How were you exposed to probability theory in physics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around participants' experiences and exposure to probability theory within the context of their physics education. It explores when and how probability was introduced in their academic journeys, particularly in relation to physics courses such as quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant noted their introduction to measure-theoretic probability theory during graduate studies and suggested that many researchers in probability have backgrounds in both math and physics.
  • Another participant recalled their first contact with probability in high school, involving basic combinatorial problems.
  • A participant mentioned learning about probabilities in the context of nuclear cross sections or thermodynamics, but could not recall which came first.
  • One contributor indicated that probability was introduced in a "Methods of theoretical physics" course and later appeared in lab courses and statistical mechanics.
  • Another participant shared that they were exposed to probability in high school and early college before studying quantum mechanics and statistical physics.
  • A participant expressed that they were never taught probability as a standalone topic, but rather as a necessary tool for experimental uncertainties and statistical mechanics, viewing this as a gap in their training.
  • One participant emphasized that probability theory, statistics, and hypothesis testing were significant parts of their high school math curriculum, prior to any undergraduate physics coursework.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree that exposure to probability theory occurs at various stages of education, often before or alongside physics courses. However, there is no consensus on the specific timing or depth of this exposure, with some noting a lack of formal training in probability.

Contextual Notes

Some participants expressed uncertainty about the exact timing of their exposure to probability, and there are differing opinions on the adequacy of their training in this area.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to students and educators in physics and mathematics, as well as researchers exploring the intersection of probability theory and physics.

StatGuy2000
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Hi everyone.

As a graduate student in statistics, I had taken a graduate course in measure-theoretic probability theory. In a conversation with the professor, he had remarked that if I wanted to pursue further research on some of the topics covered, it may be wise to do background reading or auditing some physics courses.

Indeed, the more I've looked into this, the more I've found that researchers in probability theory often either have double majors in math and physics, or else have been exposed to physics as a math student.

This prompted to me ask those of you who are either physicists or are current physics students the following:

1. When were you first introduced to probability in your college/university curricula? Was it during your first course in quantum mechanics? Or in statistical mechanics? Or did you take probability as an elective?

2. I'm curious how many of you who are actively working on physics research keep up with the literature on probability theory. To what extent does it inform your research?
 
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Hopefully what I post won't derail the thread, but I wonder if it doesn't start earlier.

Where I am from my first contact with probability (in combination with combinatorics, things like calculation of probability of winning the lottery and drawing blue ball from a bag filled with only black and red ones :wink: ) was when I was about 17-18, which in US would put me somewhere in High School.
 
Either in a modern physics course wrt nuclear cross sections or in thermodynamic wrt to free paths in transport processes.. I don't remember which came first.
 
Probabilities might have been treated in the first semester lecture "Methods of theoretical physics", I don't remember it exactly. I think that the main introduction happened during short lectures which took place in advance of all lab courses. Afterwards, they popped up here and there in the excercises of various courses. In statistical mechanics, a few gaps were closed.
 
I was exposed to probability theory in high school and first year of college, before being exposed to quantum mechanics and statistical physics.
 
StatGuy2000 said:
Hi everyone.

1. When were you first introduced to probability in your college/university curricula? Was it during your first course in quantum mechanics? Or in statistical mechanics? Or did you take probability as an elective?

2. I'm curious how many of you who are actively working on physics research keep up with the literature on probability theory. To what extent does it inform your research?

I was never exposed to 'probability' as a specific topic, it was always added 'as needed' (how to calculate and report experimental uncertainties, or as broad background for statistical mechanics/quantum mechanics). I consider this to be a deficit in my training and try to get my students more exposure.

That said, I don't follow the probability literature, either. I try to regularly read the "Points of Significance" column in Nature Methods and am considering sitting in on a Bayesian statistics class.
 
Probability theory, statistics and hypothesis testing took up a significant portion of my final year of math in high school, i.e. well before learning any actual undergraduate level physics whatsoever.
 

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