Undergraduate Definition and 599 Threads

How do you learn the required math for undergraduate physics ? by reading Specialized Math texts or Mathematical methods texts ?

Here's a very general question: how do you call the period after you've earned a Bachelor degree, but before you've started graduate (Ph.D.) school? As I understand it correctly you are doing doctoral research when you are working on obtaining a Ph.D., so is the period before you start...

Hello, I'm getting my B.S. in Physics at a liberal arts college. One of my graduation requirements is two semesters of a foreign language. I wanted some advice about what languages are particularly useful to career physicists. Here are some ideas I've had. Latin- useful for science...

Hello I'm reading Y. Manin's http://books.google.co.il/books?id=8NTWRFD5lZ8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=yuri+manin+introduction+to+mathematical+logic&hl=en&ei=cfp_TJ2vJ8KSjAeB-6xl&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false" and I've been having some difficulties. So...

I've written 2 papers one was more or less an expository on a difficult topic in group theory and the other one I just finished writing is a paper that introduces the basic concepts in elementary measure theory and then gives an original result from it. I submitted the first one to a journal but...

I heard Russian education makes high schoolers do 2nd year university math leveled questions (Things like ODE and Laplace Transforms, analysis, linear algebra, etc) while they're in grade 12. I'm not sure if this is true though but if they do, wouldn't that mean their undergraduate degree for...

Starting next semester, I will be taking part in a year long, accelerated math program, which if I finish, will allow me to get a master's degree in place of a bachelor's. My primary major is physics though, and I have been considering the possibility of substituting some of my required classes...

Let me explain my situation in short terms. 1. to get a degree here(malaysia), we'll need to work on an undergraduate final year project which is sort of alike thesis? basically an undergraduate research program. 2. I like theoretical or computational physics. Well, perhaps the math, quantum...

Hey, I'm going into physics in the fall for my first year. I'm going to be living at home and commuting to and from campus (about a half hour bus ride). My question is how often does a physics student use their laptop in class? I'm on a budget and I'd rather spend my money on a desktop and...

Hello. It seems that a demand of renowned international graduate colleges is having research experience and even publications in your undergraduate years. How does one actually get to this? Does one simply contact a professor and offer their services? I've only had the first year of bachelor...

Hello there. I am a high school student with a passion for physics. I want to study physics in university and have applied to several universities in the UK. However, I've been recently told that the UK do not emphasize a lot on research...and that it would be better off for me to go...

I am about to head into my junior year as a physics major, and I was hoping to get some advance on which area of specialization I should focus on. My goal in the end is to get my PhD, focusing my research on particle physics, yet I'm not sure which undergraduate specialization would be most...

Does anyone know a good problem/exercise book in general undergraduate mathematics, the stuff covered by Arfken&Weber of Riley, Hobson and Bence: basically, vector algebra, analysis (real and complex),differential equations, algebra, vector analysis and maybe some geometry (analytical and...

So essentially, I have not come to a decision in spite that today, May 1st, I must inform the colleges that accepted me where I am going to study for the next four years. My choices are: MIT, Harvard, Yale and Princeton. I am at my wit's end; here is the gist of it: a) I want to study...

hey all, I am not using the template, bc this isn't a standard problem. I am doing a few beer related physics tricks for my phy 252 research project at Arizona State, and I need help with one in general. Why does, when you hit two beer bottles together (one on top of the other)...

Hello all, I am currently emailing a professor asking if he would be willing to mentor me and take me under as an intern. Unfortunately I do not know what is etiquette to state in an email such as this. Ultimately I am asking to meet and discuss the matter but I am unsure how to propose the...

All of my friends are applying for the Ivy leagues and other renowned universities as an undergrad and all of them of course plan to go onto other equally renowned universities for graduate school. So here is my question, once you do get your graduate degree (Masters or Ph.Ds), how much do...

If I go to Arizona State University to major in Physics w/ an Astronomy minor, get good grades (GPA ~3.0 to 3.3), do some research, and get good letters of recommendations, do graduate schools look at what school you went to for the admissions process? In other words, do astronomy graduate...

Hello, I am attending the University of Pennsylvania next year as a freshman, majoring in physics. UPenn has a program where physics undergrads can earn both their BS and MS within 4 years. I plan to earn my doctorate in physics one day, specializing in theoretical particle physics, and...

Hello Friendly Community! I recently was accepted to Yale College for undergraduate, and I was wondering what people's impressions of it were, either anecdotally or personal experience? I am particularly wondering about quality of teaching, I have heard horror stories about teachers not...

Hey guys, I'm currently facing a dilemma. My top choice has always been Princeton because I was always more interested in a math concentration rather than a physics concentration and Princeton has amazing opportunities. However, Princeton costs $15,000 more (Berkeley is a full-ride along with...

Does anyone have any recommendations of a good book(s) for a first undergraduate-level course in Statistical Mechanics?

Hey guys, just wondering whether anybody knows of any good, clear books on quantum mechanics for a 1st year undergrad that would take me through my whole 4 year course - with introductory fundamentals of quantum physics through to the modern advances. Any advice would be appreciated :smile:

Hi all, I was just hoping to gather some advice for a research project. I am currently a junior, and I have asked to do some research with one of my professors for next year. The problem is that he does research in several fields, and I don't really have preference to any of them yet. I...

Choices, choices. I was offered NSERC positions from both places for 16 weeks in the summer, and obviously I have to pick one. The research topics are similar and both interesting to me, and the pay is almost the same. All I know is that these two universities are both famous and have...

