#introductory calc

[academango]

[spacejax]

Resources that have helped me in my classes!

(will add to this list as I find/remember more)

Classes I've used these in so far:

Honors Mechanics

Honors Thermodynamics & Optics

Relativity & Quantum Mechanics

Theoretical Mechanics

Calculus I, II, III

Differential Equations

Mathematical Techniques in Physics

Introduction to Astronomy

Fundamentals of Astronomy

Astronomy & Astrophysics

- - - - Youtube Channels - - - -

Physics

Michel van Biezen - oh my god I love him. I think he uses Sears and Zemansky's University Physics for example problems. His channel has 10k videos (!!!) and is very well-organized. He also lectures on math (from 5th grade to linear algebra), chem & organic chemistry, and astronomy.

Calculus

The Organic Chemistry Tutor - I mostly watch his videos on Calculus I-III and Differential Equations, but he also covers physics and chemistry.

Nancypi - Precalculus, Calculus I, and some of Calculus II. I barely showed up to calc lectures my first semester so she was a great help. also i have a crush on her

Michel van Biezen - I usually don't watch his math videos because his notation and techniques are different from what my prof makes us use

Astronomy

Urknall, Weltall, und das Leben - my literal dream channel. perfect levels of dryness, and videos are usually at least 45 minutes long. It's entirely in German though lmao

Michel van Biezen - covers important topics in introductory astronomy, and also does example problems (although I think they're all algebra-based)

- - - - Textbooks - - - -

Introduction to Cosmology - Barbara Ryden

Foundations of Astrophysics - Ryden & Peterson

University Physics - Sears and Zemansky

Calculus - James Stewart

Modern Physics - Kenneth Krane

Classical Mechanics - John Taylor

- - - - Workbooks - - - -

Essential Modern Physics - Chris McMullen, Ph.d. ----- LIFE CHANGING. BUY THIS FOR INTRO TO QUANTUM.

[milfcastro]

Forcibly reminding everyone here that I used to be going for a physics degree by exposing you to a series of words that don't make any sense unless you've cried your way through an introductory theoretical physics class and calc 3

[sirpseudonymphoapish]

google what do i need to draw of my nerd boy to get notes

these doodles are old btw i just love them. and they might be slightly ooc i like drawing him angry because hes cute that way. oh calc i want you.

very old introductory post if u dont know who he is

[shoehorseconstant]

a few years ago, me and my friend were looking for a place to study, and we found a little corner in the school library where the wall and ceiling were all see-through glass, and we installed ourselves there, determined to get good at calc 2. because it was the winter, it got dark pretty soon after... but it was nice. it felt like a little secret hideout!

we had a little sticky note with all the concepts we needed to study, all stuff like "improper integrals", "series divergence tests", "newton's method", yadda yadda... my friend had to go tutor, so i was there alone for a little while and i decided to just journal in my notebook...

i was majorly into some boy at the time so i really needed to get my thoughts out onto paper, even in the middle of my calculus proofs. i argued to myself that proofs are also a form of beautiful writing, so it would fit in nicely between them, and i think it did end up very beautifully! i also think that i didn't really know what proofs were at the time. i was naive, and it was mostly me making the "proofs" beautiful with all these nice logical connectors, pretty handwriting, neatly organized paragraphs, meticulously drawn graphs... i spent so much time naively imagining beautiful stuff in a realm that i didn't really know, that i think my dramatic journals about my feelings about the boy fit really nicely with my naive student's introductory calculus proofs.

it was weirdly nice to wait for my friend to do her tutoring stuff, knowing that eventually she would come back and i could show her all the new stuff i'd written. i still have the sheet with the sticky note in my room. i loved calc 2, while that friend hated it, but she's the one that ended up going into electrical engineering!

