My Quantum Mechanics students are struggling through what is quite possibly one of the most challenging homework assignments of the semester. It's not necessarily the most difficult (we haven't even gotten to linear algebra yet), but it is probably the one that requires the most amount of work and thoughtfulness.
One of the problems is a scaled-down version of an assignment we wrestled with in graduate school to create plots to compare the behavior of a mass on a spring in classical mechanics with its behavior in quantum mechanics. (Plotting the classical and quantum probability densities for successively higher energy levels, for those familiar with the material.) The results are very illuminating, but it takes quite a bit of work to reach the satisfying conclusion... especially since a single mistake along the way can ruin the end product!
I spent some time after class with them in the library computer lab as they worked on the assignment. I saw in their eyes the same level of concentration & consternation that my classmates and I had displayed when completing this assignment... and I have to say, it was weird being on this side of it.
I know what the final results are supposed to look like, and I know what steps they need to take, and I know what they're supposed to learn along the way. (Granted, I will probably make mistakes as I finish my own solutions to the assignment.) And I am setting them on this task that will take a good number of hours.
It makes me think of how Jesus is described in Hebrews as a sympathetic high priest. I was reminded of the importance of that feature of His relationship to His people. I hope I can mimic it well in my relationships with my students and with others.
Additional (possibly irrelevenat) comment: I looked up "weird" in the dictionary to make sure I had spelled it correctly, and learned that it has the same origin as the word "worth." Do we think of "weird" things as having unique "worth?"
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