Is Learning Latin Still Relevant for Mathematicians and Physicists?

[flyingpig]

Is there any point at all in learning Latin?? I know this is the 21st century, but there must be some little use for it right? For Mathematician/Physicists.

 

[niklaus]

The only use I could think of would be to read old texts in the original, like for example the works of Euler and his contemporaries, or Newton. Seems like a lot of effort for a limited benefit to me.

 

[eri]

I've never had any need for Latin. I suggest learning a language that would come in useful. I took Russian - that's never come in useful. Now I need to learn German and Spanish. German because my collaborators are in Germany and I often travel there, and Spanish because all our telescopes are in Chile and I spend a lot of time down there as well.

 

[flyingpig]

What about French? I am Canadian, so I was brought up to learn French. But must I take the language at my University? I bet I could flourish with just a native speaker as my tutor.

What are thoughts on Japanese?

 

[jeffasinger]

I know that most graduate schools in math that require a foreign language accept French as one of the choices. The three choices are usually German, Russian and French. That said, I don't know what the chances are that you will actually use French at all beyond that.