.We find ourselves constrained to live in a world governed by certain principles and physics devotes itself to understanding these principles in hopes of self-realization. Even if there is no end or ultimate truth that we are meant to discover, the quest for knowledge is satisfying enough. Some would say that physics is useless in real life, but I feel that physics is the one and only pure subject matter. Most subjects suffer the subjectivity that arises from human conception. The most beautiful thing to me is that there is no subjectivity in physics or math.
It's also quite remarkable that we are able to describe the universe at all! The universe doesn't have to exercise such order and it's a miracle of Nature AND human ingenuity that we have developed physics so successfully, as noted by Einstein in the quote above.
Many people fear physics because they have never been taught to think like physicists. Physics is about logic and thought processes, not memorizing long equations and formulas. It's the study of processes and phenomena in nature. Math is merely a quantitative description of physics...but Math IS NOT PHYSICS.
Consider the following analogy inspired by Dr. Roychoudhuri. An archaeologist uses a shovel to dig for artifacts that might tell him something about history. Does the shovel shed light on history? Of course not! However, the archeologist needs it as a tool for learning about history. Mathematics is but a shovel that physicists use to dig for truth. In other words...don't worry about math! It will come in due time. Focus on honing your intuition about physics.
I think everybody should take time to understand basic principles that govern nature, for science is ubiquitous; it finds its way into everybody’s life!
Perhaps Dwight E. Neuenschwander
captures this ideology best in his article entitled, Motorcycle
Maintenance and the Art of Physics Appreciation.
Last Updated: May 14, 2008 (please report typos, broken links, etc. to rcrudo@gmail.com)