What is the Difference Between a Theoretical Physicist and a Mathematical Physicist?

[Tom1992]

I would like to share with you my chosen courses for years 2 to 4. I've decided to specialize in both math and physics because I've gotten bored with studying only math:

2nd Year:
Calculus II
Linear Algebra II
Group Theory
Ring Theory
Ordinary Differential Equations
Real Analysis I
Thermal Physics
Oscillations and Waves
Introduction to Quantum Physics


3rd Year:
Partial Differential Equations
Complex Analysis I
Real Analysis II
Point-Set Topology
Differential Geometry I
Classical Mechanics
Electromagnetic Theory
Quantum Mechanics I
Nuclear and Particle Physics


4th Year:
Complex Analysis II
Differential Geometry II
Differential Topology
Algebraic Topology
Quantum Mechanics II
Relativity I
Relativity II
Introduction to String Theory
Introduction to Quantum Field Theory

has anyone taken a math/physics combination like this? many of these math courses I've already studied on my own, but these physics courses sure look like tons of fun!

 

[Bitter]

I would imagine it would be fairly tough to find a uni that would allow you to take all those courses in that amount of time.

 

[precondition]

Ambitious but realistic?

That is indeed an ambitious plan and I have nothing against your willingness and motivation to commit yourself to indulge in such courses but it does raise few questions...

1. Is it a realistic plan? Many of the courses you listed are quite advanced both in mathematics and physics and I wonder if you can handle such pressure. 9 courses in a year to me seems like not a good idea since I myself have experienced it and don't intend to do it again.

2. Quantity or Quality? Sure you can take as many papers as you like but I doubt if you will perform well in all those subjects. Important thing is, take only necessary papers and do well in them.

3. If I were you I would try drop as many unnecessary 'physics' papers as I can and keep math papers. Especially if you are willing to go into theoretical physics you will find your strong math background useful in later years.

4. I would take following courses:


2nd Year:
Calculus II
Linear Algebra II
Group Theory
Ring Theory
Ordinary Differential Equations
Real Analysis I
Thermal Physics
Introduction to Quantum Physics


3rd Year:
Partial Differential Equations
Complex Analysis I
Real Analysis II
Point-Set Topology
Differential Geometry I
Classical Mechanics
Electromagnetic Theory
Quantum Mechanics I



4th Year:
Complex Analysis II
Differential Geometry II
Differential Topology
Algebraic Topology
Quantum Mechanics II
Relativity I
Introduction to String Theory
Introduction to Quantum Field Theory



Out of curiosity which university do you attend?

 

[MathematicalPhysicist]

what's exactly not good with 9 courses in a year?
he doesn't take 9 courses in one semester.
anyway which university offers: Introduction to String Theory
and Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
in bsc programme, arent those courses supposed to be taken in 2 or phd degree programmes?

 

[Tom1992]

what's exactly not good with 9 courses in a year?
he doesn't take 9 courses in one semester.
anyway which university offers: Introduction to String Theory
and Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
in bsc programme, arent those courses supposed to be taken in 2 or phd degree programmes?

supervised reading courses.

I think 9 courses per year is not crazy at all. I remember reading a post somewhere (in the how many hours per day do you study poll) where some guy took even more and studied 16 hours per day. besides, my courseload is not a heavy as it looks, because many of the math courses I have self-studied already.

 

[hrc969]

I think 9 courses per year is not crazy at all.

You are at a school that's on quarter system right? If so, then you are right, it's not crazy at all. Actually even if you are on semester it might not be crazy because you have studied some of that before making it a lot more manageable.

I remember reading a post somewhere (in the how many hours per day do you study poll) where some guy took even more and studied 16 hours per day.

]I could probably not take as many classes as I take if I was doing physics. I actually decided not to do math an physics because I was always took me much longer with physics than with math and I saw that there were just as many fun courses (I had to go for graduate courses though) I could take in the math department.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

According to Tom and from what I have extrapolated from previous posts, he is 14 (as his name would suggest) and is currently self-teaching himself some very complex, high-level mathematics (if I remember correctly, he was working through Mumford's Toplogy) and desires to complete his PhD by 18 (is that correct Tom?).

