Teaching physics is like programming. The teacher sets up a system where if something occurs, then the student has learned that something else shall occur and so on until the “correct” answer is obtained by the physics student.

Once the program is established, the teacher throws a multitude of case examples at the student to see if the program is robust.

Watching a classroom of physics students work together to dissect a problem and synthesize an answer is as euphoric as watching a program you have written consistently give the desired output.

Classroom-spanning shouts containing the words “x-naught” and “mu” and debates over force vector addition and frames of reference are like seeing the DOS prompt blinkblinkblink and then, line by line, output all of the expected information. Ecstasy.