Theoretical Definition and 999 Threads

Hi there! a little background about me: 1. final year in bsc physics, malaysia. 2. working on DFT as final yr project (err.. lots of programming involved) 3. like math and how we apply it in physics. 4. have no idea which field of theoretical physics to go into. questions: 1. Is it...

Hi all, I'm wondering what field of theoretical physics is least competitive. I'm guessing it's one in which there is most funding available, and I'm further guessing that is theoretical condensed matter physics (CMP). I'm guessing that CMP research, theory namely, has results that are most...

Firstly I'm not entirely sure as to where this belongs on this sight, but I figured that it was related to coursework. It's coming up to that time were I have to do an extended essay on an area of interested. For those of you who don't know an extended essay is it's an essay required by the...

Hello there, I am currently 14 and 1 and a half weeks away from starting high school and over my summer break I've developed a strong fascination in theoretical physics, especially in the brane theory(which involves the notion that there are actually 11 dimensions of space and one of time) and I...

My question is that is the fact, that all particles are either boson or fermions, only an empirical fact, or can it be argued theoretically too. The reason why I'm asking this is that I have not encountered anyone stating honestly, that it is an empirical fact only. But on the other hand, I...

Hello, the professor supervising my bachelor thesis is happy with the results. Together with another co-author, he is currently writing a paper for Physical Review Letters and is considering adding my results to it. However, for this purpose, he needs more general results. In other words, if...

I am an undergraduate physics major aspiring to study theoretical physics in graduate school. I was wondering if it is better to double major in math and physics, at the expense of taking less physics classes and more rigorous proof based math, or minor in math and take the two semester...

Hello, everyone. I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place ... anyway ... I'm studying to be a biomedical researcher, but I have a great interest in physics and math, and I feel like I can't live without learning these sciences in a more deep way than I would need for my profession. Physics...

Hey all, I'm going to be a freshman in college in a month or two, and am currently intending on majoring in something within the liberal arts; at the moment, I'm heavily considering philosophy. I'm quite interested in theoretical physics, astronomy, cosmology, and astrophysics as side...

Hello. So I need a little bit of help with this. I am trying to 'make' a theoretical generator, that is powered by a wind station. There are so many variables that I either need to make up or find, such as coil thickness, length etc. So I was wondering whether anyone could help me? Can someone...

May seem like a bizarre question but I was wondering what the maximum possible resolution of a scanned A4 image would be. A4 paper is 0.297m x 0.21m, average resolution of light is 200nm. So I get, (0.297m / 200x10^-9m) x (0.21m / 200x10^-9m) = 1.56 terapixels Is this about right...

Hey PF, I am a third year undergraduate who has been working in a HEP experimental group for two years. So I have had a good deal of experience with the research process, and I know basically what the grad students and postdocs spend their time on in my group. I am still completely...

I recently acquired my BSc in physics and am planning to continue my studies on the MSc (and hopefully PhD) level. I have reasonable expectations to get into a very good program dealing on the topics of mathematical and theoretical physics. The main topics covered by the courses in that...

i am starting do be very interested in theoretical physics, if i specialised in this for a degree, would that be a good thing?, i mean surely most physics and tech jobs require mainly experimental skills?

Homework Statement The mayor of a city decides to fire some city employees because they will not remove the sag from cables that support the city traffic lights. If you were a lawyer and knew some physics, what defence would you give on behalf of the employees? Who do you think will win the...

I was reading that while you study a Bsc in Theoretical Physics, you learn how to do quite a lot of programming. I am quite unfamiliar with programming but I was wondering how transferable are the programming skills you learn? Are they applicable to things like web design etc? Or are they only...

I have become enamored with Theoretical Physics. I want to learn. Can I teach myself? Do I need to study other areas of Physics first? Do I need to take collegiate courses? I'd add on a science related major/minor, but I have just switched my major and I am too behind and broke to do so...

hi this is my first post ,and i hope it is ont the last. can i ask you a single question : can you tell me the different between studying theoretical physics and studying applied physics ? thank you.

I have a small steel cylinder centered inside a larger steel cylinder. The remaining space is filled with 60% silica sand and 40% air. I am heating the larger cylinder in a furnace at a known heating rate and I want to calculate the theoretical rate of heating of the internal cylinder. This is...

Honestly, I haven't got a clue. Well I do, but I'm quite sure it's fictional. EDIT: Maybe I should have explained what I meant by "lifestyle". Exactly what do they do? I know an experimental physicist would go to a lab and perform experiments which would yield results. What does a theoretical...

Hi guys, I'd like to know universities, other than harvards and princetons, that have very strong groups in theoretical particle physics and need students. Mostly strong groups in theoretical particle physics are in the top 10 universiies, like MIT and so on but it is extremely hard to get into...

After 3 years of udergraduate study I need to decide on my Master Degree program (which is very specialized here in EU). I really hate programming and experimental stuff while I am very interested in mathematical approach so I want to do theoretical physics (with no computional aspects). However...

I was wondering if the Euler buckling method is simply theoretical or actually accurate in the real world. I am asking this both for complex structures and a simply compressed rod or beam. Thanks

I'm currently looking to major in theoretical physics/astrophysics for my undergraduate studies next year and I have a few questions about it that I'd like cleared up. At the moment, I'm a year 12 Australian high school student and I'm trying to decide exactly where and what I want to study at...

Dear All, I am new to this forum and I hope that I am going to be able to find a support from an expert in short-circuit current theoretically speaking or someone to assist me in general ! I am working everyday to an international standard IEC60439 (or the new IEC 61439) where it describe...