So, with that in mind, continue with the advice. I figured it would be beneficial to let you know that as far as I know, he is not yet at a university and is a freshman in high school, unless I am completely lost, which might be the case.

 

[Tom1992]

According to Tom and from what I have extrapolated from previous posts, he is 14 (as his name would suggest) and is currently self-teaching himself some very complex, high-level mathematics (if I remember correctly, he was working through Mumford's Toplogy) and desires to complete his PhD by 18 (is that correct Tom?).

So, with that in mind, continue with the advice. I figured it would be beneficial to let you know that as far as I know, he is not yet at a university and is a freshman in high school, unless I am completely lost, which might be the case.

I'm taking by force the full-year calculus I, linear algebra I, physics I, and physics lab, and introduction to special relativity courses

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

I'm taking by force the full-year calculus I, linear algebra I, physics I, and physics lab, and introduction to special relativity courses

When you say 'I am taking by force' do you mean you are going to storm the university with books in-hand, overthrow the classrooms and demand instruction or do you mean you are being forced to take these classes at university? The former would provide me with an amazing visualization and a hell of a lot of laughter!

I am confused, are you still in high school or did you graduate and you are now preparing for university? How does a prodigy such as yourself, go about completing the high school cirriculum in such a quick period of time? I have always been curious about that.

 

[FUNKER]

what's exactly not good with 9 courses in a year?
he doesn't take 9 courses in one semester.
anyway which university offers: Introduction to String Theory
and Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
in bsc programme, arent those courses supposed to be taken in 2 or phd degree programmes?

The quality of your learning is decreased with the more papers you take. taking nine is a big workload. I find taking 8 a semester decreases my quality of learning by a noticable margin

 

[Tom1992]

When you say 'I am taking by force' do you mean you are going to storm the university with books in-hand, overthrow the classrooms and demand instruction or do you mean you are being forced to take these classes at university? The former would provide me with an amazing visualization and a hell of a lot of laughter!

I am confused, are you still in high school or did you graduate and you are now preparing for university? How does a prodigy such as yourself, go about completing the high school cirriculum in such a quick period of time? I have always been curious about that.

those are my first year university courses. it's only first year. many people at age 14 are well ahead of me. A phd student at age 14:

http://www.drexel.edu/univrel/drexelink/story.asp?ID=1594&vol=10&num=2

i've seen her picture--she's not bad looking. i wish i could meet her.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

Well, my friend, enjoy skipping your teen years. I wish you luck, however, in all that you do!

 

[Tom1992]

so no one here has done graduate studies this thorough in both math and physics?

 

[FUNKER]

I have completed a BSc in math and physics , but not so many pure math papers

this is my one hundreth post ooooooo yea feel the love

 

[proton]

many people at age 14 are well ahead of me. A phd student at age 14:

Many people are ahead of you? Well there are many people who get their BS in physics by age 40 too.

 

[morphism]

What's the rush?

 

[Tom1992]

what rush? it's a 4-year programme.

 

[morphism]

But you claim you're 14.

 

[^_^physicist]

Discussing only the plan you have listed out, I would make the following cuts from the course load (thus giving you more time to concentrate on the more advanced subjects, and to allow you to take some electives from outside of the math and physics departments (which I would believe the university you attend most certainly has)). And note that I am only a student, and this is being done through my own personal biasis.

So Cut the following:

Calc II, linear algebra II (unless you feel it is absolutly necessary, because you will pick this up pretty fast when you need it), Quantum Field Theory or Superstrings (just pick one for now), Nuclear and Particle physics (unless you intend on focusing your research on it), and pick either Algebraic or Differential Topology, don't take both.

That should trim your program down to something that seems a little more reasonable...at least in my humble opinion.

Oh and move your differential geometery I course to your 2nd year, if you can.

 

[CPL.Luke]

hmm what about gen eds? unless your school doesn't require them for a student such as yourself.

I am also a bit curious as to how you completed high school so fast, were you homeschooled? or did your school just bump you up really fast?

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

My primary concern with allowing someone to compress the time it takes for them complete a high school eduation, is that they miss out on the social development and exposure to your peers. I also can't imagine he has mastered the subjects of geography, chemistry, english, biology, history, government, and whatever other subjects/electives they have.