[siomae]

tuesday 🌷 march 19, 2024

change of plans, establishing priorities, learning

i had a plan to continue working ahead for calc but i realized, i was having a hard time actually understanding the lessons without having the corresponding practice problem set. i struggle to learn math from just videos, so i will just wait for the quarter to start. i'm still doing some pre-calc practice to get myself ready though !! this situation also made me realize that i should be prioritizing my cs class. my cs class is listed as an introductory class but i've been told that the professor expects students to have some fundamental knowledge prior to the start of class. since i don't have any experience in java, i will focus on getting prepared for that instead of my calc class ! it wasn't a total waste of the day ! i practiced coding today and revisited some of my web development projects from last summer. slow but productive day!

[ktsumu]

hi this is so unrelated but I’ve seen you post about being a stem student (I think) and literally how do you cope with finals 😭😭 i did so bad last sem and I need advice (1st year chem eng) if you have any!

i am so unqualified to answer this but here’s like …. my tips … for having written 8 finals in like 6 days last semester in the same boat as you basically SO!

this might be different because I’m a biochem major (technically bio with a chem minor now but still taking courses for introductory BSc requirements) and not chem eng BUT my friends in chem eng share a lot of my courses right now SO:

for math, physics, chem: practice problems until u want to die. like until you seriously want to scratch your eyeballs out. i aced my physics final by JUST doing practice problems FOR HOURS and watching theory videos on youtube for long-answer questions!! if you get stuck (ESPECIALLY on physics) take a break or get a fresh set of eyes to set you in the right direction. if i ever got stuck I literally just left it for an hour, came back and could do it

for calc (calc 2 especially because jesus fuck) i do active recall on a whiteboard for all of the trig substitution stuff (power reducing, product sum etc) because there’s a LOT. also the trig subs for like 1+x^2 and all that. OR i remember one and learn how to get the others from that but that’s kinda hard … mainly I focus trig because that’s what i think is the most dense but reddit forums can help you deal with any problem areas you have!! discord math help servers rock too

if you’re taking biology or psych as an elective or pre req, ACTIVE RECALL. bio pathways on whiteboards especially!!!! so good for metabolic pathways (we did a baseline coverage of them) and the krebs cycle!!! acronyms and rhymes are super good for bio (mainly bio 1 but you know)

also biochem if you’re taking it before second year: the app ‘amino acid quiz’ is a LIFESAVER i memorized them by doing it like once a day … i could draw them in my sleep right now i swear to fod

OVERALL: prioritize yourself overall! also do not compare with your friends outside right before the exam, i found it could be helpful but overall just stressed everyone out because we all studied the content in different ways. you’ll do great!! 🤍🤍 be kind to yourself always, university is hard!

drink water and you got this!!! sending you hugs for finals season friend!

[cmchill]

@round-hatches-are-terrifying well actually regardless of math knowledge that is a fabulous silly joke itself imo /gen

This joke is about introductory calculus ideas and I will be providing an actual explanation at some point today as requested by @shydeerwolf, I'll tag you if you want :D (I explain in as accessible non-lingo terms as possible)

(also I freaking LOVED my calc 1 exactly because it conclusively answered things like the "dividing by zero" question :DD Yay limits!!)

if a number divided by itself is always equal to 1, surely this holds true for 0/0 as well

[mangodestroyer]

Darn, I thought that maybe I was doing okay in my introductory proof writing class, but I just got an assignment back with a 35%...

I feel pretty bad about it. I know it's not the end of the world and it's only one assignment (other than that, I have a couple with 70%, one that is 80%, one that is 90%, and the rest are 100%). In all fairness, I did end up falling a little bit behind and need to do a hell of a lot more studying to catch up (I got sick and have been dealing with personal issues).

It just makes me anxious that I'll start doing very poorly on other assignments. Or worse yet, the midterm. It's not like there are too many people out there I can go to for advice/help either, outside of the classroom. That's part of what makes this course daunting. Most people don't study proof based math. In fact, tons of people are very allergic to math and are so happy they got past high school level algebra (and probably don't even remember the majority of it because they'll never use it). If anything, I'M the one people go to when they need help with math homework...

I mean, the logic portion of the course made sense. Set theory has been making sense. But proof writing itself is... not coming easily to me. It feels like my first attempt at calculus all over again! Funny thing is, this is my first attempt at Calc III and that, along with German, has been an A so far... That should tell you a lot about the proof based course.

[londonvalentine]

.

[taylorexpandingthot]

I have plenty of opinions and suggestions on physics and physics education!

Introductory point:

At this point, highly recommend you have taken calc 1 and 2, or at least take them at the same time. Calculus will not be directly involved at this point, but it’s very important to understanding things conceptually. Also keep in mind that at this point, these books are only here to teach you the basics. So don’t let that discourage you.

Find Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics by Serway and Jewett. This book was my first physics book and it serves that well! It also has big idea and equation overviews at the end of each chapter, which are very helpful!

Chapters 1-13 cover basic mechanics, though I recommend reading chapter 13 before chapter 10. At this point, try seeing if you can derive the kinematic equations using separation of variables!

Chapters 23-34 have a basic introduction to Electricity and Magnetism. Don’t worry if it doesn’t entirely make sense at this point, it makes a lot more sense when you get to the more intense material.

Chapters 15-18 and 35-38 cover waves and optics.

At this point, it’s time to move on to another book.

Modern Physics by Kenneth S. Krane is a book that will cover your basic intro into relativity and quantum physics.

Chapters 1-7 will get you very far, but this book talks about a lot, such as solid state, stat mech and cosmology and general relativity, so definitely skip around if you’re curious about any of the chapters following these. I will also say this book is a bit experimental for my taste, but it is meant to be an experimental introduction to quantum physics.

Lastly, Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences by Mary L. Boas is a great book on the math of physics, and definitely helps a young physics student bull up their toolkit. It’s best to read along this book while you’re learning waves and optics!

Intermediate Level Physics:

This is where things start getting a bit crazy. At this point it is a good idea to have experience with both multivariate calculus and linear algebra. Basic mathematical probability and differential equations won’t hurt either. And remember my namesake: Taylor expansions around 0. Be prepared for a big jump in the complexity of the mathematics at this point, these guys aren’t fucking around.

For Classical Mechanics, I recommend Classical Mechanics by John R. Taylor. This is a very good book for more advanced mechanics. Chapters 1-7 will take you through the basics. Think the og serway Jewett book, but a lot more math. You’ll go through energy and momentum again, as well as more simple harmonic oscillators. The real highlight however, is the introduction of the lagrangian. Also, solutions manuals exist for every problem, and every problem is ranked in difficulty from ⭐️(easy) to ⭐️⭐️⭐️(hard).

For E&M at the undergraduate level, you simply cannot do better than Griffiths’ Introduction to Electrodynamics. It has basically standardized upper level undergrad electrodynamics. This book changed the way I thought of everything in this field, as well as multivariate calculus. It is commonly said that one does not understand multivariate until they take electrodynamics, and I have to agree. It is very well written and clear. The problems are also very good in this book, just be sure you know how the differential operators change in different coordinate systems! Chapters 1-7 should suffice, but don’t worry too hard about 6.

Griffiths’ Introduction to Quantum Mechanics is definitely a challenging book, but quantum mechanics is a very challenging subject. Chapters 1-4 are about a semester of QM. Be prepared for the writing style to be very different from the other book Griffiths wrote, as there is another writer on this book. This unfortunately means a lot less visualizations.

Thermodynamics by Andrew M. Streane is a nice book on thermal physics, but I must confess I did not use it too much so there might be better ones out there. With these other three books, I occasionally read them as a substitute / supplement to class, but for this class my professor did his own thing. I really liked what my professor did, so feel free to reach out with your email if you want my notes.

