Which Major is Better: Chemistry or Physics?

[cdotter]

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. After thinking it over for the past few weeks, I can't decide what I should major in. I like physics a lot because I think it's beautiful how physical phenomena can be represented mathematically...it just blows my mind. With a physics degree, I would have a lot of opportunities. I could go to graduate school and study the different fields of physics, or get a masters in engineering if I wanted a more applied job, or I could go into law, or medicine.

The downside, however, is that I'm not sure how interested in theoretical physics and electronics. My school's physics program requires that I take a semester on quantum mechanics, and a semester of digital and a semester of analog electronics, and a semester on linear algebra. I do not find quantum mechanics and electronics to be interesting in the least bit, and I don't particularly like what little linear algebra I've been exposed to. Another important downside is the difficulty of the subject. As of now, I'm interested in medical school. Although it could be argued that the difficulty level between physics and chemistry is more of a personal issue, I'm going to go with the popular notion that physics is more difficult. With a lower GPA I may not get into a medical school, or even be accepted into a graduate school program, which would be very bad, as I've read that job prospects for physics students aren't particularly good.

On the chemistry side, I've heard that it's easier to get a higher GPA in chemistry, which would be important for medical or law school if I chose to attend either. With a chemistry degree, I could get a job directly out of school if I chose to do so. I could also continue my education with graduate school, but my options are more limited. I couldn't, for example, decide to study plasma physics with a bachelors in chemistry.

I guess the trade off is:

physics - more interesting, harder, less jobs with bachelors

vs

chemistry - little less interesting, easier, more jobs available

Like I said, I still can't really decide on either. I'd very much appreciate some insight from a different perspective.

edit:

Another thing I forgot...a physics major requires more credits when I fit in pre-medical courses. Physics + pre-medical is 110 credits, while Chemistry + pre-medical is 100 credits.

 

[RasslinGod]

i would go with chemistyr. it's a lot more conceptual and less mathematical. Quantum Mechanics will get extremely borign for you, because it'll be ALL math. It won't be fun math either. You'll prolly have to prove some mathematical relationship that will make you say "wtf was the point of this?" Very little concepts. Even if you liked Calculus BC, you will end up hating math in physics. It won't be very midn blowing. You'll prolly need 1 yr of QM right?? It's goingto be one whole year of long tedious and boring math.

Anyways, in my experience, physics aint all that interestign when you reach upper div.

What about going into biology?Chemistry is pretty tough. That might hurt your chances of getting into medical school.

Also ,remember, your interests will change when you progress through school.

So if i were you, i'd go into chemistry. Forget physics. I would rather go into biology. it's very conceptual. or maybe biochem?

 

[cdotter]

i would go with chemistyr. it's a lot more conceptual and less mathematical. Quantum Mechanics will get extremely borign for you, because it'll be ALL math. It won't be fun math either. You'll prolly have to prove some mathematical relationship that will make you say "wtf was the point of this?" Very little concepts. Even if you liked Calculus BC, you will end up hating math in physics. It won't be very midn blowing. You'll prolly need 1 yr of QM right?? It's goingto be one whole year of long tedious and boring math.

Anyways, in my experience, physics aint all that interestign when you reach upper div.

What about going into biology?Chemistry is pretty tough. That might hurt your chances of getting into medical school.

Also ,remember, your interests will change when you progress through school.

So if i were you, i'd go into chemistry. Forget physics. I would rather go into biology. it's very conceptual. or maybe biochem?

Yes, I'm thinking the same way. I really like classical mechanics and I find the concepts of upper level topics to be interesting (nuclear, plasma, optics, etc)...but some of the classes I need to take for undergraduate are just horrible. The problem is that I'm fascinated with some topics (nuclear/plasma/optics/classical mechanics/others)...but I can't decide if it's worth it to suffer through a year of electronics and a semester of quantum mechanics!

I like biology but enough to major in it.

 

[cdotter]

Where can I find a list of what different chemical disciplines actually do? I've looked up organic/inorganic/physical/analytical, but it's just a jumble of technical words to me.

