Post your Fall 2009 Schedule!

lubuntu

Hi, thought this might be an interesting an kind of fun idea, post your 2009 schedule if your a student currently taking classes, also if you have some questions to ask the physics forums peanut gallery we can put them all in one space. I'll start

Classes
Linear Algebra- Using professors own text(with will certainly be supplemented with MIT video lectures.
Discrete Math- Using Rosen's Discrete Math and Applications
Calc III- Using Stewart
Physics 2 E&M Using Wolfson's University Physics
Dumb English Course

Questions
1.Is this too many courses to succeed in? I'm hoping to sweep the board with A/A- and perhaps 1 or 2 B+'s at the worst?

2. Anyone have any experiences with Rosen's Discrete Math? I've found very mixed reviews online.

3. Any other tips for success from anyone with regards to any of the specific classes?

Thanks PF!

thrill3rnit3

University Physics...by Wolfram?? Maybe you meant by Wolfson, or by Young and Freedman??

Your schedule looks pretty normal. The texts look like the regular texts used as well.

lubuntu

lol Yeah, I mean Wolfson, got those confused! Thanks for the correction.

sciboinkhobbes

I like this idea!

Classes:

• Quantum Mechanics - Griffiths, which I think I'll try and supplement with Mendl
• E & M II - Intro to Electrodynamics, Griffiths again
• Partial Differential Equations - Applied PDE, Haberman
• Astrophysics (emphasis on stars) - Intro to Modern Astrophysics, Carroll and Ostile (the BOB - big orange book)
• Intro to aikido...!

My questions:
1. Does anyone have any recommendations for someone just getting starting to scratch the surface of QM? Texts, materials, videos, anything that would help me immerse myself a bit? Same with E&M II?

2. Anyone else taking astrophysics?


Answers to lubuntu's questions:
1 & 2. Depending on how well you manage your time, it doesn't sound like too stressful of a course load to me - I think it could be handled quite successfully. In my experience, introductory linear algebra was quite straightforward, and calc III was just plain fun - not to mention a bit easier than calc II. I haven't yet taken discrete (waiting to take it from a particularly good prof) but it doesn't seem extremely difficult; unfortunately I haven't heard anything about the Rosen text, so I can't give my two cents there.

I'm not familiar with the Physics 2 text you're referring to, however... Physics 2 was, in my experience, a little abstract - I didn't have any experience beforehand with it, and so it was completely new and different. Definitely interesting, though, and there are a lot of good resources online. It may be a little more work to grasp all of the essentials, particularly if it's new to you.

I think you'll just have to manage the balancing act of having math homework from three classes, physics assignments, and English essays to write. If you really stay on top of things, and get all those assignments done on time - or even early! - you'll be saving yourself a world of hurt when exams and finals roll around. As long as you're doing your homework and reading up on things, none of the classes should be particularly horrifically challenging... Good luck!

3. Look into Div, Grad, Curl and All That by H. M. Schey for Calc III - it's an absolutely fantastic resource, clear and easy-to-read, and will come in handy for future courses requiring any sort of vector calculus.

lubuntu

I actually have the same Astrophysics book as I was intending to self study it at some point, my school unfortunately offers nothing like that. I think computation astrophysics is pretty much the coolest possible subject in the world!:)

AUMathTutor

Courses:
- Formal Languages & Theory of Computation
- Computer Networks
- Computer Architecture
- Software Process
- Independent study/thesis (climate modeling)
- Senior project (software design for satellite)

Questions:
- This Fall is going to suck.

mordechai9

1. Graduate electrodynamics (Jackson...)
2. Fundamentals of nuclear engineering (Nuclear physics)
3. Introduction to plasmas
4. Advanced Calculus II -OR- Methods of Computational Math I

Advanced calculus II covers chapters 9 and 10 of Rudin's PMA ("baby Rudin"), which I think would be really useful and interesting (rigorous calculus of several variables, linear transformations, intro to differential forms, etc.). The computational math class is like a graduate intro to numerical analysis class. This might be useful for my future research in using simulations, but it seems like the material is probably much more dry.

cristo

My tip: Don't be so blase about your English class. The ability to write well is an incredibly important skill that many science students completely overlook.

n!kofeyn

Came here to post that as well! I have definitely noticed a decline in my ability to write, at least in the technical and grammatical sense, since not being in an English, literature, or composition course since high school, and it is bothersome. You need practice at it just like anything else.