So there we are, that is a theoretical physics education, minus statistical mechanics. But there is no good undergrad text for stat mech, so those courses are much more dependent on the Professor.

If you have any other questions or need any other recommendations, I’m happy to help!

Just saw Oppenheimer and I’m legitimately so impressed with the understanding of physics demonstrated in that movie.

My favorite example is the “near zero” probability the atomic bomb sets off a chain reaction that incinerates the atmosphere. Everyone else hears that and freaks out. But the physicists see this and are just like “oh yeah that’s fine, best case scenario honestly”

As a physics grad with a strong interest in the fields of atomic and nuclear physics, as well as their history, this movie was a treat :)

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

can you tell me something inspirational please

I'm not particularly inspirational so I'm not sure if I'm the person to ask but here's something I still think about fairly often

When I was in high school I was in a calculus class for the first time, the class was horrible and I felt like I was very stupid, very slow and unable to understand most of the stuff the teacher was talking about and this had always been the case, and I knew I was going to college in the fall and this was supposed to be my first introductory math class there and I was really scared that if I was this bad at calc now, I wouldn't be able to pass even the intro classes in the fall, and everything would be hopeless. (There were a lot of parents who told me "you'll do fine, they'll work with you if you're having trouble" and so forth but I didn't believe these assurances, I thought I would be denied admittance to college because I didn't have the skills to pass even the introductory classes)

So one day I was really distressed about this and I went to the teacher's office to talk to her, and I told her this, and she calmed me down. She told me that this wasn't a real problem, that I should just try to be calm and figure out what was going on, and keep going to her office if I wanted to talk, and she would help me. So I took her advice, and I went to her office the next day and the day after that and the day after that, until I got it. (She didn't know the material particularly well herself and had to learn things from the textbook along with me.) I ended up being able to graduate from college pretty much without difficulty because I got better at math, which is pretty incredible to me now

Which is all to say: problems can seem really scary, and really insurmountable, but it is actually possible to overcome them, and more importantly you don't even have to struggle that hard to overcome them

[kaijuno]

Since u studied The Physics, do you have any good accessible, introductory resources on the topic? Wanted to read a bit more about it but I've never taken a Physics class in my life

khan academy or crash course physics do calc based physics 101

[zukkaoru]

Grace okay okay okay so like... I don’t know, August, maybe???? We were talking about Sokka having dyslexia and I think you started writing it??? I’m not sure but we were talking about it and honestly I just love Sokka (wait really you love Sokka??? I had no idea you literally never talk about him ever!!) and yeah that was it for the thingy you just reblogged but your list is so long, babe and also I love you

(Look, I just caved and bought more string and also this is like the end of a phone call; how do I end it? Do I say goodbye? Do I go “love ya”? Or do I just end with the word “Sokka”? Actually, I only know one way to end this and Grace I don’t even know what this ask has become at this point but I’m sorry lol)

Fire Lily?

yes, Sokka?

i was literally just thinking about this fic like. right before you sent this ask because i still really want to finish it at some point but i went into it without an outline and it definitely needed an outline. also i need to do more research on dyslexia before i feel like i can accurately write about a character who has dyslexia.

i’ll probably end up just completely rewriting most of what i have but i will offer you the introductory paragraphs which may stay or may get trashed, depending on how the fic changes once i give it an actual outline. only time will tell.

Sokka is failing English. There’s no way to put it lightly. His midterm report has a giant F next to English 11 and if he doesn’t somehow get his grade up by December, that giant F will be seen by every college he applies to next year.

Sokka isn’t stupid. He’s not. He has a 99% in AP calc and a 100% in AP physics. He’s only ever gotten two C’s in his life, and those were in English 9 and English 10. Because of course they were. If not for English class, he’d be a straight-A student. He’s not stupid.

