Condensed matter physics is one of the best examples of emergence. We start with a bunch of small elements which we understand fully at the required level (atoms, electrons, quantum mechanics) but then there are complex properties that show up when we put a bunch of them together.
Includes fun things like:
As of 2020, this is the other "fundamental branch of physics" besides to particle physics/nuclear physics.
Condensed matter is basically chemistry but without reactions: you study a fixed state of matter, not a reaction in which compositions change with time.
Just like in chemistry, you end up getting some very well defined substance properties due to the incredibly large number of atoms.
Just like chemistry, the ultimate goal is to do de-novo computational chemistry to predict those properties.
And just like chemistry, what we can actually is actually very limited in part due to the exponential nature of quantum mechanics.
Also since chemistry involves reactions, chemistry puts a huge focus on liquids and solutions, which is the simplest state of matter to do reactions in.
Condensed matter however can put a lot more emphasis on solids than chemistry, notably because solids are what we generally want in end products, no one likes stuff leaking right?
But it also studies liquids, e.g. notably superfluidity.
One thing condensed matter is particularly obsessed with is the fascinating phenomena of phase transition.
Figure 1.
xkcd 2933: Elementary Physics Paths
.
Video 1.
What Is Condensed matter physics? by Erica Calman
. Source. Cute. Overview of the main fields of physics research. Quick mention of his field, quantum wells, but not enough details.
Zenon Pylyshyn is a Canadian cognitive scientist and philosopher known for his work in the fields of cognitive psychology, philosophy of mind, and artificial intelligence. He is especially recognized for his research on visual perception and the nature of mental imagery. Pylyshyn has contributed significantly to our understanding of how humans process visual information and how cognitive processes influence perception. One of his notable ideas is the distinction between "pictorial" and "propositional" representations in mental imagery.
Suren Arakelov is a mathematician known for his contributions to the fields of number theory, algebraic geometry, and Diophantine geometry. He is particularly noted for his work on Arakelov theory, which merges algebraic geometry and number theory by studying algebraic varieties over number fields and introducing techniques that involve both archimedean (real and complex) and non-archimedean (p-adic) methods.
Soundwalk is a term that can refer to different concepts depending on context, but it primarily denotes a form of artistic or experiential practice that integrates sound and walking. It often involves participants exploring a specific environment—like a city, nature, or an exhibition space—while being guided by audio content, which can include music, spoken word, environmental sounds, or other auditory experiences.
Akismet is a spam detection and filtering service developed by Automattic, the company behind WordPress. It is primarily used to identify and block spam comments on blogs and websites. When a visitor submits a comment, Akismet checks it against a vast database of known spam and various algorithms to determine whether the comment is likely to be spam or legitimate. If a comment is flagged as spam, it is either moved to a separate spam folder or blocked entirely.
Defensive expenditures refer to the costs incurred by individuals, businesses, or governments to protect against potential threats, risks, or losses. These expenditures are aimed at preventing harm or damage rather than generating profit or utility. Defensive expenditures can take various forms, such as: 1. **Security Costs**: Spending on security personnel, surveillance systems, alarms, and physical barriers to protect property and assets from theft, vandalism, or other criminal activities.
"Tattoos & Tequila" is a term that can refer to a couple of different things, but it is primarily known as the title of a compilation album by the rock band Motley Crue. Released in 2010, the album features a mix of new songs, covers, and previously unreleased tracks, with a focus on the band's classic rock sound.
In the context of mathematics, particularly in the study of linear algebra, a "stub" usually refers to a short or incomplete article or entry that provides basic information about a topic but lacks comprehensive detail. In academic or educational resources, a stub might serve as a starting point for individuals looking to learn more or contribute additional information.
A Lexis diagram is a graphical representation used in demography and epidemiology to visualize the relationship between age, period, and cohort. It helps researchers analyze how different cohorts (groups of individuals born in the same time period) experience various life events, such as births, deaths, or illnesses, over time. The diagram typically consists of: - **Horizontal axis:** Represents time or calendar years (the period). - **Vertical axis:** Represents age.
Tail Value at Risk (TVaR), also known as Conditional Value at Risk (CVaR) or Expected Shortfall (ES), is a risk measurement tool used in finance and risk management to assess the tail risk of an investment or portfolio. Tail Value at Risk focuses on the average of the losses that occur beyond a specified Value at Risk (VaR) threshold.
Algebra tiles are a mathematical tool used to help students understand and visualize algebraic concepts, particularly in relation to polynomial operations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and factoring. Algebra tiles typically come in various shapes and colors representing different values: 1. **Variable Tiles:** Often represented as a larger square (for example, a green square could represent \(x^2\)) which corresponds to a variable, and a rectangle (for example, a blue rectangle could represent \(x\)).
Agnes Dürer is a historical figure known as the sister of the famous German painter and printmaker Albrecht Dürer. She lived during the Renaissance period in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. While not as widely recognized as her brother, her life and contributions are often studied in the context of Albrecht Dürer's biography and the social history of the time.

Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project

Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
We have two killer features:
  1. topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculus
    Articles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
    • a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
    • a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
    This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.
    Figure 1.
    Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page
    . View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivative
  2. local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:
    This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
    Figure 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally.
    Video 3.
    Edit locally and publish demo
    . Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact