An essay by Patrick Madigan, Bates physics alum<\/p>\n
I wanted to let you know how physics has helped me throughout my career. I\u2019ve written below what is basically an historical account of what I\u2019ve done since graduating and the items that I needed to become proficient in to be successful.\u00a0 In all of these subjects, I relied on the basics that I learned in physics to help me quickly understand and apply the knowledge to solve the problem.\u00a0 I hope this helps people who are considering majoring in physics.<\/p>\n
I liked math in High School and took calculus as a senior but it was only when I took physics \u00a0that math had real value to me.\u00a0 In physics class we put mathematics to work actually solving problems and with calculus the problems were much more real.\u00a0 I never understood math for math\u2019s sake.\u00a0 I took a PG year at The Lawrenceville School in New Jersey where I took the BC version of AP Calculus and AP Physics.\u00a0 I really enjoyed AP Physics at Lawrenceville because with calculus the problems became more interesting and the more difficult. I interviewed with George Ruff when I visited Bates and had a good feeling about the program.\u00a0 My family wanted me to major in Geo-physics since the family knew someone that had a very prestigious job with Exxon.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t know exactly what I was going to do with a degree in physics but I didn\u2019t have much interest in Geology.<\/p>\n
My first job after graduation was at Hamilton Standard, a division of United Technologies which makes electronic engine and flight controls for military and commercial aircraft.\u00a0 I was hired to perform EMI (Electromagnetic Interference), Lightning and Nuclear Hardness testing at the system, subsystem and in some cases the electronic component level.\u00a0 I was chosen for the job because with my degree I understood the electromagnetic spectrum, how waves interact with different size apertures based on wavelength, how impedance is affected by frequency, and other general rules of E&M. We designed electronic engine controls which could withstand the plane being struck by lightning through a balance of countermeasures of shielding and peak voltage clamping at the inputs.\u00a0 A lightning strike is comprised of high and low frequency components that require very different solutions, something that Electrical Engineers didn\u2019t have much appreciation for.\u00a0 The nuclear hardness testing consisted of bombarding electronic components with Gamma radiation or neutrons from the Sandia Pulse Reactor (SPUR) to determine survivability during a nuclear strike.\u00a0 The bulk of this work was done for the Stealth Bomber and similar aircraft.<\/p>\n
After four years I left Hamilton and started a company that manufactures plastic packaging.\u00a0 In the early years the company primarily made aluminum molds so I learned how to design (CAD, Solid Modeling) and machine aluminum (CAM, CNC Machines).\u00a0 Along the way my background in mechanics and E&M helped me quickly understand electronic data communications, how cutting tool geometries work, radial cutting speeds, chip loads etc.\u00a0 The plastic forming process consists of heating sheet plastic material to the edge of liquid state, forming the material over the aluminum molds which are water cooled to remove the heat and therefore set the material in the formed shape.\u00a0 This required installing large compressed air systems and chilled water systems.\u00a0 Background knowledge in thermodynamics helped me better understand what was happening during the forming process because I understood heat flow, heat density, heat capacities of different materials etc.\u00a0 When purchasing some of the larger systems I was able to push for more efficient designs and create systems that had two uses.\u00a0 For example our compressed air system rejected enough thermal energy to heat the factory in the cooler months.<\/p>\n
Along with installing manufacturing infrastructure I needed a system to keep track of manufactured items.\u00a0 For example, the system needed to keep track of an order for 10,000 items manufactured over several days by two people, each on a different shift, with a specific amount of material.\u00a0 How much total time did this take?\u00a0 How much Material?\u00a0 How much scrap was there?\u00a0 Did the job run at the estimated level?\u00a0 What was in inventory? \u00a0 What was on order?\u00a0 I found out years later that this is called an ERP system but 25 years ago I built an industry specific one out of need.\u00a0 My physics background allowed me to take a systematic approach to solve complex business issues.<\/p>\n