But he also clearly isn’t trying hard enough. He’s in regular English, for Tui’s sake! The rest of his required classes have all been honors or AP or dual credit. He should not be failing a regular-level English course filled with students who have never tried on a single assignment in their lives.

tell me what you wish i would write a fic about

[brookestudiesbio]

Hello everybody! My name is Brooke and I am a nineteen year old college student. 

      I have been in college for a year now, and lost track of my studyblr. I fell into a pretty bad hole after COVID hit, but managed to maintain a 3.86 solely because I changed a few classes to credit/no credit. I took a few classes this summer as well, and did not do well in my introductory chemistry course. I would’ve been fine had I actually kept up with my bullet journal and studying, but I didn’t. While there is nothing I can do about that, I was able to find another way to fill this prerequisite. I have been doing chemistry prep through an online service that will allow me entrance into my general chemistry class. I am actually almost completed with it so I’m super excited about that. 

Enough about that though. Here is a little more about me. 

I am a biology major. 

I plan on specifying either clinical lab studies or biomedical.

I am premed. I will probably attend UC Davis for medical school, but Stanford is my reach school. 

I either want to be an ER doctor or a Forensic Pathologist but I am definitely keeping my eyes and heart open to other ideas. 

I am apart of Phi Mu. I rushed this spring and have been loving every minute of it, even virtually. If you are on the fence I encourage you to go greek. 

I volunteer with 7 Cups and with Vitalant. 

I bullet journal and do digital art. Other hobbies include reading and video games. 

I have three dogs. 

I listen to l i t e r a l l y every genre of music.

My Current Schedule: 

     This semester I am taking 18 credits. I have to so I stay on track for my projected graduation. 

CHEM 1A- General Chemistry (5 credits)

HRS 119 - Classical Mythology (3 credits)

Either MATH 29 or 31 Precal or calculus 2. (4 credits) Long story but basically I placed higher at a local JC and im on a waitlist for a calc 1 summer course. I havent been placed in it yet but i meet the requirements and have done all the homework and exams. The school is just behind on petitions.

NURS 160 -  Human Sexuality (3 credits) 

SWRK 102- Introduction to Social Justice and Diversity (3 credits)

Goals:

     My main goal this semester is getting a 4.0. I know I can even with my job. I just really really need to kick my procrastination in the butt and up my time management game.

Afterword:

I know everything I wrote is pretty lengthy, but thank you to those of you who read it. If you ever want to study together just hit me up and we can call on zoom. It is important to keep spirits high in times like this. I hope you all are happy and healthy, and that your loved ones are too. Tata for now. 

[midnightartemis]

Chapters: 32/? Fandom: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Rey/Ben Solo, Finn/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Rey, Poe Dameron/Finn, Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren Characters: Rey (Star Wars), Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Ben Solo, Finn (Star Wars), Poe Dameron, Rose Tico, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker, Maz Kanata, Larma D'Acy, Amilyn Holdo, Snoke (Star Wars), Boba Fett, Bossk (Star Wars), Armitage Hux, Chewbacca (Star Wars) Additional Tags: Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Abuse, Drug Use, Suicide Attempt, Star-crossed, Dreams, Alternate Universe - High School, High School, School Dances, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Foster Care, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Near Death Experiences, Multiverse, Reincarnation, Attempted Sexual Assault, Assault, Graphic Description, Teenage Drama, Horny Teenagers, Fluff and Smut, Angst with a Happy Ending, Past Drug Use, Drug Dealing

Chapter Three

Tuesday goes by without incident, though Latin will kill me. Rose is more than happy to walk me to my classes, chatting happily about her own, and I’m happy for the company for once. Poe and Finn are in my P.E. class and they’re so competitive. Rose tells me it’s okay to take them down a notch if I can. I’m athletic, but usually never got the chance to stay in a place long enough to participate in anything.

Wednesday rolls around and Rose is buzzing about Friday as we eat lunch. My eyes search for Ben, but I can’t find him anymore. “What’s Friday?”