Are you ready for university level philosophy, chemistry, biology, psychology, etc.? Granted, these subjects are generally very easy for most freshman and sophomores, I would contend that spending four years in high school really helps build a foundation to understand it, not to mention, I really do feel as though my brain matured drastically from 14-19 and I finally feel like I am actually ready for university.

I played sports in high school and other chilled out activities, something I hope he isn't missing. I also had the opportunity to have fun, goof off and grow-up.

Had I started university even just two years ago, I would have done terrible in comparison to how I am doing now, simply because I matured. Although, perhaps some people are naturally developed and matured and are better suited at a university.

Either way, I think it's awesome that you are that gifted, my friend. I always laughed at the prospect of seeing some 14 year old in one of my classes, there is no way I could take him serious, even if he could do some abstract mathematics.

I still can't imagine you'd have the life experiences and broad understanding to relate to anyone that is not 14, then again, you probably can't relate to a typical 14 year old either.

Either way, no disrespect, good luck homie!

 

[Stingray]

This thread reminds me of myself when I started college. I was also much younger than normal, wanted to double major in math and physics, and wrote down a long list of courses to take every quarter. That list didn't last very long. I realized that I didn't really like pure math and that my physics interests changed over time. Some courses can also be very difficult, and you might want a break at times, or perhaps some extra sleep and a bit of a social life.

I did end up taking many more elective courses than usual, including several graduate-level physics and astro courses. Some of these were excellent, and I'm very glad I took them. Others just confused me, and I never really learned the material properly. I would have been better served slowing down and understanding the standard courses more thoroughly. I ended up filling in the gaps in grad school.

On average, I tried to do too much at once. When you start off, you tend to try to stick everything possible into those 4 years. Looking back, most things could've waited. I'm not saying to follow a standard curriculum (and I doubt you'd listen anyway). Just be willing to adapt your plans over time. The main things you should plan for are upper-level courses that you really "have to" take. Put a couple of courses into this category, and make sure you'll meet the prerequisites by the time you want to take them. Also check that they aren't offered every other year. If you want to do research in a particular topic before the start of your senior year (which I highly recommend), make sure you'll have the appropriate courses for the field you want to work in by that time.

Of course, everyone is different. I don't know you. I don't know your preparation or intelligence. I also don't know your university, so it's hard to give generic advice.

 

[CPL.Luke]

yeah I agree complexphilosophy, but people do grow up faster than others, some of my friends here at uni still go home on weekends to have their mothers do their laundry.I personally left high school a year early and never had a prom or any of the stuff that comes with your senior year of high school, essentially I was failing out so I decided to get a GED and the go on to college instead of finishing my senior year and quite possibly my super senior year. By the time I left high school I had accomplished everything that I wanted to do in that portion of my life and I was ready to move on. I am sure that some people experience this at an even younger age.

Tom1992 I could believe that you are one of the few people who can finish their high school education early, however I have a hard time believing that you'll be able to relate to other people who are college aged and you may suffer because of that. I am guessing that you haven't yet enrolled in your college or that you haven't yet progressed very far in your education there.

I would like to give you a link to Simon's Rock college

http://www.simons-rock.edu/This is a path that I considered a while ago however I only heard about it after I had made up my mind on what I was going to do, and I decided I didn't have the transcript to get in anyway. However it may be well suited for you. It is a college that was founded on the principal that the final two years of high school merely serve as a buffer to ensure that studnets enter college when they are 18, and so was setup to provide college level work to gifted high schooler's who have completed at least their sophmore year of high school.

It is not a fancy private school that merely provides a high school education, it starts students out with courses that you would start taking your freshman year of college.

I remember when I checked it out it had a decent math/physics department and looked like a good school. It might help for you to be around kids who are closer to your age in order to still have some of those good ol' life experiences.

 

[Stingray]

Tom1992 I could believe that you are one of the few people who can finish their high school education early, however I have a hard time believing that you'll be able to relate to other people who are college aged and you may suffer because of that. I am guessing that you haven't yet enrolled in your college or that you haven't yet progressed very far in your education there.

I actually never went to high school at all. I didn't have any trouble relating to the regular college-aged students. I probably had more issues with people my own age at the time. This is a very personal thing, though. From what I understand, it was not that uncommon for students my age to attempt suicide or otherwise develop serious problems at the university I attended. They had therefore become very apprehensive about admitting them. I was a perfect fit though. I loved being there, would certainly do it again if given the chance.

