# Splash Biography

## EITAN MINSKY-FENICK, Yale sophomore studying Physics

Major: Physics

College/Employer: Yale

## Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hi!

I’m a sophomore physics major. I actually have teaching experience, but its usefulness remains to be seen. I like pretty things, like proofs and the sliding block problem. Bonus points if you ask about the sliding block problem.
Yes I know you don’t get a grade.
I’m honestly a fun person to hear lecture, or at least I am in my imagination. You are important to me, and if you want to stay after and talk to me about anything, literally, I will be glad to have that discussion with you. Or shoot me an email with questions, at eitan.minsky-fenick@yale.edu.

## Past Classes

(Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

S3885: Harmonic Oscillators in Splash Fall 2019 (Nov. 16, 2019)
I taught this at Sprout, and I'm teaching it again here. Probably don't take it twice? This course studies about half the things that exist. Half of nature approximately follows the rule that $$\ddot{x}\approx -kx$$ and the other half that $$\ddot{x}\approx kx$$, for positive $$k$$. This course is about the first one. We will also study driving, which is how you get home from the pool, and damping, which is what happens to the car seat when you do so. (I wish I didn't have to add this, but that's a joke. Damping and driving are interesting force situations.)

C3806: Harmonic Oscillators in Sprout Fall 2019 (Sep. 28 - Oct. 12, 2019)
This is a course about all things which have the property that $$\ddot{x}\approx -kx$$. That turns out to be about half of all things. This is a course about a lot of things. All of them are physics. Last year I taught a super general mathematics course, and it turned out to be too general, so I am being specific now.

M3578: Building Mathematics And Fun, Hard Problems in Splash Spring 19 (Apr. 06, 2019)
Modeled after MATH230, this course starts from the premise that you know how to count with positive whole numbers, and goes from there. From that, we should end up moving through functions into linear algebra, stopping by $$\sqrt{2}$$ and calling it irrational, and finally wind up at a bit of calculus and multivariable calculus. Or, you know, we might get sidetracked if one of you had a beautiful problem I’ve never seen before. And if you (collectively via democratic process) all want to learn something different, like probability, basic science, or physics, I might teach that instead. Also some of my favorite problems will be discussed.