Theoretical Definition and 999 Threads

Hello PF, I was wondering how could someone search for a graduate school while being a theoretical physicist (expl : String theorist). I mean someone working in an applied area can search for schools with the best labs or latest technologies but not the Theoretical Physicist. Thanks.

Amazon now lists Susskind's third book on the theoretical minimum series Special Relativity and Classical Field Theory https://www.amazon.com/dp/0465093345/?tag=pfamazon01-20

Homework Statement I need to find the pipe diameter or mean velocity. Q= 0.01m^3s Density= 960kg m^3 Viscosity = 0.081 Pa s Max Velocity = 1.8 m s Homework Equations Mean velocity= 4Q/pi.D^2 The Attempt at a Solution I have two unknowns in this equation so I'm unable to find D or Mean...

I am 19 and have always been interested in being a theoretical Physicist, but I am worried that the field seems to have a great amount of people also taking this road. I'd imagine jobs are running short in this field, do it begs the question: should I choose another path? Or do I follow the...

Hi! I want to (eventually) do PhD in theoretical physics, and although universities like MIT, Harvard, Cambridge, Oxford, etc. are incredibly competitive, I was wondering if being self-funded student makes things any easier? My current situation is following: I am nearly 29 years-old student...

Hello, I will be attending an undergraduate course called "Theoretical Physics" and I want to borrow some books from the library that cover the material of this course. I would appreciate any suggestions. The syllabus of the course is the following(I will be translating so I am sorry If...

Hello, I have a question about the the difference between mathematical physics and theoretical physics in general and about the difference between the MSc Theoretical and Mathematical Physics courses at Edinburgh in particular. I am planning to apply, however I am not sure which of the two...

I am a year 1 University Physics student and am interested in pursuing a career (if i make the cut) in theoretical physics (in particle physics/cosmology). The thing is, I know precious little about this field (but enough to get the brain juices flowing) hence the following queries: a) What is...

I'm 14 years old, and I would like to become a Theoretical Physicist. There is an issue though and I don't know what to do. The problem is in math/science "I have to take biology this year :(" class I am so bored they take the fun out of learning. Also everything is way way too slow I am...

Im a senior in high school and I am interested in pursuing a PHd in physics. I am looking at nuclear physics but I am also considering a,I believe it is called a duel degree, in ether astrophysics, plasma physics, or theoretical physics. IM leaning towards theoretical physics myself. Can this be...

Hi folks, I have a pressure sensor working with arduino to measure depth. I want to calculate what I should see as a change in pressure if I move the tube horizontally under the surface of the water, keeping the tube opening parallel to the flow. I have calculated the dynamic pressure but...

Homework Statement This is a theoretical question, one I'm not sure about. It just randomly popped into my head. Say there is a jumbled wire, one in a glob shape but not overlapping. (Like a deformed circle, or maybe just a rectangle). Assuming we are in a place called "physics utopia" where...

Really odd question for you guys but I'm curious about your input, and apologies if it's a foolish question to ask anyway(I'm a CS student and this came up in a discussion with a classmate of mine). So I know this is a fairly odd thought and not likely practical in any real world scenario, but...

Hi everyone, Recently I randomly thought of a thought experiment of something going faster than light, along the lines of a shadow or some other "non-information carrying object". In this case it would be an empty seat. The idea is to take 800 million and one chairs of half a meter breadth...

Hi, I'm an undergraduate, currently enrolled in a degree program for Physics. Part of the requirements of the program is—you guessed it—a thesis. Now, I'm not really good with experimental physics, and aside from that, the university I'm currently enrolled at doesn't really have much equipment...

Hi everyone. I wasn't sure where to post this thread, so I figured I'll post this under General Physics. Out of interest, I've been perusing online about connections that exist between statistical physics and theoretical computer science. For example, consider the following report by Pietro...