 

[CPL.Luke]

how young were you though? the OP is 14. I think anybody above the age of 16 wouldn't have trouble relating to college kids provided they have the necesssary "maturity level" but I think that most people younger than that would have a very difficult time finding commonalities with people beyond the general interest topics such as politics/physics/ <insert subject here>.

 

[Stingray]

I was also 14.

 

[FUNKER]

I was also 14.

The bombshell we have all been waiting for!

 

[hrc969]

Tom1992, so are you dropping your "want to get a PHD by 18"? Just curious.
Also, are those just the math and physics classes you are taking for the year or are those all the classes you are taking. i.e., are you taking any other classes besides those?
__________________________________________________________
I don't know whether Tom1992 is at a school with quarter system. If he is then:
^_^physicist, there is nothing unreasonable about his schedule. Three classes a quarter is very typical. I know at least one grad student that has taken 5 graduate math classes in one quarter. I am taking 2 grad classes, 1 reading course (in a graduate level topic) and two advanced upper division classes.
Three is hardly unreasonable.

The quality of your learning is decreased with the more papers you take. taking nine is a big workload. I find taking 8 a semester decreases my quality of learning by a noticable margin

You have tried taking 8 classes in one semester? I'm just curious, what classes where those?
The most I have taken is six in a quarter, no learning decrease, as far as I can tell. However, there were only 3 math classes and two programming and a linguistics course. I haven't tried 6 math classes yet and I probably won't try it at all.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

The distinction between quarter and semester based academic schedules, should probably be made aware. I love how I am 20 and just beginning college and these kids are all 14.

:) I like to take it slow!

 

[Tom1992]

Tom1992, so are you dropping your "want to get a PHD by 18"? Just curious.

yes, i'll take my time now. that's why I'm going to finish my undergrad in 4 years. but no electives, i only want to study math and physics.

 

[Manchot]

yes, i'll take my time now. that's why I'm going to finish my undergrad in 4 years. but no electives, i only want to study math and physics.

Honestly, I think that you should try and take at least one non-math, non-physics course every semester. If you don't, you might get bored or burned out.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

I don't think you can take only mathematics and physics courses, even if you are a prodigy, however, I could be wrong. Regardless, I would definitely advise you to take at the very least, courses in: philosophy, psychology, biology, english and history, to give you a broad, fundamental understanding of the world.

Mathematics and physics are far too abstract for casual conversation, even at the university level and even though you might feel like you don't care for a social life right now, there will come a time when you might want some friends and not think about your work, so only knowing maths and physics won't help alleviate this problem. It is also important that you understand all of the other aspects of the world, even if they only exist as constructivist realities.

Although, if you are already knowledgeable in these fields, then disregard what I am discussing, my friend.

Stinger, you should give us your opinion, homie!

 

[Tom1992]

i strongly believe that all courses taken should be career-based. other things in life that's not so serious can be learned elsewhere. suppose i take a history course and later on during my research as a mathematical physicist i realize that i am lacking in algebraic topology. i will regret having wasted my time studying history when i should have taken a course in algebraic topology.

hence my choice:
2nd year:
Calculus II
Linear Algebra II
Group Theory
Ring Theory
Ordinary Differential Equations
Real Analysis I
Thermal Physics
Oscillations and Waves
Introduction to Quantum Physics

3rd year:
Partial Differential Equations
Complex Analysis I
Real Analysis II
Point-Set Topology
Differential Geometry I
Classical Mechanics
Electromagnetic Theory
Quantum Mechanics I
Nuclear and Particle Physics

4th year:
Complex Analysis II
Differential Geometry II
Differential Topology
Algebraic Topology
Quantum Mechanics II
Relativity I
Relativity II
Introduction to String Theory
Introduction to Quantum Field Theory

every single course will be relevant to whatever i want to research later on.

 

[bit188]

i strongly believed that all courses taken should be career-based. other things in life that's not so serious can be learned elsewhere. suppose i take a history course and later on during my research as a mathematical physicist i realize that i am lacking in algebraic topology. i will regret having wasted my time studying history when i should have taken a course in algebraic topology.

