Ug physics self study alongwith engineering .

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a participant's plan to self-study undergraduate physics alongside an engineering course, with a focus on theoretical physics. The participant seeks advice on the feasibility of completing a rigorous set of physics and mathematics textbooks within three years while managing engineering studies.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • The participant expresses a desire to self-study theoretical physics and has compiled a list of standard textbooks for both physics and mathematics.
  • Some participants suggest that theoretical physics is more of an approach than a distinct subdivision, emphasizing the importance of foundational mathematics.
  • Concerns are raised about the practicality of completing the proposed study plan within three years, especially given the potential overlap between engineering and physics topics.
  • One participant notes that certain engineering courses may provide exposure to physics concepts, suggesting that the participant may not need to study all physics topics in depth.
  • There is a suggestion that the participant could benefit from attending physics courses at their university if available, as this could complement their self-study.
  • Another participant warns about the potential challenges of self-study, including the time required for understanding complex material and the risk of burnout.
  • References to other resources, such as MIT's OpenCourseWare, are made as a way to explore additional learning opportunities.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the feasibility of the participant's study plan and the importance of balancing engineering and physics studies. There is no consensus on whether the proposed timeline is realistic or if the approach is optimal.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of foundational mathematics for understanding physics and the potential overlap between engineering and physics curricula. Concerns about the human factors involved in self-study, such as motivation and the complexity of material, are also noted.

metalrose
Messages
112
Reaction score
0
Ug physics self study alongwith engineering...please help...!

I belong to india, and couldn't get a decent physics ug course for reasons i don't have time to explain. I have now ended up in an engineering course and plan to self study and take the gre after 4 years. And yeah, forgot to say, my interest lies purely in theoretical physics and no other subdivision of physics.

I have bought standard books for almost all courses in ug physics and ug math as well.

Is it possible to complete ug physics withing 3 years if i can devote at most 3 hours a day to my physics and math study? The engineering course is hopeless and i won't be getting any help in either phy. Or math from there.

I am listing the books i have. Please don't suggest any new ones as I'm not going to buy them and would like to stick to the following:

Physics:

Apart from halliday, resnick,

intro. To mechanics - kleppner and kloenkow
electrodynamics - d.j.griffiths
quantum mech. - griffiths + s. Gasiorowicz
heat and thermo - zeemansky and dittman
statistical mech. - kerson huang
classical mech. (hamiltonian and lagrangian) - h. Glodstein
string theory - b. Zwiebach

maths:

Calculus - tom m. Apostol (both volumes) + michael spivak
principles of mathematical analysis - walter rudin
linear algebra - anton and rorres
real and complex analysis - walter rudin
numerical analysis - attkinson
modern algebra - i.n. Herstein


is it possible to complete the study of the above books in 3 years at a rate of 3 to max. 4 hours a day? If not i could leave a few math topics...but roughly is it possible??

Also, is it possible to be a pretty good student of engineering too, since my gpa will matter in grad. Admissions in u.s.

I know that "everything is possible" and that it all depends on me, but i mean, is it practically possible, without getting yourself completely burned out??

Thanks...
 
Physics news on Phys.org


metalrose said:
And yeah, forgot to say, my interest lies purely in theoretical physics and no other subdivision of physics.

Theoretical physics isn't really a subdivision at all. Theory is an approach, not a subject.

metalrose said:
string theory - b. Zwiebach

I haven't used that intro to mechanics book myself, but the others are all good. I wouldn't give a string theory book any level of priority, focus on everything else - particularly the mathematics.

metalrose said:
is it possible to complete the study of the above books in 3 years at a rate of 3 to max. 4 hours a day? If not i could leave a few math topics...but roughly is it possible??

Also, is it possible to be a pretty good student of engineering too, since my gpa will matter in grad. Admissions in u.s.

It doesn't seem like you would listen if you were told it's a bad idea. This is obviously something you want to try. Math is very important, make sure you learn a lot of that first and it should help the physics come easier. And, you're essentially asking if it's possible to do two degrees at once? I guess technically it could be, it depends seriously on the demands you're given in the engineering classes. Make sure you get good grades in this first and foremost. At the end of the day, engineering is what's going to end up on your transcript. If you end up having to work as an engineer somewhere before traveling somewhere else to study physics, then you want to be prepared.
 


I think your plan is a little flawed.

You have not considered the common knowledge between Engineering (e.g.EE) & Physics.
And depending on your selection of engineering course, you might even go into more Physics (e.g. Solid State Physics for EE).

For example, Electrodynamics is similar to EE's Electromagnetics.
As for the math. , most of the topics in the books you mentioned are needed for Engineering (not always at the same depth).

If you go for something like Semiconductor Physics will have some good exposure to Solid State Physics and some applied Quantum Mechanics.

If you would like to continue with your engineering field for grad. school, the important factor would be the GPA and research experience, so focus on these and once you are admitted, you can study all the physics you want.

It could also be possible to attend Physics courses at your university if they are offered and don't clash with your other lectures.

You don't typically need to the read these books from cover to cover, I think it is good to look at what other universities are teaching, you can have a look at MIT for example:
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/

Your plan is 'roughly' possible, but I would doubt that it will have no effect on your engineering courses (I don't think that you are considering human factors, e.g. if you get to a boring topic/chapter which can stall you, bare in mind that reading such books requires a lot of patience, sometimes it takes a whole a hour to read a page and do the derivations etc...).
 

Similar threads

Is this a good self-study program?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
Studying Looking for a thread discussing ideal math classes for physics major
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Studying How to self-study physics past High School Level?
  • · Replies 102 ·
4
Replies
102
Views
9K
Textbook/study plan questions
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Studying Chemistry or physics - which one is more suitable for self-studying?
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
4K
Programs Trying to decide what program to study (physics or engineering)
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
2K
Studying How to self study Physics and Mathematics
  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
6K
Resources for self-studying PDEs
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
3K
Recommendations for study materials to prepare for undergrad Physics
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
3K
Studying When to check the solutions during self-study?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
4K