Mats Selen

Retired Physics professor. Inspired by Reagan to become an American citizen many years ago. Strong believer in the Constitution and in the Scientific Method.

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

Hey former @PhysicsIllinois UIUC physics/engineering students! If I was your intro physics professor many years ago then I would love to hear from you. My wife and I (and dogs) are visiting South Padre Island for a few days and driving over to @SpaceX Starbase yesterday made me nostalgic for physics 211. Please DM me if any of this rings a bell! #UIUC #SpaceX #Starbase

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

@gunsnrosesgirl3 Here is a pretty good imitation built in Rapid City SD.

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

@JonahDispatch Let’s not forget what happened on this day in 1970.

[ELON CLIPS @ElonClipsX]

Elon Musk: I strongly recommend studying physics as a grounding to understand reality.

“I studied physics, and I certainly strongly recommend physics as a good grounding to understand the nature of reality.

Physics is fundamentally just understanding how the universe actually works. That's a good foundation for a variety of engineering disciplines. 

The analytical constructs used in physics [like first-principles thinking] apply to basically anything. 

Most people tend to think by analogy or by comparison with something that already exists. This is a mental shortcut that requires less brain strain, but it's hard to get fundamental insights unless you think about things from a first-principles standpoint.”

Axel Springer Award, December 1, 2020

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

@CynicalPublius So good

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

@parler_social Potential?

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

This is Water by David Foster Wallace (Full Transcript and Audio) https://t.co/mUFDNmzKao

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

@ThereWBBourbon Creekside Brewing

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

@MickeyBlowtorch Great books - love them all. The audiobooks (the ones narrated by Simon Vance) are also fantastic.

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

@deaflibertarian

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

Central Illinois bike ride. Sixteen miles and no cars. Flatter than a pancake. Led Zep I on the headphones. Life is good.

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

Another long day in the salt mines for Petri

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

Our cats (litter mates) were found in a local park 11 years ago, where they had been abandoned. The kids brought them home with the promise that a friend would adopt one of them. The picture on the right was taken today. No regrets at all - they are both awesome.

[Prof. Feynman @ProfFeynman]

Your grades don't define your abilities. And your degrees aren't as valuable as your skills. 🧠
You can have a PhD and still be an idiot. Don't confuse education with intelligence.

[Prof. Feynman @ProfFeynman]

FOUR Productivity FEYNMAN- strategies:

i) Stop trying to know-it-all.
ii) Don't worry about what others are thinking.
iii) Don't think about what you want to be, but what you want to do.
iv) Have a sense of humor and talk honestly.

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

Printers are surprisingly comfortable

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

Our intro physics lab philosophy in a beautiful Feynman nutshell.

[Prof. Feynman @ProfFeynman]

You cannot get educated by this self-propagating system in which people study to pass exams, and teach others to pass exams, but nobody knows anything.

You learn something by doing it yourself, by asking questions, by thinking, and by experimenting. 🧠

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

@GaultierAlban Congratulations. I did this myself almost exactly 19 years ago and it was one of the proudest days of my life.

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

Trying to organize the IOLab accessory kit for E&M. The cat is not as helpful as I could wish.

[Mats Selen @PhyMats]

My town

[City of Tuscola @cityoftuscola]

The drive by birthday wishes from the Tuscola Fire Department have ended and they successfully celebrated over 100 kids and community members! 🚒
These thank you notes were delivered last week and were much appreciated!