Indeed, I hold similar beliefs; I use college to get a job, and personal activities can be self-taught. That's why I'm only going to get a bachelor's degree when I'm old enough to go to school, and devote my non-work life to mathematics, physics, and the arts.

 

[mgiddy911]

i strongly believed that all courses taken should be career-based. other things in life that's not so serious can be learned elsewhere. suppose i take a history course and later on during my research as a mathematical physicist i realize that i am lacking in algebraic topology. i will regret having wasted my time studying history when i should have taken a course in algebraic topology.
every single course will be relevant to whatever i want to research later on.

Thats all good in theory, however I do not know of many universities that allow you to take just what you want to take and what you deem important to your career, more generally, you take what they require. I think most universities in the US have some form a liberal arts requirement of some sort. So you can tell them all you want that studying history will not help you in your career, but I do not think they will comply to your wants

 

[mgiddy911]

Just another quick point, What about at some point in your research as a mathematical physicist it comes time for you to publish your research, only at that point you realize that while you spent every second of your college career studying every topic in math and physics, you never learned how to write papers properly. English, History, and Philosophy classes will almost all require you to write multiple essays, which is always beneficial, no matter what career you pursue.

 

[^_^physicist]

To hrc969: I understand that his schedule isn't going to kill him by any means, I take 5+ classes a term, tutor, and teach (as a requirement of one of my classes), and I still have time to do things as well. When I stated reasonable, I had intended it to come acrossed as reasonable in the sense to allow time to take advantage of elective credits outside of the math and physics departments...which most universities and colleges do require to earn a B.S. / B.A. Oh and I still feel that some of the courses on the list are redundent if they have been studied before by the OP.

To the OP:
Particularly redundent Calc are 2 and Linear Algebra II, as it has been my experance that bulk of the material from courses with these names tend to be either covered in other classes, or can be self taught with little difficulty.--------

If Tom is anything like I was at 14, he gets along much better with college and older students than those his own age. (to this day have a harder time relating to people my own age than say my late 20's-40 old classmates).

 

[hrc969]

yes, i'll take my time now. that's why I'm going to finish my undergrad in 4 years. but no electives, i only want to study math and physics.

Very cool. I wish my school would have let me just take math and physics. I would have probably kept my physics major if they had done so.

I don't think you can take only mathematics and physics courses, even if you are a prodigy, however, I could be wrong. Regardless, I would definitely advise you to take at the very least, courses in: philosophy, psychology, biology, english and history, to give you a broad, fundamental understanding of the world.

There are some universities that don't require classes outside the major. A professor that I was doing research with went to such a school. In my opinion more schools should be like that.

Thats all good in theory, however I do not know of many universities that allow you to take just what you want to take and what you deem important to your career, more generally, you take what they require. I think most universities in the US have some form a liberal arts requirement of some sort. So you can tell them all you want that studying history will not help you in your career, but I do not think they will comply to your wants

I guess he hasn't said whether electives outside the major are not required or if he just doesn't want to take them. But the former is definitely possible.

So just curious, Tom1992, do you know for a fact that your school does not require you to take courses outside your major?

 

[Tom1992]

So just curious, Tom1992, do you know for a fact that your school does not require you to take courses outside your major?

i've been told that if your GPA is high enough you can omit some courses and add some of your own.

 

[hrc969]

i've been told that if your GPA is high enough you can omit some courses and add some of your own.

I don´t know if you have done this already but if you haven´t: You should verify this with a counselor or with you math or physics advisor department advisor. You need to make sure you can omit all the courses you want to omit. Otherwise you might have to do them eventually.

I didn´t like that there were courses outside math and physics required, but I just did those in a way that would not mess with the classes that I wanted to take. One of the things I did was take some of those requirements over the summer when the courses I am interested in aren´t offered anyways, just to get them out of the way. That way, I started my 3rd year (this year) knowing that I did not have to worry about taking any non-math classes.

Its annoying to take classes that you don´t think you need. I had to take quite a few of those. If it will be a hassle to try to get them ommitted, then just take them. Since you have studied some of the math subjects before that allows you to take more classes per term and you can probably manage with one of those requirements.
PS:You should try to find out about whether or not you can omit some of those requirements or not as soon as possible. That way you can plan accordingly.

