Physics major Definition and 322 Threads

OKay there is a problem. I am a senior and going to college next year and I want to become a theoretical physicist. Here is the big problem, I signed up for Physics, but I noticed that at another university, there is something called Mathematical Physics and just Physics. Obviously I want to...

Hi. I am a physics major although I am having a hard time getting good marks in teh first semester of my first year. I just wanted any suggestions from peers and any senior students if there are any books out there which I can use as a physics major to understand concepts thoroughly and has a...

I'm having a very distressing problem and could use the advice of other physicists or physics students on this one. Ever since I was little, I've been absolutely enamored with astronomy. The stars, space, planets -- all of it. I couldn't get enough. So obviously, when I entered into a...

My son is thinking of majoring in Physics, but I've had virtually no luck in finding any information about the quality of undergrad Physics programs. Is there any objective rankings or assessments out there? Any other suggestions on how to pick would be appreciated. His interest (at least...

Hi guys, I would like to ask for a few opinions on exchange to German for a Physics major degree. First, I like the German culture. And I would love to learn how Germany study science, especially Math and Physics. I wonder how much it will do for my studies? What is the best year...

Hi everybody. I'm currently taking Calculus III with applications, and the book they gave us was Multivariable Calculus by Ron Larson. I wanted to Calc III, which is more pure math as opposed to the class I'm in that's mostly for engineers (theres a third class oriented even more for...

I will be entering University next month as a new freshman. Through AP testing, I already have 19 credits going in. For this reason, I no longer have to take some of the courses I was scheduled to take first semester. I am thinking of filling the open spaces with Psych 101 (social sciences...

I will soon be starting my freshman year in college studying physics. As I read more and more about the actual career of a physicist, I often see people mention that after getting a physics diploma, they get jobs in engineering and Computer Science positions. I'm pretty ignorant about academia...

I'm an undergraduate at Stony Brook University (safety, but i had no choice) and I'm planning on buying a laptop soon, and I've narrowed down it to either a Mac, Acer, or Lenovo. I'm going to major in physics, and I'm not sure what my second major will be (math, engineering, astronomy) 1) 13...

Hi there, I'm planning on double major in Physics and Mathematics...and i could really use some help from you guise (Physics major in particular). First off, i recon that i'll be needing some skills in CS, being able to operate some programs like Maple, Matlab etc. I'm already working on...

Should I take a concentration with my physics major? What are the benefits? I'm interested in astrophysics, should I take a materials science or astronomy concentration?

I am currently in my freshman/sophomore year of college and am majoring in physics. I was wondering what books you can recommend that I read. I really love physics and I just want to learn as much as I can about all different areas of physics. I have completed Calculus 3 and am willing to...

I am going to buy a laptop very soon. I think that I have narrowed it down to two laptops: Apple MacBook 13.3" 4.5lb. Processor:Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile 2.4GHz RAM:4GB DDR3 Hard Drive: 250GB 5400rpm Sony VAIO 13.1" 3.4lb. Processor:Intel Core 2 Duo Mobile 2.4GHz RAM:4GB DDR3 Hard...

I'm currently a 2nd year Physics undergrad who is contemplating adding a math minor. My plans for what to do after undergrad will most likely involve a Masters in some engineering branch (contemplating Mechanical Eng.) or grad school for physics (not so certain if I love the stuff enough to...

I'm about to finish up all the available physics/math classes at my local community college, and I've decided I want to major in physics. As far as what field, I'm not sure yet. But in the meantime, I was wondering what kind of job opportunities are out there for somebody with a BS in physics...

to the physics majors out there...do/did you find that although your work is challenging, it is extremely rewarding and worth struggling over? i recently decided on a physics major and will be hitting the heavy courses next year

Hey guys, I'm new to your forum and just thought I'd make my presents known. I'm currently a freshman physics major at UNCG and love it! Physics is much more than a passion for me, it's more like a lifestyle. Being a freshman with such a challenging major I find it quite important to have a...

Hello again guys. The summer is coming up and for most of my friends this means sitting around and eating Haagen Das. For myself, though, I'd like to keep up with what I learned this year so I can avoid that really uncomfortable first two months of school where you're rushing to relearn...

Is a control theory class usueful for someone who wants to do experimental physics in grad school?

Does anyone know of scientific anomalies that don't agree with the theories we've used to predict and explain physical phenomenon? If so, must I try to find a new theory that explains both the anomalies and the other phenomenon, too? Please give me the articles or personal findings you've...

i'm in my 4th year in college, double majroing in physics and applied math and I've only taken 1 engineering class (i'm taking it currently). since I'm staying for a 5th year, I'm looking for an aerospace/mechanical engineering internship this summer. I've applied to over 100 different positions...

I have a serious question. I'm currently a physics major taking Chemistry for Engineers, and Calculus. I'm trying to get into my university's engineering science program. I've never been able to deal with stress well, in fact you could say I'm terrible at it. If I'm stressed about my current...

i'm currently in Diff Eq and Theoretical Physics, and these classes are so dull! I'm already struggling with the material two weeks into the semester. I'm questioning whether i really even like physics anymore. i used to love physics and astronomy (or what i could grasp of them) when i was...

Hi, I'm a high school senior that's just been admitted to Caltech. They sent me their course catalog in the mail, and I've been looking over it this week. I want to major in physics, and someday study elementary particles, gravitation, and string theory. What math should I take? Caltech...

Currently, I'm a freshman in physics at a top 5 physics university. I absolutely love the department, so there's no issues with the professors or administration (they are incredibly helpful and love their students) and I love the subject. Physics itself is fascinating and I like that it's so...

