ESP Biography



BENJAMIN SPAR, Stanford Physics Junior




Major: Physics/Math

College/Employer: Stanford

Year of Graduation: 2018

Picture of Benjamin Spar

Brief Biographical Sketch:

Hi, my name is Ben and I am a sophomore studying physics at Stanford University. I have always been interested in math and physics, and my experiences at college have only increased my fascination. I am originally from New York, but I spent my years from 8 to 16 living in London. I spend most of my free time watching sports and reading sports articles



Past Classes

  (Clicking a class title will bring you to the course's section of the corresponding course catalog)

C6470: Introduction to Particle Physics in Splash Spring 2018 (May. 05 - 06, 2018)
In this class we will learn all of the basics of particle physics! There are no prerequisites for this class, you just have to want to learn about the smallest known things in the universe! We are going to discuss all fundamental forces and particles and even learn some of the rules of Feynman diagrams. Higgs Bosons! Supersymmetry! We will talk about them all!


W6565: Math Competition Problems in Splash Spring 2018 (May. 05 - 06, 2018)
Come learn some general math competition problem solving techniques! There will be activities for all math levels


C6014: Introduction to Particle Physics in Splash Fall 2017 (Nov. 11 - 12, 2017)
In this class we will learn all of the basics of particle physics! There are no prerequisites for this class, you just have to want to learn about the smallest known things in the universe! We are going to discuss all fundamental forces and particles and learn the rules of Feynman diagrams. Higgs Bosons! Supersymmetry! We will talk about them all!


R5787: Climate Change 101: From Science to Justice in Splash Spring 2017 (Apr. 22 - 23, 2017)
This class is intended as a crash course for the current state of global climate change. From the science basics to international negotiations to Trump's policies to environmental justice, we will briefly touch on it all! Class will include demo and fun (scary?) facts to impress your friends


H5171: Sports and Culture in Splash Fall 2016 (Dec. 03 - 04, 2016)
Have you been fascinated with the public response to Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the national anthem? Do you often find yourself viewing athletes from a cultural lens? Then this is the class for you! We will learn about the history of athletes making large societal impacts and discuss the responsibilities of the modern sports star. You will come out of this class equipped with the skills to have intelligent discussions about the greater impact of sports with both fans and haters.


M4986: The Art of Estimation in Splash Spring 2016 (Apr. 09 - 10, 2016)
In this class, we are going to learn how to make smart estimates in order to solve both fun theoretical and real world questions. These range from "how tall is a stack of 1 trillion dollars worth of 1 dollar bills?" to "how much volume of air does a human breathe every day."


P4586: Introduction to Special Relativity in Splash Fall 2015 (Nov. 07 - 08, 2015)
This class introduces students to the fundamental concepts behind special relativity. Using basic algebra skills, students will derive time dilation and length contraction from Einstein's postulates.


M4651: The Mathematics of Sports Gambling in Splash Fall 2015 (Nov. 07 - 08, 2015)
Do you like watching football, basketball or baseball? Have you ever heard or read the term "spread", "teaser" or "parlay" and wondered what it meant? Do you think statistics are interesting? If you even thought about answering yes to one of those questions, this is the class for you! In this course, we will first learn the basic terms used to describe the different types of sports bets. We will then learn about expected value calculations and use them to show why these bets all are losing propositions. We will also calculate how certain you need to be of an outcome in order to make bet with positive expected value.


P4156: Introduction to Special Relativity in Splash Spring 2015 (Apr. 11 - 12, 2015)
This class introduces students to the fundamental concepts behind special relativity. Using basic algebra skills, students will derive time dilation and length contraction from Einstein's postulates.