However, I will say that I agree that it is dumb, because it is probably a core course, and the overall course will be very strict about minor things and non-inspiring similar to most core courses. I knew a guy who wrote beautifully, but made a B in one of his college composition courses because his margins were a little off on his final paper.

lubuntu

I apologize for ever asking if my schedule was too much!

Landau

Classes

• Distributions - lecture notes, I'll supplement it with Friedlander and maybe Hörmander (although this is at a higher level than the course)
• Functional Analysis - lecture notes + everone is advised to buy one book. I'm going to buy Dieudonné and maybe Simon & Reed,although it's expensive. I have Rynne and Youngson on my computer.
• Foundations of Mathematics (axiomatic set theory, models, Gödel, ...) - lecture notes, I already have Suppes (cheap Dover)
• Hamiltonian Dynamical Systems - lecture notes, I'll supplement it with Arnol'd
• Quantum Mechanics II - Sakurai, I'll supplement it with Ballentine since I don't like Sakurai's style very much.

I'll be 'student assistent' (TA?) for a first-year math class (foundations: naive set theory, proofs, primes, relations, functions, cardinality, ...)

I also wanted to take the class Differentiable Manifolds (at the level of Lee), but since it's known as our hardest course in the bachelor's it'll probably take too much time to combine with the above. Too bad. Unfortunately General Relativity (at the level of Carrol) also doesn't fit in my schedule. I wish I could buy time!

DukeofDuke

Great post idea!

Classes
1) French I (took this in high school so should be cake)

2) Elementary Differential Equations (ODE) -Differential Equations with Boundary Value Problems, 2nd edition, Polking, Boggess, and Arnold

3) Advanced Calculus I (Real Analysis) -Fundamental Ideas of Analysis by Michael Reed

4) Optics and Modern Physics (lot of stuff, basic second year course) - no idea what book, last semester we just used our prof's ebook in the works.

5) Cybernetworks and the Global Village (sociology class, should be cake and also fun)

6) Intermediate Tennis (half credit course)

And no, I don't know why our math department names things so strangely. I tell a friend from that community college down the tobacco road I'm taking "Advanced Calculus I" and he goes "didn't you take that sophomore year...in high school?" -_-

Questions
1) Am I going to die?

2) I'm taking Real Analysis for my math major, and ODE because I want to understand the differential form of Maxwell's equations and actually be able to solve the differential equations in physics, because I had to fudge them last semester. I am a physics/maths double major but I want to go to physics grad school (so far) and I've been thinking about dropping the math major if it hurts my gpa too much...so...if it turns out I'm dying, which class should I drop of the two?n ODE or Real Analysis?

3) I've taken linear algebra, but I doubt anyone in the cybernetworks class has. Are there any good pdf's floating around on basic network theory? I read an article in some bigshot science magazine that was on my research advisor's desk on it, seemed really fun actually.

lubuntu

I would think Real Analysis is less applicable to Physics than ODE's, I think they are pretty much indispensable.

lubuntu

Cristo has you are a UK national I'm guessing you've never never had the pleasure of taking a course in the US system? Little can you understand the inanity of some of the classes we are forced to take to get a Bachelors of SCIENCE. English classes here tend to be less about the mechanics of writing and more about serving as a platform for the Professors( and this term is used lightly) political and social views. Hilariously, they also try to sneak in the idea that the class will serve in developing your "critical thinking" skills. At my school this is particularly amplified as it is, in general, more gear to these liberal artsy, "Critical Analysis of Late 18th Century Northern New England Literary Women and their impact on the Industrial Revolution" type garbage.

I just really can't muster a lot of respect for that world and really kind of wish that the STEM education system was completely cut off from the Liberal Arts/Business/Soft Majors, as they are two completely different worlds. I enjoyed someone else's post awhile back as they mentioned in nearly all those area you can more or less fudge your knowledge and get by, usually by writing Postmodern-esque paper as the example titled above.

But I'm off on a rant now so, please continue the regularly scheduled thread....

Topher925

Courses
-Computational Heat Transfer
-Thermal Energy Transport


The majority of my time wont be spent on classes, it will be spent on TA responsibilities and my thesis.

Newtime

Classes:

1. Political Science (annoying core class...)
2. Linear Algebra I - using Strang's book
3. Analysis I/Advanced Calculus I - using Rudin and Wade
4. Modern Algebra I - using Fraleigh and I'll supplement with the giant Dover book by Warner
5. The Putnam Challenge - prep class for the exam; very excited about this one
6. E&M - standard intro class to E&M using University Physics by Young and Freedman



Questions:

Are you guys as excited about this Fall as I am?

Pinu7

Oh, you math nerds.