Science Definition and 989 Threads

I am an aspiring Astrophysicist/Astronomer from Omaha, NE and I am competing in the National Science Olympiad in May. I would like to say I have relatively basic-mid level knowledge of the field in for a junior in high school, however I am unaware of the type of questions that will be asked (I...

The first is taught universally (as far as I can make out) at school and university, that Galileo discovered that all bodies (at least in vacuum) fall at the same rate. He didn't. He read it in Lucretius' great work of Roman science "De Rerum Natura" published about 60 BC. Lucretius followed...

Here in Missouri, MST has a very good academic reputation, but it seems this is not true everywhere. This is all wildly imaginative at this point (HS Senior), but if I were to major in physics at MST, (assuming I made good grades), is it unreasonable to hope to get into grad school at some of...

Just looking for ideas here. My initial thought was wave property of light, just using a pinhole image and a water analog, but still thinking of ideas.

Ahoy there. I am twenty years old, and have (as a result of my interest in cosmology and astronomy, and the natural sciences) developed a keen appreciation for mathematics (in physics, primarily). I have always had an interest in the sciences, but lackluster teachers and personal disinterest...

Hi guys, I need to create a science project, but first I need an idea. I have already come up with an idea, which was measuring stress level under timed and untimed tests, but my teacher said that it was too simple. Do you have any suggestions on any 8th Grade science projects I could do, that...

I'm a first year computer engineering student at one of the top 14 Universities in the world for engineering. I originally majored in computer engineering because I wanted to focus on lower level programming such as C/Assembly instead of ending up doing grunt work for some startup using Ruby on...

Please, Let me know about B.Sc. physics with space science

Hello, I am currently a chemistry student and will be graduating this Spring. I have applied to a couple of schools and have been accepted to one school so far for a PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. I am worried that a PhD is overkill. Long term I want to work in industry. I would like...

Hi there, I'm very interested in physics and want to major in it and minor in computer science and then get my masters. However, I think that a job in software engineering (something like developing software for physical science (physics, astronomy, meteorology, geology, etc.) or scientific...

I'm currently working on a master's degree in physics where my project uses C++. I have read about how some physics phD's were able to get data scientist roles despite working on computational astrophysics. This is a little surprising to me since I thought experimentalists would be more suited...

I've always been fascinated by how a computer operates both through code and through its physical devices. This is my eternal struggle, I like both the software and hardware side of computers. I'd like to possible programming robots and use my electrical engineering design to know how to make...

How old were you (forum members) when you first began discussing math and science on the web? I'd been out of graduate school for a decade before posting to a math and science forum -that was on the old Compuserve math/science forum, before Compuserve was taken-over by AOL. I wonder how...

Dear PhysicsForums members, being currently in my final year of Austrian high school I have to decide what to pursue my Bachelors degree in. (Un)fortunately I have three huge interests. Those are Economics, Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. All of which are highly fascinating and I...

I have a bachelors in computer science, i have recently become more interested in hardware aspect of computers, any help would be appreciated.(my undergrad didn't require ANY physics class).

Hi everyone. I am looking for some insight on going from Electrical Engineering Technician with a Bachelors in Technology to getting a Masters in Science for Electrical Engineering. I would like some thoughts on: How hard will the transition be? What challenges might I face? Will it be...

(Please feel free to move if I've picked the wrong forum.) I bought and started reading Kip Thorne's book. Chapter 1 is all about the people who met to bring the film and book into being. Chapter 2 is the beginning of the discussion of science. On page 1 (one) of this first (first) science...

I'm a computer science major, and i feel like I'm wasting my youth learning things that soon will no longer be useful. IT is evolving at such an explosive rate that what i learn today may change tomorrow. For example, the textbooks we use right now would be of no use to us in a decade, but the...

Hi, Well, my name is Etienne and this isn't my first time posting about my choice of major. I am in 12th grade, and I have an admission exam to UNAM next month, (National Autonomous University of Mexico), for APPLIED MATHEMATICS & COMPUTER SCIENCE or I have also seen it been called Applied and...

I live in the United States, have a BA in physics, am working for a materials company, and am about to apply to grad school. Can anyone weigh in as to which degree, a master of engineering or a materials science and engineering MS, is more marketable? Both subjects interest me equally. I am...

I'm thinking of doing a science fair project having to do with a superconductor. However, the problem is that I have two things I don't understand, exactly what the science fair is asking for, but that's okay, I can always ask my teacher- And also, how I should start with this superconductor...

Is it not good for someone learning about any kind of science to also learn about older disproven ideas or theories in order to understand why something does not work? Not in an effort to pursue them but to learn about the mistakes or problems they revealed.

I was in Bs physics engineering but I decided to switch away from and now I am taking my bachelor degree in Computer Science (I couldn't stand laboratories) but I still want to be a theoretical physicist! I have taken some courses in physics like quantum mechanics and fortunately I was able to...

For some reason every time I take an environmental science class the prof has a bone to pick with the scientific principle. Last lecture he stated that "people think that theory is based on observations but this is wrong, what people observe is based on theory". He also made the point about how...