 

[MathematicalPhysicist]

it's not bad to take an elective which isn't from maths or physics.
why not take at the summer a course in a foreign language, it's always good to learn another language.
expecially french and german, it could be handy when you want to read articles on maths or physics in german or french.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

Tom, if you are required to take your GE's, most of them are mind-numbingly boring but all of them are very easy A's so long as you do the work and take the tests.

So, if you are obligated to take things like philosophy (which I recommend to anyone, especially science and mathematics majors), history, english, etc., you can add them into your schedule as if they weren't classes. Just schedule around them as if they weren't there. The only requirement you will have, is to show up and hand the work in.

I do recommend atleast one class on symbolic logic and one class on reality and knowledge, simply as a survey of philosophy. It is important, especially as a practicing mathematical physicist, that you understand a great deal of philosophy. Philosophy consists of abstract formal logic systems, built upon the axioms of deductive, inductive and dialectical reasoning. It is logically rigorous (symbolic logic moreso) and will help construct alternate paradigms of reality to look through and gain distinct insight that would not have been gained without reading philosophy. Reading the works of Hume, Kant, Nietzsche, Popper, Kuhn, Hiegal, Hiedeggar, Russel, etc., gives you amazing insight into the uncertainty of reality.

Also, I know you can read this stuff on your own and fully comprehend it (I have no problems and I know that most people don't), however, philosophy has no correct solutions. Your lecturer will have received a graduate level education in philosophy and will have been exposed to multi-cultural perspectives which he can express to you. I thought I fully understood everything I read on my own and I thought my critiques were logically sound, until I had my first philosophy class and my teacher found gaping holes in much of my logic. By the end of the semester, my writing had developed exponetially and my ability to construct logically sound arguments really emerged.

Anyways, I am rambling dude. Basically, just try to take a little bit of everything and talk to as many people as you can, so you can always construct a sound model of reality.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

it's not bad to take an elective which isn't from maths or physics.
why not take at the summer a course in a foreign language, it's always good to learn another language.
expecially french and german, it could be handy when you want to read articles on maths or physics in german or french.

I don't think America really cares if we learn a language, so most kids don't. I know some universities require it, although I think if you take it in high school, you are exempt in college.

However, I am taking French again for the hell of it, (I took four years of it in high school) and never really thought I could use it later on when reading articles. That's awesome! I forgot French and German are two huge science languages.

<33

 

[symbolipoint]

I don't think America really cares if we learn a language, so most kids don't. I know some universities require it, although I think if you take it in high school, you are exempt in college.

However, I am taking French again for the hell of it, (I took four years of it in high school) and never really thought I could use it later on when reading articles. That's awesome! I forgot French and German are two huge science languages.

<33

The recommended (or were they "required"?) languages for science students several years ago were German, or French, or Russian. The Russian language is not as commonly taught; this seems to restrict which language a student may choose. If a student sees a particular advantage for studying Russian, and his institution does not offer it, then maybe he is out of luck. I wonder what kind of scientific literature would now be difficult to examine if Russian is a more difficult foreign language choice for todays science students?

Actually, other scientific literature must exist in many other languages; why not also allow the student to choose for his science education, Dutch, Danish, Italian, Norwegian, Korean, Mandarin...? And why not Spanish?
Should not expect to be able to find Spanish scientists publishing reports to journals in their own language?

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

I am not sure what your contention was (or if you were just commenting), however, in American universities, I believe they offer many of the courses you mentioned. Spanish is probably the language that most Americans learn, because it has direct applications with immigrants and natural born citizens from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, etc.

My high school offered German, French, Italian, Spanish and Latin, while I have talked to people from different high schools which only offered Spanish or no language at all. In Europe, there is more exposure to foreign languages, so I believe people start learning them at a young age.

I have read research which indicates that if an individual begins learning languages at a young age, the encoded information for those languages is stored in the same structure of the brain (I can't remember if it was Broci's area or not) as your natural or original language, however, if an individual learns foreign languages later in life, it is stored in a different structure of the brain, distinct from your natural or original language. This might have implications on learning foreign languages for those who are never exposed to it.

