The end of an era...er, semester
So a lot has gone on since the last time I posted...which, granted, was over a month ago. I now consider myself a "questioning" chemistry major, I've been under a lot of stress due to classes and life in general, I was accepted to study abroad at St. Andrews University in Scotland next spring, and I was denied transfer credit from said university that I need to continue in a chemistry major. However, I did not create a livejournal account in order to wallow in my own misery. So instead of whining about how things aren't going exactly as planned, I have compiled a list of the interesting quotes my various professors have made throughout the semester:
Prof. Gross, Intro to Psych as a Social Science:
In his introductory lecture - "I may not be much, but I'm all I think about."
Prof. Zoban, Multivariable Calculus:
"Let me explain it in hand-waving..."
About the "bug" who helps us visualize parametrized equations: "Let me call him Tim."
"Please don't discard these extra dimensions as some sort of torture made up by sadistic mathematicians..."
"I have problems with numbers." (never a good thing to hear a math professor say...)
Interesting fact: he knew John Nash of "A Beautiful Mind" fame.
Prof. von Baeyer, Physics:
"I am your friendly vulgarizer." (On the definition of physics as "le vulgarization de science")
"It's like a cafeteria where you see the same material in slightly different ways." (On how to solve the problems in the book)
"A mathematical theory of love is probably not particularly effective." (But it'd still be interesting to see...)
"If this was higher [his force on the floor], I'd go sink into the basement...which you would all enjoy." (On Newton's third law)
"I'm tired of this grandmother crap." (On figuring the angle of a banked curve for a slow (grandmother) driver)
"Conservative forces are not as you might think and Republican pacts..."
Interesting fact: his grandfather won the Nobel prize in chemistry in 1905.
Prof. Abelt, Organic Chemistry II:
"Today we're talking about alcohol dehydration...which has a different connotation on college campuses; but we're not talking about that."
"The alcoholysis of alkenes...but we're not going to make them drink."
"So sometime they changed the nomenclature and never bothered to tell me."
(On ylids): "Some of my other chemistry professors call it 'eyelid'."
(On chemical synthesis): "It's like a molecular game of chess..." (I never got the hang of chess...maybe that's why I do so poorly with synthesis...)
"That's why I don't teach that [reaction]. Because I don't believe in it."
"You can't make or destroy matter...at least not in this class."
"At one time we shared this building with the religion department, and that's because we did have one thing in common: syn-elimination."
(On the book's lack of using Schmidt's name in the Kolbe-Schmidt synthesis): "I don't know why Schmidt got dissed in this book."
(Words of infinite wisdom): "You should study for this test."
(Randomly): "My son has taken cocaine..." (It was for medical reasons)
Prof. Gross, Intro to Psych as a Social Science:
In his introductory lecture - "I may not be much, but I'm all I think about."
Prof. Zoban, Multivariable Calculus:
"Let me explain it in hand-waving..."
About the "bug" who helps us visualize parametrized equations: "Let me call him Tim."
"Please don't discard these extra dimensions as some sort of torture made up by sadistic mathematicians..."
"I have problems with numbers." (never a good thing to hear a math professor say...)
Interesting fact: he knew John Nash of "A Beautiful Mind" fame.
Prof. von Baeyer, Physics:
"I am your friendly vulgarizer." (On the definition of physics as "le vulgarization de science")
"It's like a cafeteria where you see the same material in slightly different ways." (On how to solve the problems in the book)
"A mathematical theory of love is probably not particularly effective." (But it'd still be interesting to see...)
"If this was higher [his force on the floor], I'd go sink into the basement...which you would all enjoy." (On Newton's third law)
"I'm tired of this grandmother crap." (On figuring the angle of a banked curve for a slow (grandmother) driver)
"Conservative forces are not as you might think and Republican pacts..."
Interesting fact: his grandfather won the Nobel prize in chemistry in 1905.
Prof. Abelt, Organic Chemistry II:
"Today we're talking about alcohol dehydration...which has a different connotation on college campuses; but we're not talking about that."
"The alcoholysis of alkenes...but we're not going to make them drink."
"So sometime they changed the nomenclature and never bothered to tell me."
(On ylids): "Some of my other chemistry professors call it 'eyelid'."
(On chemical synthesis): "It's like a molecular game of chess..." (I never got the hang of chess...maybe that's why I do so poorly with synthesis...)
"That's why I don't teach that [reaction]. Because I don't believe in it."
"You can't make or destroy matter...at least not in this class."
"At one time we shared this building with the religion department, and that's because we did have one thing in common: syn-elimination."
(On the book's lack of using Schmidt's name in the Kolbe-Schmidt synthesis): "I don't know why Schmidt got dissed in this book."
(Words of infinite wisdom): "You should study for this test."
(Randomly): "My son has taken cocaine..." (It was for medical reasons)