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Purdue Physics/Math & KU Leuven MSc Grad: Calc to QM & Relativity
Cole R.

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About Cole

Bio

I hold two Bachelor of Science degrees from Purdue University—one in Physics (Honors) and one in Mathematics with a concentration in Computer Science—and later earned a Master of Science in Physics, cum laude, from KU Leuven in Belgium, majoring in Theoretical Physics with a minor in Condensed Matter Physics. I am currently pursuing a second Master’s degree in Medical Physics at the University of Florida in a CAMPEP-accredited program. Through this coursework I have worked extensively with...

I hold two Bachelor of Science degrees from Purdue University—one in Physics (Honors) and one in Mathematics with a concentration in Computer Science—and later earned a Master of Science in Physics, cum laude, from KU Leuven in Belgium, majoring in Theoretical Physics with a minor in Condensed Matter Physics. I am currently pursuing a second Master’s degree in Medical Physics at the University of Florida in a CAMPEP-accredited program. Through this coursework I have worked extensively with calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and special relativity, both as a student and while explaining these topics to others.

From May 2021 through June 2023 I worked as an academic tutor with Tutor Matching Service, providing one-on-one instruction primarily to high-school and college students in precalculus, Calculus I–III, linear algebra, differential equations, classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, optics, and special relativity. My approach is to first identify where a student’s conceptual understanding breaks down rather than jumping straight to procedures, then rebuild the material using worked examples and physical intuition or visual reasoning before returning to the formal mathematics. This method is especially effective in physics and calculus, where students often struggle to translate word problems and diagrams into the correct setup.

My academic research has kept me deeply engaged with the same material. My Master’s thesis involved deriving quantum field theory in a superluminal reference frame and building a MATLAB simulation to verify the results, while my undergraduate capstone modeled stable figure-eight orbits in a binary star system. Because of this background I can tutor calculus, physics, and related mathematics not only at the level of arriving at the correct answer, but with a clear sense of why the methods work—helping students move from memorization to genuine confidence.

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Education

Purdue University
Phys. Hons., Math-CS
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
Masters
University of Florida
Masters

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Approved Subjects

Calculus

Calculus

Calculus has been the backbone of my education since undergrad, where I earned a Bachelor's in Physics Honors and a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Purdue, and it only deepened through my graduate research in theoretical physics, where I derived and worked with differential and integral calculus daily, including developing a MATLAB simulation based on a modified finite difference time domain algorithm for my Master's thesis. Between 2021 and 2023, I tutored Calculus I, II, and III one-on-one through Tutor Matching Service, helping students work through limits, derivatives, integrals, sequences and series, and multivariable concepts like partial derivatives and multiple integrals. My approach is to connect each technique to the underlying idea it represents — a derivative as a rate of change, an integral as accumulation — so students can recognize when and why to apply a method instead of guessing between memorized procedures. Because I've both taught calculus directly and relied on it continuously in physics research, I can show students how these tools are actually used beyond the classroom, which helps make abstract steps feel purposeful rather than arbitrary.
Differential Equations

Differential Equations

Differential equations sit at the core of my physics background — my Master's thesis on the Superluminal Unruh Effect required deriving quantum field theory equations in a novel spacetime and then solving them numerically through a MATLAB simulation based on a modified finite difference time domain algorithm, while my undergraduate capstone project involved deriving and solving the equations of motion governing a three-body orbital system. Between 2021 and 2023, I tutored differential equations one-on-one through Tutor Matching Service, helping students work through first and second-order equations, systems of equations, and the various solution techniques used to approach them. I emphasize understanding what a differential equation is actually modeling — a rate of change tied to some physical or abstract system — before diving into the mechanics of solving it, since students who only memorize solution methods tend to get lost the moment a problem looks unfamiliar. Having both derived differential equations from first principles in original research and tutored the subject directly, I can show students how these equations connect to real systems, which makes the techniques easier to retain and apply.
Linear Algebra

Linear Algebra

Linear algebra runs throughout my physics education — quantum mechanics is built almost entirely on linear vector spaces, operators, and eigenvalue problems, and my graduate coursework in theoretical physics required me to work fluently with these tools well beyond the introductory level. I also hold a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Purdue with a concentration in Computer Science, where I studied linear algebra formally alongside its computational applications. Between 2021 and 2023, I tutored linear algebra one-on-one through Tutor Matching Service, helping students work through vectors, matrices, systems of equations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, and vector spaces. I focus on building geometric and conceptual intuition for what these operations actually do — rather than just how to compute them — since that intuition is what makes the subject useful later on, whether in further math, physics, or computer science.
Physics

Physics

Physics is the core of my academic background — I hold a Bachelor's in Physics Honors from Purdue and a Master's in Physics, cum laude, from KU Leuven, where I majored in Theoretical Physics, and my graduate thesis on the Superluminal Unruh Effect involved deriving quantum field theory in a superluminal reference frame to study how relativistic motion produces measurable physical effects. Between 2021 and 2023, I tutored classical mechanics, electricity and magnetism, and special relativity one-on-one through Tutor Matching Service, helping students work through forces, energy, momentum, circuits, fields, and relativistic kinematics. I focus on building physical intuition first — what's actually happening in a system — before formalizing it mathematically, since students who only memorize equations tend to struggle the moment a problem is phrased differently than what they've seen before. Having both taught these subjects directly and used them continuously in original physics research, I can connect classical mechanics, E&M, and relativity to real, current physics rather than presenting them as disconnected topics from a textbook.
Precalculus

Precalculus

Precalculus bridges algebra and calculus, and my background gives me both sides of that bridge — a Bachelor's in Mathematics from Purdue with a concentration in Computer Science, combined with a graduate-level physics education where functions, exponentials, logarithms, and sequences show up constantly in real modeling problems, not just textbook exercises. Between 2021 and 2023, I tutored precalculus one-on-one through Tutor Matching Service, helping students who often had the individual algebra and trig skills but struggled to combine them into the more abstract function-based thinking precalculus demands. I focus on making sure students can actually reason about functions — how they transform, compose, and behave — rather than just executing memorized steps, since that conceptual base is what determines whether calculus clicks for them later or not. Having tutored precalculus directly and used the same function-based reasoning throughout my own physics coursework and research, I can connect the material to concrete applications that make the abstraction feel more grounded.
Trigonometry

Trigonometry

My foundation in trigonometry comes from both formal coursework and years of applying it directly in physics — from decomposing forces and analyzing wave behavior to working through oscillatory systems in my graduate research, trig identities and unit circle reasoning are tools I use constantly, not just concepts I memorized once. Between 2021 and 2023, I tutored trigonometry one-on-one through Tutor Matching Service, working with students who struggled specifically with translating angles, triangles, and periodic functions into problems they could actually solve. I focus on building genuine intuition for the unit circle and the relationships between sine, cosine, and tangent, rather than having students memorize identities they can't derive or apply, since that intuition is what carries them into precalculus and calculus later on. Because I've taught trigonometry as a standalone subject and used it continuously in higher-level physics and math, I can also show students why it matters beyond the test, which tends to make the material stick.

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Hourly Rate: $100
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