Why is science explaining how cyclone separators work, is so wrong, at least those that work with water, the notion that particles are thrown to the outside and slow by friction until they fall is just wrong. I have built several homemade separators from transparent plastic and have observed...

Could anybody suggest good popular science books based on quantum mechanics ? It would be great if the book contained a lot of theory rather than its history. As a side note, has anybody read the book titled "Quantum" by Manjit Kumar ?

Hello, What institutions provide the best and rigorous distant/online undergraduate programs for mathematics and computer science? Will there be trouble getting accepted into a graduate school with these programs?

@dlgoff and I attended a panel discussion at the WI Science Festival. @dlgoff found the video for it and I thought I'd formally share it because it was quite interesting and a very important topic. The general point is that scientists need social and speaking skills. Being able to effectively...

If anyone else here is a fan of hard science fiction, do you have any recommendations? I just read Farside by Ben Bova and I really enjoyed it, so I'd say it's worth a read if you come across it.

Hi everybody & a happy new year! There is a book titled "Asimov's new guide to science" about which I was going through. I never found a proper review about the book. If anybody knows anything about the book, could you provide a review along with a short summary.

The general question: Has anyone taken a course geared toward writing in the sciences? If so, did you feel that the course was useful? Alternatively, do you think that writing for the sciences was something that was better learned through the actual science courses you took? My specific...

I am a undergraduate in an interdisciplinary life science/biochem/mol.bio/physical.chem degree thinking about which optionals to take. For this I have to consider what specialization I want to pick in my major. The two I am leaning towards are biophysics and biochem. There is also medical...

I know a lot of scientific facts and formulas and laws, but not much about the process and experiments conducted to figure it out. For example, I don't know how exactly did Copernicus figure out the heliocentric model. Damn, I don't even know, looking into the sky how did they even figured out...

- Hi. I have a Master of Science in Engineering Physics from the university of Lund (LTH) in Sweden and have been looking for work for two years. The only work I got was through a friend so I clean garbage dumpsters. Here is some pictures from my work...

As the title states, I'm looking for science blogs (physics related as well as other sciences). Which ones do you read? PS: To the admins, I'm not sure if this is the correct place for this thread. I couldn't find a place that explains what goes where.

Hi all. I'm considering buying a Kindle paperwhite (E-ink) for reading publications, textbooks, and some fun reading. Does anyone own one, and have an opinion on how readable the text, equations, and figures are? If so, do you feel the screen size is adequate? ~$100 is about the most I have to...

Hey guys! I'm asking all the people out there if you could redo high school what are some of the things you would do to get ready for a career in science? I would love to get a career in theoretical physics and being such a vast subject I was seeking some insight as to what would be a great...

Hi I have been passionate about physics for the last 4 years self taught up to about the first year of university level. I have found this website because now, at this key point in my life i need the guidance and knowledge that people from scientific fields only posses. I am interested to meet...

I wanted to do chemical engineering at a particular uni but was ineligible to enter any of the engineering programs (lets call this uni A). I have 2 options since that uni A is the only uni in my location which offers chem eng. 1) Major in chemistry at uni A and take similar units as chem eng...

What kind of jobs are available in nonprofits for physicists?

Ever since I was about 11 years old, my dream has been to pursue a career in any scientific field whatsoever (I practically enjoy learning about all of them!). I ended up being enchanted by the magic of physics at an early age as well, thanks to my childhood heroes such as Carl Sagan, Stephen...

I am considering a dual-major in Physics and Computer Programming. But i'd like some input on how the two can be used together first. What are your thoughts and opinions on a majoring these two? How might this be useful/practical in the real world and how might it be impractical. Thank you

Can the student of computer science take up software engineering jobs?

Hello physicists, This is my first time on these forums, so I'm sorry if this isn't the right place. Feel free to move it if it isn't. I am building a small cloud chamber to detect particles resulting from the decay of pions in the atmosphere for a local science fair. I hope to see electron...

Hi Does anybody know of a good book, or, preferably, a good website, on the chemistry and physics of energy sources (solar panels, chemical reaction and role of syngas, electrolysis of hydrogen and the like)? Also, a link to a website which covers physical properties of materials would also be...

Einstein education was just formal , then how did he got to know all about current research at his time. So did he studied all by his own?

Sometimes I just don't feel like doing it the right way and I 'improvise'. I can't be the only one who's done it so feel free to share your stories. Who knows - some of them might be useful to others. A few weeks ago, I had to replace the shutoff valve for a toilet. Of course, this required...

My take is: The magnets are conductive and complete an electric circuit composed of the battery and a section of the coil (toroid) thereby forming a solenoid. The battery-magnet assembly is in the center of the solenoid. The magnetic field of the solenoid is maximum at the center and decreases...

i have read course descriptions for both, but i want to hear honest opinions from people who actually are in, or have finished, either program. what is it like? i know they're both heavy on mathematics and that is fine because i like mathematics. im currently learning java whenever i get spare...