# Harder math or physics?

Which is harder to major in, Math or Physics? And why?

I haven't touched Physics since High School but, by seeing the problems that are posted here, I would last, oh maybe, 44 minutes as a Physics major.

Viva Mathematicas!

dextercioby
Homework Helper
OptimusPrime said:
Which is harder to major in, Math or Physics? And why?
I haven't touched Physics since High School but, by seeing the problems that are posted here, I would last, oh maybe, 44 minutes as a Physics major.
Viva Mathematicas!

:rofl: I think knowing good physics requires a great deal of mathematics.But there are problems in mathematics a physicist wouldn't touch not even for 1mil.\$.On the other hand,the mathematician could deal with any problem of physics,but he certainly lacks the "sense of reality" which a phyisicist has when he sees what lies behind awful equations.

My answer is:both are the same wrt to difficulty,and much more difficult than anything else.

Daniel.

For me, Maths.. I could never be a mathmo. Physics isn't easy for me, no, but there's Maths stuff that I have trouble understanding now and I'd hate to see even more complicated things!

Integral
Staff Emeritus
Gold Member
In many ways a Physicist can be viewed as an Applied Mathematician. In that sense you are asking what is more difficult, Math or Math?

You must realize that the there can be large distances between the pure math fields and the Applied areas. Mathematics covers a lot of territory, an Applied Mathematician may have little interest in some of the pure areas, like wise a Pure Mathematician peers down his nose a bit at the Applied areas. Your question is really impossible to answer in a meaningful way.

BTW: I have done some study in both Applied Math and Physics. In Physics you study in detail the solutions and application of some specific differential Equations. In Applied math you study some of the same equations, but in a more general sense. Mathematicians are more concerned with existence and uniqueness along with the other fundamental properties of the solution.

In Physics you know that a solution exists because that is the physical phenomena you are studying, and anyway the mathematicians have done the necessary proofs.

ZapperZ
Staff Emeritus
Take note that there are no "experimentalists" in mathematics! Such concepts and skills required as an experimentalist are completely foreign to mathematicians.

Zz.

futb0l
I prefer Physics since there's a sense of realism in it whereas Maths is just all theoretical.

Janitor