Is Hertfordshire good for undergraduate physics? Hey all I am going to learn physics at Hertfordshire Uni and i hope to master in theoretical physics at imperial .The physics rank for Hertfordshire is low and their course structure is quite different when comparing to other...

In case there are people who might be interested in this but didn't realize either its existence or deadline, the deadline for SULI application is coming up fast - Feb. 1. http://www.scied.science.doe.gov/SciEd/erulf/about.html Zz.

Hi all, Like the title suggests, i am interested in finding a topic in topology that would serve as the basis for a research paper. Since i am currently taking a first course in Topology (Munkres), i am basically looking for something that is not too advanced. So far i haven't been able to...

Hello! I am going to study theoretical physics in next year so I want to know is there any big difference between study in a high rank university and in a low rank university?( I mean for a undergraduate degree)Because of the tuition fees, I am an international student by the way...

So here's the deal. For undergraduate studies, Canadian universities do not require a letter of recommendation to be sent, some have told me via e-mail explicitly they do not require them, and some even state on their websites not to send anything beside transcripts. Do you think it could be...

I am a Canadian living in BC. I am a senior and going to university next year. However, here is my big dilemma. I plan to go to Graduate school in the States, but the undergrad school I will be going to - University of British Columbia - is not very well known in the States. So I might go...

i'm a senior in high school right now, and i have the academic ability to get into some good schools, unfortunately my family does not have the fiscal ability to send me there (even with financial aid), so i will be attending UF next year. Still a good school though. I'll be a math major. My...

Well, this semester is coming to a close and I need to have form a plan soon for what I will do outside of class in the spring. Let me first begin by giving my background, then I will describe my predicament. I'm majoring in Physics at UT Austin, and am halfway through my third year. I plan...

I just completed my A level and I want to get admitted myself in the Engineering Undergraduate Program in Canada. But now I am in a fix in chosing which Engineering program I should apply for. I am pretty interested in Civil as well as in Mechanical Engineering. But my main problem is I am weak...

I've already been admitted to Oregon State University and Portland State University, and intend to apply to Berkeley, Boston University, McGill, University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, and RPI for Fall 2010 admission. My main interest is in intelligent robotics, machine learning and...

As a current high school senior, I am currently applying to colleges. Which universities have well developed physics programs? I live in California (ie UC system is fairly easy to get into), and am looking for those universities offering undergraduate research opportunities. Money isn't too big...

Hello. I am currently a senior in high school. I am currently taking AP Physics C and will be through calc III/diff eq by the time i graduate. I am interested in going into nuclear engineering but i do not just want to work at some power plant the rest of my life. I am interested in theorhetical...

what undergraduate course should i major in if i want to be a ... nanotechnology/material science researcher?

Hey guys; I am in my second semester as a freshman physics major, and I have a 3.8 GPA. I am REALLY interested in doing one of those REU as soon as I can. How many people here have done one of these? How hard is it to get selected? What can I do to better my chances of getting on on one...

I am interested in both nucler engineering and pure physics. For my undergraduate studies I plan to major in Engineering Physics with a concentration on Nuclear Engineering at the University of Michigan. This involves 14 credits worth of pure physics classes along with 17 credits of an...

I read a post a while back about getting Physics by Resnick, Krane and Halliday 1st or 2nd Edition but I can't find the first and second edition online. I can only find the fourth edition and the fifth edition. Which one should I buy? Which one is better in terms of explanations, proofs...

Simple question: Say I get an undergraduate degree in applied mathematics, and I take a lot of engineering electives during this time. How likely is it that I would be able to go to graduate school for engineering? Also, are there areas of study (in mathematics) that are very intimately tied...

I will be applying for undergraduate schools in a couple of weeks, and i only have 1 or 2 definite schools that i want to go to. Mainly University of Maryland College Park (-close to my house -cheaper then most state universities -solid math and physics programs -research opportunities) but i...

Hi all. Thanks for coming. Let's say you have a choice between McCombs (UT Finance) and Cockrell (UT CS/Engineering) I don't want to have a career that is very frustrating... I think I have a decent IQ, but not one of the greatest. However, I do love being organized, and sadly do lean on...

Problems in Undergraduate Physics? I recently found myself interested in Physics, especially solving physics problems, I want to serie "Problem in undergraduate Physics". v.I. Mechanics, by S. P. Strelkov [and] I. A. Yakovlev. v.II. Electricity and magnetism, by S. P.Strelkov, I. A. El'tsin...

v.1. Mechanics, by S. P. Strelkov [and] I. A. Yakovlev. v.2. Electricity and magnetism, by S. P.Strelkov, I. A. El'tsin, and S. E. Khaikin. v.3. Optics, by V. L. Ginzburg [and others] v.4. Molecular physics, thermodynamics, atomic and nuclear physis, by V. L. Ginzburg [and...

"Undergraduate" or "beginning" mathematical methods book? Hi everyone, I'd like to know your recommendations for an "introductory" mathematical methods book. I have a book by Frederick Byron and Robert Fuller...that's a good book, but it seems suited for the grad level. I'm looking for the...

So whenever the subject of graduate school admissions comes up, the importance of having research experience as an undergrad comes up. My question is, what does this actually mean. Are you expected to publish? Does it really help if you've spent a few years tooling around in a lab with no...

Within a week, I am to select a field of study for the next three or more years of my time as an undergrad. The fields in question are physics and economics. Both subjects interest me, and I will be adding a bit more mathematics than necessary into my course load. Things to consider: -I am...

Hi, a month ago it was brought to my attention that I will need some sort of research experience as an undergraduate if I want to be considered by a "top" university's graduate program ("top" university - MIT, stanford, caltech, etc). I may have an opportunity to do some research in computer...