Hi, everyone. I'm currently taking a gap year, and my plan is to study physics, probably for the rest of my life (With that I mean, reading and learning physics for the rest of my life ;-) ) But I thought why not start now? I kind of have fallen in love with the lectures held by Leonard...

I know the phrase ''theoretical physicist'' may be a general term, do they or ''mathematical physicists'' use significant figures? I know it's kind of a silly question, but it stems from what I learned in chemistry class. Our chemistry teacher talked about the importance of such things and I...

have a nice day. I was torn between mathematics and physics. I do not know which one I wanted. How can I decide? for me; theoretical physics, applied mathematics - topology (dif.topology, alg.topology, geom.topology), differential geometry easy than pure, proof based mathemics. I'm better...

Hi I am an undergraduate student of physics in the university of Athens. I am reaching my final year of studying and we are asked to select and work with one of our professors so that we can make a (barchelors) thesis about a specific specialization. I have know for a long time that I want to...

I'm wondering about theoretical maximum velocities of supersonic electric aircraft. I think the fastest demonstration of any type of aircraft has been close to mach 10. This was done using a rocket engine, so propulsion would not be limited by air characteristics as much as a fan's propulsion...

Not sure if this is the correct forum to post this thread, but here we go. I'm a layman in physics and mathematics, and recently, I was reading about the Laplace's Demon and how, according to classical mechanics, the future could be entirely determined if some entity (the Demon) could have...

Hi, I am currently applying to university and am an aspiring Theoretical Physicist. I see many different courses but the two I am not sure on are Mathematical Physics and Theoretical Physics. I was wondering what would give me a better foundation to go on to be a Theoretical Physicist, thank...

I am 14 and I have had an uncommon interest in math and science (mostly math). I have recently gotten into the mysteries of quantum physics. What I have heard about theoretical physics is that it requires manipulating data to create equations then find the why's and what's for phenomena. I feel...

This book Sleeping Beauties in Theoretical Physics: 26 Surprising Insights sounds pretty cool as something to read for fun. Has anyone looked at it yet? I'm wondering also what level of reader it's been written for? https://www.amazon.com/dp/3319134426/?tag=pfamazon01-20

I want to become a theoretical physicist and work on string theory and quantum mechanics and stuff like that but I don't know how. Should I go to a high rated school or just the oridinary? I don't need to get paid a lot but I would like to get atleast the average(not sure what that is) but since...

Due to the current situation in Venezuela , i decided on studying Two carreers in two different universities a public one and a private one (In Venezuela public universities are best , But they're usually on strike so they delay your studies often and a lot) , What i really love is physics ...

I will be graduating with a bachelors degree in physics in the next year. Most of my professors have advised me that if I am considering graduate school (which I am), to just go straight for a PhD instead of stopping at a MA. Unfortunately, my family is currently in a terrible place...

Firstly I'd like to apologise as I know this is a pretty common topic to post questions on! Basically I recently graduated with a first class (72% average) from the University of Southampton (Russell group, but obviously not Oxbridge level) and am planning to spend a year out applying to PhD's...

I am a senior physics student. Since high school I have been mainly self-taught in physics. I’ve hardly had any success in university, with an average score of about 74. The reason partly has to do with my terrible algebra skills, with the vast majority of exams being algebra-oriented. However...

How much force is needed to cut in half a tough tool steel beam 5 cm wide and 1 cm thick? Theoretically, the cohesion is low. For example, the surface tension of water is 71 mN/m. Some materials are more cohesive. Quicksilver has surface tension of 450 mN/m. Molten gold and copper have over 1...

Homework Statement Let S be any set and T = ∅. What can you say about the set S×T? Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution The solution is that S×T=∅. I'm not quite sure why this is though. Is it because there isn't anything in T to give an ordered pair so S×T is empty?

I was curious to the effects of a strong electromagnetic field applied to an object at distance. The field must be able to quickly activate and deactivate in order to account for the distance traveled towards the object as to eliminate the force applied to the source of the field by the object...