 

[misralz]

I think you should try quantum mechanics out. It's useful for both chemists and physicists. If you're going study chemistry, don't you want to be able to better understand how things work on the microscopic level. Quantum mechanics can give you a better understanding of that. I guess since you're real goal is to get into medical school, you need to worry about grades so keep that in mind when you're making your decision. By the way, graduate schools care more about research and less about GPA, and if you want to go to a research oriented medical school, you'll probably want to have some research under your belt.

cdotter, I suggest looking up chemistry under wikipedia and scrolling down to sub-disciplines. Of course, I never use wikipedia when I'm doing actual research, but it's useful if you need a quick definition.

 

[cdotter]

I like the concepts of quantum mechanics but I don't think the mathematics behind it will be fun...but who knows, I might be completely wrong! I know for sure that I absolutely hate electronics labs, and the program requires two semesters worth. I'm really interested in nuclear, optics, nanotechnology, and atomic physics, but I'm trying to decide if it's worth suffering through electronics classes to study these (if I decide against medical school, that is).

 

[PhysicalAnomaly]

Organic:
Mostly to do with carbon and hydrogen and oxygen. Probably the area you want to be good at for med school. It's very closely related to biology. Also a lot of synthesis of chemicals involved.

Inorganic:
Anything not included in organic. From experience, mostly a study of metals, especially transition metals.

Physical:
This branch tries to explain what happens during a reaction including but not limited to: how much heat is given off, whether the reaction will create more products or reactants, whether using a catalyst is possible, how the rate of reaction changes with the amount of reactant you put in, etc. Also, it tries to explain what a chemical bond is. It's an overlap with physics and this is where knowledge of quantum will help. Can be quite maths intensive too.

Analytical:
Think CSI labs. You've got a sample. Can you tell what's in it? You've got a big protein. Can you tell what the order of amino acids is? You've got DNA. Can you tell if it matches someone's DNA?

There's also computational chemisty but you're probably not interested. =P

 

[physics girl phd]

I started out in Chem, and switched to Physics. (Recall: almost everyone switches majors once!) Chances are, if you are in one major, you SHOULD be taking at least a few classes in the other department, so that should help you make up your mind if it's just between those two (I'd still recommend coming in as SOMETHING, not "undecided"). I ended up still completing a minor in Chem, and adding a minor in Math.

My sister went to med school (on an M.D./Ph.D. program); she doubled in undergrad in biology and chemistry... granted pre-med programs weren't around at the time; but I'm sure what she did was better than pre-med!

 

[cdotter]

What's a good physics textbook for a college freshman? I've taken AP calculus so I'm familiar with it, but I don't want something completely over my head. Yes, I've tried reading the Feynman lectures but I didn't like them. The book provides no examples or practice problems and it's a little too wordy for me. I'd like a book with a lot of examples that I can visualize.

 

[PhysicalAnomaly]

Halliday-Resnick-Walker. A really good text.

I've also heard that University Physics is good. And some like Giancoli. Or Knight which is a bit more 'visual' but I found it too shallow.

 

[cdotter]

After reading some I still can't decide. Parts of physics are interesting, but I can't stand others. I guess I'll have to take some classes and find out through my own experiences...

 

[Fearless]

Why not do both?

Nah, but seriously;

I just don't get the feel of you wanting to do science. To actually stand in a lab and get your hands dirty? Or being a mechanic on faulty lab equipment that just keeps breaking down until you know the equip better than your girlfriend...

The thing is, they have very similar ways of doing science (chem and physics), the real big thing between them is that they have different approaches to mathematics. Chemistry is more of book learning to actually get to know anything (especially org.chem) and physics is more about maths than anything else really. And chemists are often more (at least mathematical/theoretical chemists) inclined to do molecular physics (bonds and stuff like that) because that is the mainstay of their game. for example (maybe not a good one but still a sneakpeak).

Then you have the applications, physics is about long-into-the-future-applications. Chemistry is about the near-future-applications. This interfere with funding, getting a job, getting the job done etc.

One thing I know is really REALLY unique is a chemist who knows his math better than a physicist. If I had done my education all over again, I would've taken a pure chemistry course with as much physical chem, stat mech, quantum mech and a bachelor in maths beside it. It's like the ultimate combo for science. Or at least, my five euro-cents.

