Freshman Physics

I am grateful to Anthony Zee ’66 for sharing his memory of Professor Piroué. I focus on Dr. Zee’s statement that the “standard undergraduate physics curriculum in American universities has been dumbed down, again, and yet again … .” Detached from academia since earning my AB in math, I wonder whether the claim applies for alma mater, and if yes, why so when Princeton is accepting a slimmer fraction of top applicants than ever before. Perhaps PAW will investigate. At least until the matter is resolved, I can imagine that no freshman since my time has had it tougher than I did in Professor Alan Guth’s section of Physics 104.