Hey folks, I am thinking about maybe trying to do a physics major. However, I don't want it to be too hard and lower my already low gpa. How hard is the math and courses like upper division Moldern Physics, Mathematical Physics,Dynamics,Thermal Stat, E&M and QM? Also how hard are the require...

I'm currently a freshman student a local community college, where I'm taking some liberal arts classes to transfer to a university. I've taken AP Chemistry, AP Calculus, and Physics in high school, and I liked them all. Because of this, however, I'm at a crossroads as to what I should major in...

I've been on the fence between a physics major and an engineering major (of some sort) but I have a few problems associated with both. First off, what is it like to be a physicist? I really don't want to sit around and crunch numbers all day and not actually do anything with all the material...

So I think I'm going to fail linear algebra. Has anyone else ever failed a course? My worry is, is that I also didn't do very well in discrete mathematics. I realize linear algebra is very important, & I'm not exactly sure why I'm doing so poorly. Whether its me not being able to understand...

Hello! I am an second year undergrad at a liberal arts college majoring in physics. I want to go on to grad school in physics (although I have no idea what field right now, but I'm leaning toward theoretical). My school's only math requirement for the physics major is a class called...

I am an Engineering Physics Major/Math Minor. I am a senior now after finishing my first 3 years. I am beginning to wonder if I will be able to find a job with a bachelor's degree in Engineering Physics. I have been trying for 8 months to get an internship but I have had absolutely no luck...

I'm asking because I'm going to be a senior next year and I really, really don't want to take AP Literature. I loathe English with every fiber of my being. I'm also taking German IV which I've heard is mainly going to be a writing/literature class and I don't think I can handle two similar...

I've been planning out my future coursework and it seems unlikely that I'll be able to take a dedicated course on optics during my physics major. Therefore, I'm hoping for some suggestions about Optics textbooks that would make a good reference for self-study during the summer. I'm a junior and...

I'm currently a sophomore in physics, and I'm pretty happy with my choice of major. Part of the reason I liked it was that it seemed like everyone chose it because they genuinely liked physics. I have other reasons too, I can easily see myself doing research later on, but this isn't my point. My...

Hi, I'm a physics major at Cornell and after reading a few of the threads on this site, I'm worried I might not end up with the career I'm expecting. I love physics, and have been planning on going to graduate school for my Ph.D. But I'm not sure I love physics enough to be...

For anyone here who is a physics major, have you found the undergraduate courses tough and easier as you went up the ladder or more of the opposite? Just how much do you need to know to be prepared at the university level and as a physics major post B.S. degree because we are only human and...

I am a physics major and I have taken many math courses, but not Complex Variables. I did a little contour integration along time ago, but I never took it as a course. I do, however, have the option to take this semester. Should I take it instead of another physics elective? I know that it is...

I'm not majoring in engineering, so do not suggest it. I know it is possible to get an engineering job with a physics major. Here are a few minors (not exhaustive) I am considering: Mechanical Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management Technology I know it might be a little...

I'm interested in taking some CS courses to show basically I know half what I'm talking about to employers when it comes down to coursework. I'm a physics major who's taken first year CS (In my case "Designing Functional Programs", "Elementary Algorithm Design and Data Abstraction"). Ie. I...

I'm a sophomore at a small school (1600 students) in North Carolina, and I'm majoring in Physics. I'm also double minoring in Computer Science and Math. I'm doing this with the intention to graduate in four years and attend graduate school to work towards a Masters Degree in Computer...

i am he. what am i going to do? I'm seriously having a philosophical crisis here. i think I'm going to switch my major to math.

Hey everyone, just thought I'd throw up a note introducing myself so no one is too surprised if some random posts from me start popping up. I'm Nora, a junior at the Naval Academy, physics major (soon to be astrophysics major) and a Spanish minor. While I probably complain about physics twenty...

P. Chem--advice? I know, a physics major taking P. chem...why would he put himself through that? However, the topic has peaked my interest and it appears that what I want to do research on will require a knowledge of P. Chem, so my question is simply: Anyone have any survival advice? The...

Yeah, so I don't know how difficult I should take classes. I have a 5 on Phys Mechanics and E&M AP tests, as well as a 4 on the BC Calc Test (5 AB Subscore). These can get me the highest possible placements. Do you think I should place into a 200 level class in Physics, or should I...

I just graduated from high school, and planning to get into physics major. Right now I am applying, assumed being accepted, at 3 uni: the number is the the overall ranking 2006 in THES 22 The University of Melbourne (Australia) 33 Hong Kong University (Hong Kong) 60 Nanyang...

I'll ask the infamous question: Mac or PC? I know very little about computers, but I've heard Macs are used more often for high level computing.

I am a Junior Biology student.To start with, I love physics, and even though I didn't do well/not doing well in my "prehealth" physics courses, I love physics.I think I didn't do well/not doing well because of different reasons (like not attending classes).Anyway RECENTLY, I've been always been...

I'm a second Semester Sophmore Physics major, but my situation is a bit different that what you would expect. I actually only switched major to Physics last year so I'm only taking Freshman Physics courses. I'm confused about the whole Research thing. Firstly, how does it work? Are you assigned...

well I just got into UMASS at amhearst from my community college, I should be going there in the spring but as I looked over the requirements for their physics mjor I noticed something. for the professional track they only require multivariable calculus and ordinary differential equations...

Hello, I am quite new to this forum and I first just wanted to say that I love it. Now on to my question. This last year I have found myself really interested in physics and have been reading about it like crazy. The problem is last year, as a junior in high school, I had my physics class and...