Telling your professors what your major is

[Angry Citizen]

I don't mind jokes between physicists and engineers.. it's one of the reasons I'd like to be mathematically rigorous. On the occasion of a physicist citing my supposed inferiority, I'd be inclined to whip out difficult theorems for no other purpose than to watch them squirm.

Of course, that's only a very small reason for my wanting mathematical rigor...

 

[Sankaku]

It may be of some humour (or humor) to note that, most academic physics departments started in order to have people to teach engineers. It was only when WW2 came around that general society suddenly became interested in physics as separate from engineering.

On the other end of the spectrum, I always get a chuckle from "Mathematics is just the branch of Physics where the experiments are cheap." However, I personally like the parts of mathematics where it is difficult to find applications.

In science, we all fall somewhere on the theory vs application spectrum. Can't have one end without the other. It is all good...

 

[Lavabug]

My sophomore thermodynamics prof made fun of chemists on more than one occasion and insisted that we physicists should know more thermodynamics than them and engineers. I had just transferred in from Chemistry and just kept quiet about it, but an interesting fact is that I learned way, way more thermodynamics in my 1st year chemistry course than I did in that course (not a good lecturer, and his exam standards were incredibly low/downright giveaways). Some classmates barely had a clue.

IMO, downtalking other majors is really immature and shows how little humility some people have. The biggest downtalkers (students) of engineering, math and "book-learning sciences" (med, bio, chem) at my faculty are still stuck with first year courses after 3 years... Some disappeared before the end of the year. People just talk bullsh*t.

 

[flyingpig]

I once asked a 3rd -year chemistry student to do a logarithm problem with base conversion, he couldn't do it.

 

[Lavabug]

How did he make it through introductory equilibrium chemistry problems?

A physics sophomore classmate didn't know how to complete the square when we had to use them for Laplace transform problems, does that speak for all physicists?

 

[flyingpig]

How did he make it through introductory equilibrium chemistry problems?

A physics sophomore classmate didn't know how to complete the square when we had to use them for Laplace transform problems, does that speak for all physicists?

It's okay he is a physics student, he is known for messy math.

 

[ahsanxr]

I've always thought that a good response an engineer might give to mathematicians and physicists is that "at least we're doing something practical which will directly affect society", but I've never heard such a response from an engineer (my own engineer sister included, when I was playfully making fun of her). Instead they just tend to get butt-hurt and keep on insisting that engineering is the hardest of all.

 

[HeLiXe]

Hi, HeLiXe.

Hiii Dembadon

I would try not to sweat it, if you can. I haven't had this happen to me (yet), but I think it would be difficult to figure out why she responded the way she did. Even if you were to ask her, she might not be truthful with her answer. There are many possibilities, not all of which are bad; she might be sad that she probably won't have the opportunity to work with a bright student in the future.

All we can do is speculate, which is something I'm learning to avoid like the plague.

Yes you are right it is not good to speculate...I was in her class again yesterday and she said something terribly rude to me. It is unfortunate because I held high opinions of her the entire term and here at the very end that is totally ruined -_- Now I will just have to find another prof for ChemII-Organic Chem II

 

[HeLiXe]

IMO, downtalking other majors is really immature and shows how little humility some people have. The biggest downtalkers (students) of engineering, math and "book-learning sciences" (med, bio, chem) at my faculty are still stuck with first year courses after 3 years... Some disappeared before the end of the year. People just talk bullsh*t.

Thanks Lavabug :) Your last sentence is especially true :D plus I am a little peeved at the moment so I enjoyed your comments lol

 

[Dembadon]

Hiii Dembadon


Yes you are right it is not good to speculate...I was in her class again yesterday and she said something terribly rude to me. It is unfortunate because I held high opinions of her the entire term and here at the very end that is totally ruined -_- Now I will just have to find another prof for ChemII-Organic Chem II

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you find someone who appreciates and supports your interests.

 

[HeLiXe]

Thanks Dembadon :)