Truly Tricky Graduate Physics Problems

Hundreds of diabolical problems in classical and quantum mechanics, electricity & magnetism, special relativity, and statistical and thermal physics, all solved in detail. Intended primarily for graduate students studying for qualifying exams, these problems are also great for teachers, advanced undergraduates, and more.

Jay Nadeau is an Associate Professor of Physics at Portland State University (PSU). Prior to PSU, she was at Caltech (2015-2017) and McGill University (2004-2015). Her research involves development of instruments and techniques for pushing the limits of microscopy, and she has taught at every level from freshman to medical/PhD students, with a particular interest in helping biologists love physics and vice versa.

Leila Cohen completed a Bachelor of Science at McGill University in 2012 and then attended medical school at McGill.

Ben Sauerwine earned his PhD in Physics from Carnegie Mellon University in 2011. He was twice nominated for the Mellon College of Science's Hugh Young Graduate Teaching Award, and competed in the ACM ICPC World Finals in 2004. His postdoctoral research was in bioinformatics at Sage Bionetworks. He is now a software engineer at Google.