As for your question regarding why other languages aren't offered, I would suspect it has something to do with the demand for it? I can't comment on what universities offer but I would imagine among all of the universities available to the student, all of those languages are present in some form. I know they offer Russian at the university I am going to be attending in addition to a lot of other languages.

My community college offers Arabic, Italian, German, French and Spanish, so I am sure the universities offer a broad spectrum.

 

[mgiddy911]

I don't think America really cares if we learn a language, so most kids don't. I know some universities require it, although I think if you take it in high school, you are exempt in college.

I thought it was pretty much a standard requirement of at least two years of foreign language at almost every high school, and a general requirement for most colleges to have some foreign language experience. I am in the College of Arts and Sciences at my school, and it requires at least 2 semesters of foreign language for all of its students unless you take a proficiency test to show that you know a language already.

As to the OP, i know you seem to be very talented and interested in math and physics... but do you think that perhaps you might gt just slightly bored if you are taking 4+ math and physics classes each semester and nothing but that?

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

I thought it was pretty much a standard requirement of at least two years of foreign language at almost every high school, and a general requirement for most colleges to have some foreign language experience. I am in the College of Arts and Sciences at my school, and it requires at least 2 semesters of foreign language for all of its students unless you take a proficiency test to show that you know a language already.

As to the OP, i know you seem to be very talented and interested in math and physics... but do you think that perhaps you might gt just slightly bored if you are taking 4+ math and physics classes each semester and nothing but that?

It is a standard that students 'take' a foreign language, however, there is no standard for 'proficency'. I finished four years of French in high school, which, if I wanted to, would transfer into my University and fulfill my language requirements and never have to take French again. However, I took French in 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th grade and never spoke or read a word of it since my last year of it. In addition to that, I got mostly B's and C's in French because at the time, I didn't care to learn it, hence the reason I am not transferring it. However, if I wanted to, I could transfer it, claim proficiency in French and continue on, even though I can barely speak it.

Most students I have spoken to, simply transfer their foreign language from high school into university and never have to take a proficiency exam. If you asked them to communicate in that particular language, they have a tough time recalling it.

Granted, I am sure there are plenty of students who did learn the language and retained most of it, so that doesn't apply to them.

 

[tmc]

My story is a bit similar to yours, although I didn't start university quite as early on schedule. I also take no electives, and basically fill my schedule with as many physics and math courses as I can. On average, I end up with 7-8 courses per semester, for about 16 courses per year (one in the summer while doing research too). All of these are useful courses for my future research.

With that said, there are a few problems with the courses you've chosen, so let me go ahead and help you out:

First, unlike most people have said, I'm almost certain that you can handle more than 9 courses per year. You're obviously a very smart kid, and I don't think you'd have trouble handling 12 courses per year, which is 6 per semester. If it's too much, you can always drop one early in the semester anyways. If it's too little, add a few in the later years.

Now to your courses:
First thing that's a glaring omission is the lack of programming courses. That's not a problem if you have some programming background, but if you don't, you will need it. This is one of the most useful tools you'll need as a physicist, no matter how theoretical you want to become. I'd suggest taking the two first comp sci courses, something like intro to comp sci 1 and 2. They'll be easy, generic courses, the idea being that they'll teach you the basics of one programming language, probably Java, and you'll be able to apply that knowledge to very, very quickly pick up new languages (in your case, FORTRAN, C, C++ and Matlab). So add that to second year.

Problem #2: Not a single experimental physics or lab experience. That's very bad, if only because it might go against you when entering grad school. You should at least have some (2-3 years) lab experience. So add those to second and third year.

Problem #3: No mechanics course. Those are useful, but not essential for future work. They're useful mostly because they teach you a lot about using math in physics; it's basically applied calculus for the most part. Another part is getting taught the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms, which are very useful in more advanced theoretical physics courses, though they can be done without. So no need for this, but if you have room, it's a definite plus.

If possible (ie, if it exists), add another linear algebra class in there, something dealing with stuff like operator algebra and treating dual spaces more thoroughly. That'll definitely be useful in quantum. One of the topology classes can go to make room for this.

Likewise, try to find a Tensor Analysis class, for general relativity. The math that you'll learn in the physics courses will probably be nowhere near formal enough for you, so this is something you would probably regret not taking.

