Author Archives: gomezlaberge

In this post, we explore the foundational idea of waves. First, by considering the motion of a system that is subject to a restoring force, we are led to write down and solve the equation for simple harmonic motion. This sets the stage for considering how patterns of oscillatory motion propagate throughout the spatial extentContinue reading “Everything Waves”

In today’s post, we introduce the six postulates of quantum mechanics. Together, they establish the vector as the fundamental object of the theory—that which provides the quantum description of a physical system. Quantum mechanics uses lots of jargon, so we will translate specialized terms into those commonly used in linear algebra, the mathematical backbone ofContinue reading “The Vector Rules in Quantum Mechanics”

This first post is representative of the articles that will follow. Informally written for undergraduate students, it aims to offer the reader a sense of what modern particle physics is like. We will discuss the theoretical prediction of the positron to illustrate how results in our subject sometimes come about. Typically, we begin with aContinue reading “How Theory Predicts Antimatter”