Hi, I've just finished secondary school and am keen to learn some physics before going on to college. As part of this I've just finished reading 'The Theoretical Minimum' by Leonhard Susskind and George Hrabovsky. The book was a really helpful introduction to classical physics and the maths...

So I will be starting an undergraduate MSci degree in Physics/Theoretical Physics in 2017, for the time being I am on a gap year. What's the best way to mentally prepare for a theoretical physics degree? I am not just talking about being familiar with the topics discussed, but also improving my...

Could you name your best picks of books that expand on the high school knowledge. Example is the Goldsteins Classical Mechanics which is a classic. What do you recommend for Electricity and Magnetism, Optics, Relativity and Quantum Mechanics? Also what would be the same criteria for some Math...

1. The problem: Ive been all afternoon struggling with this doubt. Its a bit more teoric than the rest of the exercices i did and i just can't seem to get around it so here it goes ...

Hello everyone, I am a high schooler from a European country with a deep interest in physics. I like studying the subject and reading about it both from a technical and a popular point of view. However, I've been wondering what actual theoretical research - the pen-paper kind, if anything like...

Hi there... I have an application where I know the vibration frequency/force/acceleration of the source... How can I find the maximum theoretical power output (in mw/watts...) of a tuned piezo where its resonance is the same as the source vibration frequency...

I just conducted a lab in which I am testing varying amounts of magnesium to react with a consistent amount of hydrochloric acid, determining which amount of magnesium produces a reaction whose enthalpy is the closest to the theoretical/ideal enthalpy of this equation. I created 3 conditions...

Hello,in this link http://dtic.mil/dtic/tr/fulltext/u2/a028054.pdf a paper „Maximum Theoretical Angular Accuracy of Planer and Linear Arrays of Sensors“ can be found.The accuracies are given in equations 19 (respect to the x axis) and 20 (respect to the y axis).My question is: Shall the angle...

Why if a young person like 21 years old with no degrer made a new discovery in theoretical physics like an equation or a theory will not be accepted by people and no one will believe him ? What he should do before to let people accept his discovery ? Can it be accepted if that person was not...

Hey guys, I am doing an internship and I have had some thoughts about fluid flow that have come up and I am having trouble fully grasping some concepts due to no one being able to thoroughly explain any answer that they might come up with. So I have a crude understanding of some fluid dynamics...

Hello all, I am an aspiring physicist, however I am only in high school, and I live in Idaho, I need an adviser. Someone who can tell me what I need to know, best ways to learn things, and how to get to where I want to be. Any help is appreciated.

Hi all I am a second year maths and physics student from Australia. I am hoping to complete a PhD in an interesting area of theoretical physics. At the moment I am interested in particles and quantum information theory. Though it is worth keeping in mind that I am only in second year. I know a...

Hi guys! I am currently a first year undergrad (of 3 years) doing physics and in 2 months time need to decide whether or not to continue with my straight physics course or take the theoretical physics pathway I want to do a phd in the more theory based side of physics (particular interests...

I am a high school student (still in grade 11) I want to study theoretical physics in USA or Switzerland but I am from the middle east (Lebanon) and I want to know what I need to be accept in theoretical physics what subjects I need and please tell me the grade for each subject I need example ...

Hello every one I am from Hong Kong. I am in my mid-twenties and I have a very bad result in my undergraduate degree in physics and it hinders me a lot in applying for a graduate degree. Theoretical physics (gravitation, quantum field, strings) is the field that I want to do research in for my...

Kramer's Law describes the spectrum of Bremsstrahlung: What is the theoretical basis as to why the spectrum assumes this shape?

I am an engineering graduate(ME) and want to study physics at masters level. If I get a Masters degree in theoretical physics, can I go for a PhD. in an experimental sub field? Say, I write a thesis in Nuclear & particle physics to get a masters degree, Can I go for experimental Nuclear &...