“Oh, my god. I completely forgot to add you to the group chat.” Rose palms her face and gets out her phone. I sheepishly hand her my half-broken iPhone but she doesn’t bat an eye. “Poe, Finn, and I are having a little get together to celebrate the start of the school year. Please, come. I know you have to ask Maz.”

I’d never been invited to a party before. “I would love that. I’ll ask her tonight.”

I hope Maz said yes. Things were going smoothly there.

Rose and I left lunch early so that we could walk together to class. Rose liked to show up early to vocal class to help set up and I was more than happy to have a few minutes alone, even if it met sitting in awkward silence with him.

I open the classroom door and he’s there sitting where he was Monday. I take my seat across from him and pull out my headphones to listen to music for a bit. I scroll for a while and settle on The Lumineers’ Ophelia album. It takes a lot for me to not dance and hum along, so I pull out my drawing notebook and start in on practicing drawing 3D shapes.

I feel his eyes on me and I look up, realizing that I’ve been bobbing along to the music. He looks away and I think there’s a hint of a smile on his face. I flush. What is it with him? He didn’t look like a hardcore drug dealer, not like the ones I’ve seen. He looked quiet and lonely. Soft. Dammit, Rey.

He looks up again and sees me watching him. He scowls, his mood instantly souring. I look away sheepishly.

“Sorry.”

“Did they get to you, too?”

“What?” My heart races at his voice. My eyes meet his and they’re looking over me intensely.

“The golden trio.” His voice is low, angry.

Poe, Finn, and Rose? I frown. “I-”

Before I can say anymore, the door opens and Mrs. Tico walks in, cheerful as ever. “Hi, Rey! Ben!”

“Hi, Mrs. Tico.” I smile back, but inside my stomach is rolling with anxiety. What did he mean ‘ get to me?’ Rose had made it pretty clear what happened and I doubted Poe just hated Ben for shits and giggles. I look back at him and he’s concentrating on his notebook as if nothing had happened. I scowl and go back to my own work.

“How was school, hun?” Maz picks me up in her bug after school to take me to therapy.

“Good.” I smile. “I have a mountain of homework already, but everyone is really nice.”

“Good, good.” We drive without talking, just listening to the radio quietly. My stomach turns as I think about the party. I cross my fingers and ask.

“Maz?”

“Yeah?” she glances at me.

“I was wondering- well… Rose and Poe and Finn were getting together Friday night and they invited me. And I was wondering if I can go?” I bite my lip and look at her hopefully.

Maz smiles. “Ah… the infamous Dameron Back to School get-together.”

My eyes widen. “Oh. Oh. I didn’t realize it was a party-party. Nevermind.”

“No, Rey. Go! Have fun. Enjoy your friends. Just no drinking or drugs. I’m here to keep you safe and healthy, not ruin your high school experience.” Her eyes sparkle, but there’s a seriousness to them. “11:30 PM. At the latest. Okay?”

I nod, trying to hide my excitement. “11:30. Got it.”

We pull into a parking lot of a small brick office building downtown and Maz walks me in. We go to the second floor where there’s a small waiting room. It’s very zen with comfy chairs, light incense, peaceful art, and meditation music in the background. There are two doors, both closed. Maz and I sit and wait until the door on the left opens. A man walks out and he’s got a wide, open face covered in a grey beard and eyes that radiate kindness and knowing. I instantly feel at ease when he smiles. “Rey?”

I nod and stand. He walks over and sticks out his hand and I shake it. “I’m Luke Skywalker. Let’s go in and have Maz fill out some paperwork and then we will get started on your introductory session.”

Did everyone in this town know Maz? We fill out the usual paperwork in Luke’s office. It’s just as zen as outside. There’s a Buddha sitting on a bookshelf perfectly curated with books on mental health and well being. A fountain trickles gently in the corner. Everything is in order, at balance.

“I’ll be waiting in the lobby.” Maz signs the last paper and leaves us. I take a seat on the couch and Luke sits in the chair across from me.