 

[cdotter]

Why not do both?

Nah, but seriously;

I just don't get the feel of you wanting to do science. To actually stand in a lab and get your hands dirty? Or being a mechanic on faulty lab equipment that just keeps breaking down until you know the equip better than your girlfriend...

The thing is, they have very similar ways of doing science (chem and physics), the real big thing between them is that they have different approaches to mathematics. Chemistry is more of book learning to actually get to know anything (especially org.chem) and physics is more about maths than anything else really. And chemists are often more (at least mathematical/theoretical chemists) inclined to do molecular physics (bonds and stuff like that) because that is the mainstay of their game. for example (maybe not a good one but still a sneakpeak).

Then you have the applications, physics is about long-into-the-future-applications. Chemistry is about the near-future-applications. This interfere with funding, getting a job, getting the job done etc.

One thing I know is really REALLY unique is a chemist who knows his math better than a physicist. If I had done my education all over again, I would've taken a pure chemistry course with as much physical chem, stat mech, quantum mech and a bachelor in maths beside it. It's like the ultimate combo for science. Or at least, my five euro-cents.

I don't like chemistry labs (at least in high school) because it's been done a million times before. I'm sure every chemistry major has done the electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen. While it's interesting for a bit, I can't see myself doing labs that recreate something I've already learned from a textbook. I really like the idea of doing original experimentation in a lab, though, but it seems like most of undergraduate chemistry is just recreating things that are already understood. For example, I'm really interested in bioluminescence, but my school doesn't offer opportunities for undergraduate chemistry/biochemistry research.

Then again, I'm not fond of some topics in physics. I'm not interested in electromagnetism (what little I understand, that is), and electronics. However, I like the mathematics behind it, but not enough to want to do a full on math degree.

Anyways...you can see why I'm so confused because I like/dislike parts of each...

 

[Fearless]

Eh, so you don't think superconducting educational laborations or stuff like that have been done a million times before? Believe me, they have.

But I tried to interpret what you said about chemistry being old science. Yeah, some parts of it is really old and purely for application. Like chem-engineering (if you stay away from physics and just programming a reactor/separation chamber or something like that).

"I can't see myself doing labs that recreate something I've already learned from a textbook." When I saw this, I shrugged, getting a bit eagerbeaver are we? Maybe you should try to calm down life a bit, and ask yourself "Do I really want to do a lot of really boring things, to get to the cool parts?". If the answer is yes, then you should be in science. Otherwise I recommend some GPA-pumping course to get into law-school. ( I hope you don't take that in the wrong way, but I feel that men of science (and women) need discipline, a work ethic and some kind of "I want to get stuff done"-attitude)

But then to discuss the subjects in depth. Chemistry becomes physics and physics becomes chemistry in some areas. Like materials, computational science, quantum transport, heat transport etc.

I myself have become less infatuated with some parts of chemistry (like org.chem, I hate that crap), while I am very much in love with other parts of chemistry, like quantum chemistry, which is not physics, and definitely not chemistry.

I also am completely blown away by materials physics.

I will prolly major in some nanophysics (very chem-related), but my ChemE-background will land me the jobs like extra spice on my resume.

But I hope you choose what you want to do and then stick to it.

 

[mccoy1]

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. After thinking it over for the past few weeks, I can't decide what I should major in. I like physics a lot because I think it's beautiful how physical phenomena can be represented mathematically...it just blows my mind. With a physics degree, I would have a lot of opportunities. I could go to graduate school and study the different fields of physics, or get a masters in engineering if I wanted a more applied job, or I could go into law, or medicine.

The downside, however, is that I'm not sure how interested in theoretical physics and electronics. My school's physics program requires that I take a semester on quantum mechanics, and a semester of digital and a semester of analog electronics, and a semester on linear algebra. I do not find quantum mechanics and electronics to be interesting in the least bit, and I don't particularly like what little linear algebra I've been exposed to. Another important downside is the difficulty of the subject. As of now, I'm interested in medical school. Although it could be argued that the difficulty level between physics and chemistry is more of a personal issue, I'm going to go with the popular notion that physics is more difficult. With a lower GPA I may not get into a medical school, or even be accepted into a graduate school program, which would be very bad, as I've read that job prospects for physics students aren't particularly good.

