Quantum Mechanics Fundamentals

Course Information

This course is for you if you want to understand quantum mechanics for yourself, rather than listening to people's vague analogies. It can be hard to learn the subject on your own. Most quantum textbooks bog you down with loads of math prerequisites and long, dry calculations that feel pointless.

Instead, this is a 4-week introduction that gives you just the essential calculations you need to start exploring quantum mechanics. I want to give you the tools to think critically about what quantum mechanics really means. There will be calculations, but there's very little assumed knowledge, so all backgrounds are welcome! I'll guide you through it with weekly in person sessions in small groups :)

Here's the structure of the course each week:

▶️ Watch the assigned videos

📝 Do as much as you can of the homework questions

🍎 We go through the answers together in the tutorial for 1 hour

💬 After we've finished the tutorial questions, you can stick around and ask me anything about quantum mechanics

Tutorial times

There will be 4 tutorials, starting from the week of 6th January 2025. You only need to attend one 1 hour tutorial a week, but I will host that tutorial a few different times a week to make sure there's a time that suits you. I also want to make sure that there are less than 10 students per tutorial, so everyone can ask questions.

Tentatively, these are the times I've selected.

Tutorial Option 1 (Weekday):

• 6pm US PST 🇺🇲
• 9pm US EST 🇺🇲
• 7:30am India 🇮🇳
• 1pm Eastern Australia 🇦🇺

Tutorial Option 2 (Weekday):

• 7:30pm UK 🇬🇧
• 8:30pm Europe 🇪🇺
• 6:30am Eastern Australia 🇦🇺

FAQs

Is this course meant for students? No. This course is for adults who aren't learning quantum mechanics formally. While physics students have access to teachers and can learn this stuff on their own, it's much harder when you haven't done math in a while and you have a job. The course is meant for people who've always wanted to understand quantum mechanics but would find it difficult or demotivating to do on your own.

Is there a math requirement? No. This course is meant for people who haven't necessarily done a lot of math since school and so it doesn't assume much knowledge. That said, you will learn some math as we go. To see how much math, watch the youtube videos and see if it's the right level for you. If you have math questions I'd be quite happy to help though. You can message me any time!

Will this course be certified? No, sorry. This course isn't meant to give you credentials. If you need quantum credentials then you'd be a lot better off taking a Coursera / Udemy etc course, as these follow more traditional curriculums. My course is specifically taught in a way that's accessible for people without the usual background, so it's quite unorthodox. 

Do I need to do the homework? No - life happens! Whether you forget, run out of time, or find the questions too challenging, there's no pass or fail here. The homework is there to help you learn, not to stress you out. 

What's the total time commitment a week? About 4 hours:

• 1 hour for lectures/reading
• Up to 2 hours for homework
• 1 hour for the tutorial.

If you spend 2 hours on homework and only complete one problem, that's perfectly fine! You can stop there or keep going - it's up to you.

Can I have extra problems? No one actually asked this. But if any one does ask in the forum I'd only be too happy to provide.