After reading this: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=402926" or this: http://infoproc.blogspot.com/2005/02/out-on-tail.html" I am speechless. As far as I know in every field of science you need skills and luck in order to succeed. Yet it seems that only in math...

Dear all, I'm a German physicist in his second year and I'm going to finish my bachelor thesis in summer 2011. To make international experiences I tend to do my Master's degree abroad and I think Great Britain would be a good choice. After some discussions with friend who are studying in...

Based on the results of every variation of the two-slit experiment so far, the presence or absence of the interference pattern is based on whether or not which-path information can be known or not. The Delayed Choice Quantum Eraser experiment...

Hey guys, I'm new here. I read Zz's 'So you want to be a physicist', great post and I learned a lot about it. However, I have some questions pertaining specifically to theoretical physicists. Are there less theoretical physicist jobs than experimental physicist jobs? What constitutes a...

Anyone want to offer me a Phd in Theoretical Physics?? So here's the thing: I'm just about to graduate with an MSci in Physics and I desperately want to keep studying. I found this website (PF) earlier in the week and have thoroughly enjoyed reading and contributing to various threads. My...

Clearly integral particle number is an experimental fact. But within quantum theory, does integral particle number follow as a mathematical necessity? or is it itself an additional assumption? In QM it is built into the mathematical infrastructure: the basic entity is the wave function and...

I'm starting university in Ireland in October, and I want to pursue Theoretical Physics. Could someone please give me some feedback on the course please? Here's the link. It includes all the modules. Theoretical Physics: http://www.tcd.ie/Physics/undergraduate/theoretical_physics/

Homework Statement 1) Why, in general, do brittle materials not achieve their theoretical tensile strengths? 2) Why, in general, do ductile materials not achieve their theoretical shear strengths? Homework Equations None needed. Wordy answer. The Attempt at a Solution...

Hi there! First let me put some background here: 1. I'm an undergraduate student from (an not-well-known) university in Malaysia. Currently studying Bsc Physics, at my final year. 2. I am very interested in theoretical physics. (but not certain which subfield, of course) 3. I was stuck...

Hello, I'm in year 10, Australia, Victoria.. After i leave school I am looking to do a corse in theoretical physics although I am unsure what subjects i need to do, I am planning on doing -English -Specialist maths -Physics -Math Methods -Chemistry -Software development Software...

I want to read Sommerfed Lectures on Theoretical Physics. I started with vol.1 Mechanics. Just wondering if anyone here has read any of the vols? Or perhaps wants to read them in the future?

Homework Statement Suppose that X1,...,Xn form a random sample from a inform distribution on the interval [0,1] and that the random variable Ynmax{X1,...,Xn}. Determine the smallest value of n such that Pr[Yn≥.99]≥.95 Homework Equations W=Yn-Y1 where W is the range of the sample...

Hello, I was wondering, to gain admission to decent programs in Theoretical Physics (PhD), should you have done theoretical physics research in undergrad? The reason I am asking is because theoretical physics research has lots of prerequisites, and I might not be able to finish all those...

This may be a stupid question, but it just popped up in my mind a few minutes ago. Considering we are able to "look back in time" so to speak, because light takes so long to get here, is it possible for us to look in the night sky and see light that came from the Milky Way? Considering the...

I just saw a show by Stephen Hawking about how the universe came to be and what it is now and I was really interested. I guess I have two questions. First, what would one study or major in during college to do stuff like what he's doing? Second, what kind of jobs do these people get and what's...

What types of mathematics is needed for a undergrad pursue theoretical physics? How rigorous does it have to be and how much proofs is there?

Hello everybody, I have a question that I've been thinking about for a long time and I'm looking for some advice. I'm currently a junior at a university in California and I'm about to declare my major. Throughout my whole life I knew that it would be astrophysics, but I've taken 5 astronomy...

what's the point? my friend majored in this he's a phd student and he made $600 last year

i was wondering what the major differences between a bsc in theoretical Physics and experimental physics.. and if you are in one please indicate why you chose that one over the other?

Homework Statement ( 1.3 g NaCl )+( 3.5 g AgNO3) ---> (xg AgCl) + (yg NaNO3) How many grams of each product result from the following reactions, and how many grams of which reactant is left over? Enter your answers numerically separated by commas. Express your answer using two...

If Quantum Entanglement is real and observable, then what is stopping us from making the following observation: provided that the big bang was real and did occur, and provided that the initial occurrence of the big bang was from a single "particle" or entity, what is stopping us from concluding...

Hello, I am a physics student and I am currently writing my Bachelor thesis in theoretical Physics. A thing which has sometimes crossed my mind over the past months is this: I have always loved computers and programming. I always find it fun to solve some programing related problem. E.g...

Hi. If the twin paradox, etc, is not really a paradox because one twin experiences acceleration, then is the idea of recipricol time dilation etc due to symetry across inertial frames purely theoretical? What I mean is that could we ever find two inertial frames moving relatively to each other...

Is there any advantage in getting a masters of science (say for theoretical physics) before getting your PHD? I was thinking it might be easier to be admitted to a better PHD program if you obtain a masters degree at a different school first, as oppose to just applying to a PHD program right out...

The following is a paper I wrote mainly to collect my thoughts and document some research I did about interstellar space flight. The main ideas for this paper grew out of the things I always hear people talk about (blueshifted radiation) but I never see the math behind it, so I developed a few...