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sigma333
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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.
jhicks said: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 :).
2) Diff EQ's in High School? Where do you live? Surely not in the US.
sigma333 said: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.
ZapperZ said: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.
ZapperZ said: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?
Poop-Loops said:2) Diff EQ's in High School? Where do you live? Surely not in the US.
Poop-Loops said: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. :)
Quantum mechanics is a branch of physics that studies the behavior of particles at the atomic and subatomic level. It provides a mathematical framework for understanding the dual nature of particles as both waves and particles, and how they interact with each other.
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