Recent content by Ex1

Thanks both. Yeah, perhaps. I'm in two minds whether I should go to see anyone else about it, he's pretty senior in the department and I don't want to make him angrier than he already is. Hopefully something will work itself out.

In my experience, in the UK at least, the boundary between being accepted on to a PhD programme and accepted on to a master program is only relevant if you're right on the edge. It does, however, make a big difference for studentships/scholarships. A great student applying for an masters...

To close the loop on this one, I wrote recommendation in congenial tones but didn't specifically recommend it. Unfortunately, perhaps it didn't go down too well as I've just been shouted and ranted at by my supervisor for 45 minutes non-stop about how stupid and useless I am. "As much use as a...

Thanks for the replies everybody, interesting thoughts. I'd like to enlighten you all as to what it is about, but I'd rather keep it semi-anonymous, at least until it's all sorted, so that it doesn't come back to bite me. Having slept on it, I have decided I can take the same approach as an...

I've been asked (told/commanded) by my research supervisor to write a recommendation for something that I couldn't honestly recommend under any circumstances. In fact, I'd go so far as to actively discourage people from it if I could. Normally I'd say "caveat emptor" but I'm not convinced...

It's relatively normal for entry level quants to not have a formal financial background. Although you'll be expected to have a decent self-taught understanding. Assuming to fit all their other requirements (personality, etc) I see no reason you wouldn't be a suitable quant candidate. It'll...

Thanks very much for your reply Janus. But am I missing something obvious? The section taken largely from Birch & Downs's "Correction to the Updated Edlh Equation for the Refractive Index of Air" deals specifically with air rather than CO2, and the tables don't give values for CO2 the pressure...

+1 on the responses about asking questions. If you've got a question in mind, and it is about what is being taught, then blurt it out and ask, it doesn't matter what it sounds like as long as you get the message across. If the lecturer doesn't get what you're asking, or you can't understand...

In my experience, virtually all the cool engineering type jobs in industry are open to physicists as well as engineers, but the physics jobs aren't as often open to engineers. So if you want maximum flexibility it is physics all the way, but you'll have to be able to see the bigger picture and...

Not sure if my experience would translate to chemistry and chem eng, but it's certainly a different mindset moving from pure science, to science in an engineering context. I've always been physics-minded with a large splash of engineering inclination, but my satellite engineering masters...

Hi folks, Does anyone have a good reference for the refractive index of the near surface Martian atmosphere? (Or alternatively, the means to estimate it from readily available data!) I'm struggling to think of an equation for which I've got enough of the variables to be of use, (for...

No, you should feel good! Physics, engineering and alike are difficult subjects, if you're getting average grades you're doing great! You'll be fine!

I'm surprised that no one has suggested Latin. It is the language of knowledge after all, and the foundation of much English. It is probably the most directly useful to physics language after English. If you plan to work in an international context in spaceflight then obviously Russian, too.

All is not lost! Stick with it and plod on through! The key to getting degrees isn't being incredibly good at the subject, it is simply sticking with it and keeping on going - much like walking through really thick mud. At the end of the day you'll have a physics, maths, etc degree and that...

I don't foresee a problem getting a PhD place with a 2ii MSci, you officially qualify for STFC and EPSRC studentships, as the 2ii MSci is equivalent to a 2i BSc in their eyes. You also match the requirements for most universities in the UK. (bizarrely the lower universities tend to be more...