On the chemistry side, I've heard that it's easier to get a higher GPA in chemistry, which would be important for medical or law school if I chose to attend either. With a chemistry degree, I could get a job directly out of school if I chose to do so. I could also continue my education with graduate school, but my options are more limited. I couldn't, for example, decide to study plasma physics with a bachelors in chemistry.

I guess the trade off is:

physics - more interesting, harder, less jobs with bachelors

vs

chemistry - little less interesting, easier, more jobs available

Like I said, I still can't really decide on either. I'd very much appreciate some insight from a different perspective.

edit:

Another thing I forgot...a physics major requires more credits when I fit in pre-medical courses. Physics + pre-medical is 110 credits, while Chemistry + pre-medical is 100 credits.

you were misinformed.

 

[DukeofDuke]

If you don't like Linear Algebra, I don't think you'll like Quantum Mechanics. At all.

 

[ralilu]

sometimes you have to do what you don't want to do to do what you have to do

 

[PieceOfPi]

What's wrong with linear algebra? If there is a specific reason for not liking linear algebra, that might help answer your question... For example, some people dislike linear algebra because they find matrix computations to be tedious, whereas others dislike it because it's a little more abstract than calculus, and it is often the first exposure to write mathematical proofs, which can be troublesome to some students.

Also, I might be the only one who think this way, but if you are scared of GPA, you can't get much done in college, especially if you're planning to major in chemistry or physics. Both of these majors are pretty demanding (I believe), and you need to be courageous sometimes when it comes to taking demanding courses. And I'm not so sure if chemistry is any easier than physics--who knows, it might be harder than physics for some people.

 

[Feldoh]

What's wrong with linear algebra? If there is a specific reason for not liking linear algebra, that might help answer your question... For example, some people dislike linear algebra because they find matrix computations to be tedious, whereas others dislike it because it's a little more abstract than calculus, and it is often the first exposure to write mathematical proofs, which can be troublesome to some students.

Also, I might be the only one who think this way, but if you are scared of GPA, you can't get much done in college, especially if you're planning to major in chemistry or physics. Both of these majors are pretty demanding (I believe), and you need to be courageous sometimes when it comes to taking demanding courses. And I'm not so sure if chemistry is any easier than physics--who knows, it might be harder than physics for some people.

Yeah chemistry is harder... Can't mathematically deduce much about it >.<

But if you don't like electronics or doing labs then chemistry/physics are not for you.

 

[Ulagatin]

I agree with Feldoh. I'm only in Yr 11, but I find chemistry harder than physics. I want to be a physicist myself, so I'm a little biased, but I would advise physics from what I understand, as it is more useful generally than chemistry. It is also far more interesting in my opinion, and with an enjoyment in mathematics, it will be much more enjoyable than chemistry. I think doing a more interesting subject is worth the increased difficulty, as you will be more motivated to achieve in it, and no doubt, score more highly.

The exception being medicine - chemistry would be more advantageous here, and is often a pre-requisite for medicine.

 

[emyt]

Yeah chemistry is harder... Can't mathematically deduce much about it >.<

But if you don't like electronics or doing labs then chemistry/physics are not for you.

speaking of which, I think you can't mathematically deduce many things because the physics behind it is pretty high-level..

I read a general chemistry book that starts with the use of E=m(c^2) and quantum mechanics (I was trying to get into chemistry).. but what the heck? How am I supposed to use things from quantum mechanics? you can't even prove anything at this level, it's frustrating...

 

[mccoy1]

speaking of which, I think you can't mathematically deduce many things because the physics behind it is pretty high-level..

I read a general chemistry book that starts with the use of E=m(c^2) and quantum mechanics (I was trying to get into chemistry).. but what the heck? How am I supposed to use things from quantum mechanics? you can't even prove anything at this level, it's frustrating...