A good Lie Algebra / Lie Theory class would be extremely good for you, if one is offered. Otherwise, grab a textbook on the topic.

You only have one E&M course. I doubt it will be very advanced, since I assume that it will be your first calculus-based E&M. You definitely need another one.

With those recommendations, this is what your schedule would become:

2nd year:
Intro to Comp Sci I
Intro to Comp Sci II
Calculus II
Linear Algebra II
Group Theory
Ordinary Differential Equations
Real Analysis I
Thermal Physics
Oscillations and Waves
Introduction to Quantum Physics
Lab

3rd year:
Partial Differential Equations
Complex Analysis I
Real Analysis II
Point-Set Topology
Differential Geometry I
Classical Mechanics
Electromagnetic Theory
Quantum Mechanics I
Nuclear and Particle Physics
Lab
Ring Theory

4th year:
Complex Analysis II
Differential Geometry II
Differential Topology
Algebraic Topology
Quantum Mechanics II
Relativity I
Relativity II
Introduction to String Theory
Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
Lie Algebra
Tensor Analysis
Electromagnetic Theory II

Again, this is a much harder than your initial plan, but I don't think it's beyond your means. It's definitely doable. Also, get research experience during the summer, you'll need it for grad school. Finally, get an A+ in all of those. That will also help for grad school. If you can't do that, then drop a course or two per year.

Good luck.

 

[Tom1992]

thanks a lot tcm. I've considered your recommendation but i had to chop off a bit. also electromagnetic theory II i moved to third year due to the additional 4th year courses. I'm not going to do computational research so i'll forgo computer science courses for now and crash study it later if it turns out i need to. lagrangian and hamiltonian dynamics is covered in the third year classical mechanics course. tensor analysis is already covered in differential geometry II. my first year physics course is already pretty heavy on the labs. this is what i have so far:

2nd year:
Calculus II
Linear Algebra II
Group Theory
Ordinary Differential Equations
Real Analysis I
Ring Theory
Thermal Physics
Oscillations and Waves
Introduction to Quantum Physics
Lab

3rd year:
Partial Differential Equations
Complex Analysis I
Real Analysis II
Point-Set Topology
Classical Mechanics
Electromagnetic Theory
Quantum Mechanics I
Nuclear and Particle Physics
Differential Geometry I
Electromagnetic Theory II

4th year:
Complex Analysis II
Differential Geometry II
Differential Topology
Algebraic Topology
Quantum Mechanics II
Relativity I
Relativity II
Introduction to String Theory
Introduction to Quantum Field Theory
Lie Algebra


tcm, you might be the closest match to my programme. could you tell us the courses in your programme, please?

 

[tmc]

First: you seem to be going towards string theory. You will do computational research. I understand if your schedule is full and you don't have room for them and prefer taking math courses (which you will also use), but you will need to learn programming at some point. Just keep that in mind.

My program is nothing special really; I take a lot of extra classes as electives to compensate. Here are the courses I took:

2nd year, fall:
Calculus III
Honours Linear Algebra I (2nd lin algebra course)
Introduction to Probability
Applied Optics
Mecanics I
Physics Lab

2nd year, Winter
Electricity and Magnetism
Mecanics II
Modern Physics
Group Theory and Applications
Ordinary Diff. Eq. and Numerical Methods
Introduction to Topology
Lab
Mathematical Analysis I

Summer, while doing research: applied algebra

3rd year, Fall
Analysis III
Theoretical Physics
Intro Quantum Mechanics
Thermodynamics
Physics Lab
Subatomic Physics I
Intro to Microeconomics

I'm currently in winter of 3rd year, taking a semester off (well, actually 3, but this is the first) to do full-time research.

A few things to note: I'm not sure if you've already chosen a university, but most will force you to take a number of electives which have nothing to do with your major, so consider that. Also, most schools won't have all the courses you seek offered, or at least, not necessarily offered on the year you want to take them (many universities alternate which courses are offered). Most of your courses should be easy to take, but things like intro to String, intro to QFT, lie algebra, relativity II, diff geometry II, etc. might be hard to take. These are the kinds of courses that few students would take, especially at the undergrad level, and as such, are bound to be only rarely offered except at few select schools.