Is it Possible to Master String Theory with a Mathematics Background?

[Emilijo]

I m first year in theoretical mathematics (graduate study), but I am very interested in theoretical physics, I have some knowledge in physics, general knowledge in mechanics and thermodinamics, electrodynamics, optics, waves, basics in quantum theory, but I am very interested in elementary particles and string theory. I have, obviously, a high mathematic knowledge, but it does not have many applications, I can do nothing with (I feel like not having any purpouse) so, it is difficult to reach a high level of theoretical physics? (I would apply my knowledge especially in string theory, but I think that would be too much difficult to jump from one level to another. What I can do, it is over to start now with strong theoretical physics (I am 22), or I can give a try? In the second case, I will study alone, without going on lectures and so on... I wolud just approach to physics as theoretical mathematician. It is possible, or I am nowhere in that way, niether I don t know mathematics, niether physics, and my life would be in a sh.t
What is the best to do?

 

[Clever-Name]

Theoretical Math? What? I have never heard this term before, do you mean Pure Math? What specifically are you studying? It might transfer over rather nicely to string theory.

 

[Emilijo]

Sorry,I m from Europe, In my country, we pure math call theoretical math.
So, yes. I study pure math, and there are subjects like differential geometry, metric spaces, topology, projective geometry, advanced algebra and group theory, algebraic number theory,
advanced probability theory, differential equations,...and stuff like these...
So, what do you think?

 

[chiro]

Sorry,I m from Europe, In my country, we pure math call theoretical math.
So, yes. I study pure math, and there are subjects like differential geometry, metric spaces, topology, projective geometry, advanced algebra and group theory, algebraic number theory,
advanced probability theory, differential equations,...and stuff like these...
So, what do you think?

One thing I would definitely recommend you study if you can is geometric algebra: this is becoming a very important way to describe physical laws not only compactly, but in a way that gives insight geometrically.

One other recommendation for any kind of scientific investigation and analysis is that of probability and statistics. The reason for this is that the old Newtonian paradigm is becoming replaced with the quantum paradigm: in other words, absolute determinism is getting replaced with a paradigm of uncertainty.

Also we are going from a description of a few degrees of freedom, to many many degrees of freedom and because of this, probabilistic and statistical methods are useful for analyzing these kinds of situations.

It's even good to use the uncertainty framework for modelling things that have a known deterministic description with huge numbers of degrees of freedom, since the computational complexity under our computational models can end up being intractable for the exact model simulation, but not for the random simulation which ends up giving information that is still accurate enough to be useful.

 

[Emilijo]

What about string theory? Will be easy to get this level with those mathematic tools I pointed out to you? I am aware that I will have to study elementary particles, relativity, field theory and stuff, but it doesn t seem difficult if you know mathematics very well. Is that correct? What do you think, is there a lot, lot of work to do to get this level, or it can be quite easy,
assuming that on these lectures (especially in differential geometry, topology, group theory, probability) we often connect mathematics and theoretical physics (differential geometry in relativity, group theory in elementary particles...)?