No man, don't get yourself tricked by what they say in chemistry books. There's no actual QM there...all there is is Quantun chemistry, which is not Quantum mechanics or Chemistry either. It's an 'in-between' sort of stuff, which borrows some ideas from QM and all ideas from chemistry to explain things. To give you a feel of what it's like, anyone who has done QM can't do Quantum Chemistry. So if you hate quantum mechanics, try chemistry because you may like the "quantum mechanics"(did i emphasised the inverted and verted comas?) involved in it!

 

[amcelroy13]

"I'm sure every chemistry major has done the electrolysis of water into hydrogen and oxygen."

This is actually not a very common experiment. In fact, there are still entire labs devoted to this system in an attempt to turn it into a viable energy source.

As far as physics vs chemistry. It's much easier to go from physics to chemistry than chemistry to physics and many universities have some sort of "interdisciplinary" physics and chemistry program, some mix bio in too. If you're looking to go to medschool, this might be the way to go. Having a physics degree can make you stand out from the huge masses of people that apply with a chemistry or biology major.

 

[naele]

No man, don't get yourself tricked by what they say in chemistry books. There's no actual QM there...all there is is Quantun chemistry, which is not Quantum mechanics or Chemistry either. It's an 'in-between' sort of stuff, which borrows some ideas from QM and all ideas from chemistry to explain things. To give you a feel of what it's like, anyone who has done QM can't do Quantum Chemistry. So if you hate quantum mechanics, try chemistry because you may like the "quantum mechanics"(did i emphasised the inverted and verted comas?) involved in it!

Excuse me? In my quantum chemistry class we cover close to everything that the physics department does. Particle in a box, Hydrogen atom, tunneling, variational and perturbation approximations. We learned about ladder operators for the SHO as well as the traditional series solutions etc etc. The only divergence takes place in the last ~2 or so weeks where we applied the various ideal models to compute rotational and vibrational spectra of mono and diatomic molecules. We also took a much closer look at quantum statistical mechanics than a textbook like Griffiths would.

 

[Klockan3]

Excuse me? In my quantum chemistry class we cover close to everything that the physics department does. Particle in a box, Hydrogen atom, tunneling, variational and perturbation approximations. We learned about ladder operators for the SHO as well as the traditional series solutions etc etc. The only divergence takes place in the last ~2 or so weeks where we applied the various ideal models to compute rotational and vibrational spectra of mono and diatomic molecules. We also took a much closer look at quantum statistical mechanics than a textbook like Griffiths would.

Can you point to the course page or which book you used? Because as I have understood it chemists usually go through all of those things but not nearly as deep as the physics students do.

 

[flemmyd]

in some cases, physics and chemistry are very similar fields (condense matter/solid state) while other times they have no overlap (biochem/organic synth vs. particle physics).

the problem is that chemistry is much more of a central science, so students end up with more breath than depth. Biochem students still need to take physical chem and learn about the particle in a box, thermodynamics, etc. Physical chem majors like myself also had to take classes on reactivity (pericyclic reactions) and biochem (i remember: beta-barrel. and GFP. not much else...).
As a result, I find there to be a lack of mathematical rigor in the undergraduate chemistry classes (overall). as you seem to be interested in how physical observables can be described mathematically, physics is probably more interesting.

the biggest areas where you will see overlap is e&m and QM. the biggest problem with the chem major is the lack of mathematical rigor throughout the course (at the undergraduate level). once you get into the graduate level, lines start to blurr.
some examples to keep in mind:
X. phonons, i.e. lattice vibrations in solids, are described as coupled classical oscillators. yes, something learned in a physics class, but describing something you easily be researching in a chemical lab.
X. a lot of modern spectroscopy/physical chemistry deals with how various forms of waves interact with the particles. if i shoot a solution with a laser, how does the solution behave and what does this tell me about the composition? machines like mass-spec, IR, and NMR couple easily be studied in a chemistry or physics lab.
and to build these instruments, electronics knowledge is a necessary evil. its unfortunate, i guess.

EDIT: in 1998, the Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded to a professor of physics at UCSB (Walter Kohn). in 2008, they awarded the same prize to 3 biochemists. this i only point this out to emphasis how broad a field chemistry is.