“So, Rey,” he says with a small sigh. “I’m guessing this isn’t your first time in therapy?”

I laugh a little. “No.”

“Well, I have a few questions that we can discuss, but first, I just want to give you a little overview of what our plan is if you choose to move forward. I like to do a little one-on-one session before placing you in a group. I run a few groups, and it’s all just about trying to place you in the right one where I think you have the best chance of learning and listening to your peers and sharing your own stories. Sounds good?”

I nod.

“So, tell me about yourself, Rey. Your childhood, things you like to do… Anything you’d like in whatever way you want to tell me.”

“Well…” I take a deep breath. The story in my head is one that’s carefully rehearsed, told over and over. “My parents abandoned me when I was six. I was found by some workers abandoned in the Jakku city dump. And they couldn’t find my parents, so I got placed into the system. I jumped around a lot as a kid. No one really wanted me. And then when I got older, I got tired of the abuse and the neglect, so I started gathering evidence on my fosters and getting their licenses revoked. But that just met that I jumped around even more. I’ve just kinda learned how to survive and take care of myself.”

“That sounds hard and exhausting.”

I nod and sigh. “Yeah.”

“What about now? You’ve only been at Maz’s a few days, from my understanding. How’s that going?”

“Good. I think.” I reply. Luke says nothing, waiting for me to fill the silence. “It’s a lot to process. Everything changed so quickly and she’s unlike any foster I’ve ever stayed with. It’s… It’s almost like it's too good to be true… And, I guess I’m worried that it will be. Or I’ll fuck up and it will all be taken from me.”

“Do you think you deserve a good foster home?”

I can’t meet his eyes. Tears prickle at my own. “No.”

“Why not?” Dang, this guy is good.

“I’m not anyone special… There are a lot more kids out there who are a lot more deserving.”

“So… What I’m hearing is that you spent the last few years catching abusers in the system… But you’re not deserving of a good home?” He raises his eyebrow at me. I see his point, but I still can’t reconcile myself with it. “You sound pretty special to me, Rey.”

“I’m not anyone special.” I shrug. “I just didn’t want other people to go through what I have.”

“Do you feel that’s your duty? To save other people?”

I mull over his question and nod slowly.

“There aren’t many people out there who would put others before their own personal wellbeing and safety. What things do you like doing for yourself?”

“I like listening to music… And working with my hands.”

Luke smiles. “Good. Those are really good ways to take care of yourself.”

“They help me a lot when I need a break from the outside world. It can be really… Overwhelming.”

“Tell me about that.” Luke nudges me in that direction gently.

“Well, I don’t know. It’s like… I can get really overwhelmed in crowds. If there’s a lot of noise or people or things going on. It gets hard to think and concentrate.”

“Like at school?”

I nod.

“Is there anywhere you go to get away from the noise and let yourself relax for a bit?”

“Usually after lunch, I go to the art room because there’s no one there before class usually.” Not no one. Might as well be no one though.

“Good. It’s important to create room for yourself and thoughts and to listen to yourself.” Luke smiles. “Tell me about school. Are you enjoying your classes so far?”

“Yeah. Principal Organa was really happy with my interest in science and math. She put me in physics, and pre-calc, and small engines and I really like all three so far. It just makes sense to me. More than English or Latin or Social Studies. Though, I don’t mind Social Studies either. And psychology is interesting, too.”

“Very interesting.”

I laugh. “Right, I’m talking to a psychology master.”

“I have a group on Thursdays after school. It’s some of your age group dealing with some similar things as you. Is that something you would be interested in?”

“Yeah. Sure.”

“I’ll have you start next Thursday so I can let them know that the group is expanding a little. How does that sound?”

“‘Good.”

Luke nods and stands. “I’m afraid that’s all we have time for today. It was great to meet you, Rey.”

I stand and let him lead me out of the room.