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Main Question or Discussion Point
How rare is it for a freshman in college to be taking quantum mechanics? I know a crazy freshman who is going to be taking it with me next quarter.
Where to begin?The QM class I had didn't rely on anything above calculus/diffeq, both of which can be taken while in HS. It's probably rare, but with the proper mental maturity I'm sure he/she will do just fine. There's nothing that makes it inherently out of reach of underclassmen, so I don't think it's crazy; I took abstract algebra as a freshman and I did just as well as anyone else.
I should also say I didn't take a physics QM class :).
Surely you can in the US - concurrent college enrollment while in high school is one way. Also, there are a few science magnet schools (Thomas Jefferson High, IMSA, Montgomery Blair, Bronx Science, etc.) at which math courses up to multivariable calculus are offered.2) Diff EQ's in High School? Where do you live? Surely not in the US.
In many schools, there tend to be an "introductory" class to QM and Special Relativity. It is usually called something like "Modern Physics". So for many physics undergraduate, they don't just jump into the main undergraduate QM classes right away. So maybe you and your friend here are enrolling in that class instead?How rare is it for a freshman in college to be taking quantum mechanics? I know a crazy freshman who is going to be taking it with me next quarter.
I've been meaning to ask, at my school linear algebra is offered but is not a requirement for physics majors; is that a problem (should one take it anyway)?In many schools, there tend to be an "introductory" class to QM and Special Relativity. It is usually called something like "Modern Physics". So for many physics undergraduate, they don't just jump into the main undergraduate QM classes right away. So maybe you and your friend here are enrolling in that class instead?
The issue here isn't the undergraduate year of study at all. The issue here is on whether you have the necessary background. Many schools will not allow you to register for a class if you do not have the prerequisites, or a waver from the instructor. If you think you have both the mathematics and physics background to take such a class, then it doesn't matter if you're a freshman or a senior. If you don't, then you need to examine why you are taking such a class.
Note: having "calculus" alone isn't enough to do QM (or even classical E&M). If you haven't done fourier transforms, Diff. equation, special functions, and linear algebra, then you have to do double or even triple work, because you will be learning the mathematics and the physics at the same time. This is a very daunting task for anyone.
Zz.
This was precisely the experience at my undergrad. We had a sophomore level modern physics course our second semester of second year. It involves simple things like blackbody radiation, the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, and other simple quantum phenomena. It also includes a rather brief (1/3 of the semester) introduction to quantum mechanics, in which we breezed over the Schrodinger Equation, spent a lot of time on the infinite square well, and then some time on step potentials. We spent a week learning Fourier transforms in the middle of it all, so we were given all the mathematical tricks we needed.In many schools, there tend to be an "introductory" class to QM and Special Relativity. It is usually called something like "Modern Physics". So for many physics undergraduate, they don't just jump into the main undergraduate QM classes right away. So maybe you and your friend here are enrolling in that class instead?
I'm a junior at a high school in California and I've covered ODEs and multivar calculus. Granted I've done a lot of learning on my own, but I have an excellent science teacher who can guide my studies.2) Diff EQ's in High School? Where do you live? Surely not in the US.
in response to #2, I was taking DE before I entered UC Berkeley.Where to begin?
1) My QM class was heavy into Linear Algebra stuff.
2) Diff EQ's in High School? Where do you live? Surely not in the US.
3) You should take a physics QM class. :)