How is it to work in numerical relativity?

[MadAtom]

1. the problems/challenges that you have to face daily are mostly related to code issues with the physics itself?
2. Is there room to improve our knowledge of fundamental physics while working on it?
3. Do you enjoy doing it? why?

I'm asking this because I'm considering working on numerical relativity but, although I really enjoy general relativity, I'm afraid that the problems that I will have to solve working in that field are mostly related to numerics and coding. Thank you in advance!

MA

 

[phyzguy]

I don't work in numerical relativity, but I have worked in numerical simulations in several other areas of physics. I can almost guarantee that the problems you will wrestle with on a daily basis will be almost entirely related to numerics and coding. Insights in fundamental physics will be few and far between. As Edison said, "Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration". I think this is true in any field. Much of what you do on a daily basis is "grunt work". In my opinion, this doesn't make the work less enjoyable or less rewarding. On the contrary, when you achieve a new result, the fact that you have slogged through hundreds of trivial details to get there makes it all the more rewarding.

 

[gmax137]

Much of what you do on a daily basis is "grunt work". In my opinion, this doesn't make the work less enjoyable or less rewarding. On the contrary, when you achieve a new result, the fact that you have slogged through hundreds of trivial details to get there makes it all the more rewarding.

I think this is really hard for students (or generally, young people) to understand.

 

[clope023]

I can almost guarantee that the problems you will wrestle with on a daily basis will be almost entirely related to numerics and coding.

I can relate 100%, most of my work is generally in finite element analysis and a lot of my day is just trying to get the damn models to mesh, lol.