Studying How much chemistry do I need to know as a theoretical physicist?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the necessity of chemistry knowledge for theoretical physicists and the transition to experimental physics. The amount of chemistry required largely depends on the specific field of physics being pursued, as theoretical physics encompasses a wide range of topics beyond fundamental areas like particle physics and cosmology. Fields such as quantum chemistry and condensed matter physics do necessitate some chemistry understanding. However, it is emphasized that a physicist can have a successful career without formal chemistry courses, as relevant chemistry concepts can be learned on an as-needed basis for specific problems. For experimental physicists, chemistry may play a role in tools and methods rather than being central to their studies. It is suggested that gaining a comfortable level of chemistry knowledge can enhance understanding of physical processes and potentially increase interest in the field.
AW3Rgo0l
Messages
4
Reaction score
0
How much chemistry do I need to know as a theoretical physicist in order for this knowledge to be sufficient for research in any field of theoretical physics? It is also interesting to know how difficult the transition from theoretical to experimental physics is? Do experimental physics require deeper knowledge of chemistry? Now I'm in school and I'm very worried about how much time I will need to devote to chemistry, since I don't really like it
 
Physics news on Phys.org
It depends on what kind of physics you are going to tackle. "Theoretical physics" is vast. Popular physics tries to sell the idea that theoretical physics is only hyper fundamental stuff like particle physics, cosmology and string theory. However you can also make theory for any kind of physical system including quantum chemistry and condensed matter physics, which require much a bit of knowledge of chemistry.

All that said, it is not necessary, you can do a full career in physics without taking a course in chemistry. When you need to know chemistry to understand a process in a galaxy or the conduction of carbon, you can just learn what you need for that particular problem. As physicists know quantum mechanics, many topics that require "chemistry" are done under a physical perspective and not really a chemical one. The same for experimental physicists, sometimes the chemistry is only part of the tools and not necessarily important for what you are studying.

Lastly, I would recommend to find ways to learn more about chemistry in a way that is comfortable to you (for example, if you do not want to learn stoichiometry you do not have to). Even if it is not necessary, knowing a bit of chemistry can be very helpful in understanding a larger range of physical processes and can make you like physics even more :wink:
 
  • Like
Likes gwnorth, futureStudent, Math100 and 2 others
I graduated with a BSc in Physics in 2020. Since there were limited opportunities in my country (mostly teaching), I decided to improve my programming skills and began working in IT, first as a software engineer and later as a quality assurance engineer, where I’ve now spent about 3 years. While this career path has provided financial stability, I’ve realized that my excitement and passion aren’t really there, unlike what I felt when studying or doing research in physics. Working in IT...
I have a specialization in condensed matter physics and materials physics, and off-late, I have been seeing a lot of research directions moving towards quantum computing (AMO and non-linear optics) and the huge chunk of quantum materials research (and funding) is dedicated towards QIS and QC research. I am wondering (sort of in a dilemma), if I should consider switching my field? I am currently at the stage of a postdoc.

Similar threads

Replies
1
Views
1K
Replies
43
Views
7K
Replies
2
Views
1K
Replies
33
Views
8K
Replies
7
Views
3K
Back
Top