Nick Mykins

Opinion

The inherent value of learning

By Nick Mykins | November 30

When I graduated from high school, there was one complaint I thought I would never have to hear from my classmates again: “When am I ever going to use this in real life?” I am sure everyone has heard it, and maybe they have said it themselves during some particularly obtuse lecture or another. Surely UNC is a place where we can all pick a major and then only study exactly what we are going to use in our future careers — nothing more, nothing less.

Opinion

Shedding light on the nature of light

By Nick Mykins | November 7

As a student of physics, I’ve noticed that a lot of times, it’s helpful to think of certain difficult concepts in terms of simple things with which I’m already somewhat familiar. For example, I sometimes think of electrical circuits as water flowing through a series of little pipes. In this analogy, pumps represent batteries, water flowing past a certain point represents electrical current and some sort of obstacle that impedes the flow is a resistor.

Opinion

Messy room? It's a law of nature

By Nick Mykins | October 24

If you’re like me, this is about the time of the semester that schoolwork starts gnawing away at every last second of your free time.

Opinion

Nothing is too weird to be true

By Nick Mykins | October 6

Here’s a brainteaser with a very interesting solution: Out of 50 people chosen at random, what are the odds that two of them share a birthday?

Opinion

Find comfort in the chaotic

By Nick Mykins | September 26

They say if you don’t like the weather in North Carolina, just wait five minutes. Of course, the exception is the one time you leave your umbrella at home while you go golfing, it will surely rain all day, without warning.

Opinion

When you wish upon yourself

By Nick Mykins | September 15

There’s nothing quite like looking up at the stars at night to get an idea of how small we are compared to the rest of the universe.

Opinion

We all just want to know, 'Why?'

By Nick Mykins | August 31

When I meet new people at UNC and tell them I’m majoring in physics, I almost always get one of two reactions.