What math is required to "feel comfortable" with physics?

[KevinBCN]

Hello everyone. As the title says, what math do I need to know to fully understand classical mechanics, relativity, quantum mechanics... I am studying from a calculus book, but this is mathematics in general it is not focused on physics. So, apart of this calculus book I'm studying from, what math do I need to study physics without fear to find something I couldn't solve? If you could recommend a book on any subject I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

 

[MidgetDwarf]

You need linear algebra, Pde, ODE. There are more mathematics that are needed, depending on how theoretical you want to get.

 

[fresh_42]

Hello everyone. As the title says, what math do I need to know to fully understand classical mechanics, relativity, quantum mechanics... I am studying from a calculus book, but this is mathematics in general it is not focused on physics. So, apart of this calculus book I'm studying from, what math do I need to study physics without fear to find something I couldn't solve? If you could recommend a book on any subject I'd appreciate it. Thanks in advance.

This is quite a long list, a trip through many mathematical fields. For this reason the mathematical part which is needed to understand physics is usually taught in parallel. E.g. Lie groups are important, but physicists don't need to know the entire theory. On the other hand, you said "to feel comfortable in" which is a rather strong condition. The crucial point is, that physicists apply all kind of mathematical tools whenever they promise success, sometimes even those which never have been expected to be useful.

 

[KevinBCN]

You need linear algebra, Pde, ODE. There are more mathematics that are needed, depending on how theoretical you want to get.

Thanks for the answer. Would this be enough to understand the subjects I named? If there's any other, what would it be?

 

[KevinBCN]

Thanks for the answers. Would this be enough to understand the subjects I named? If there's any other, what would it be?

 

[fresh_42]

Here's a similar discussion about this question:
https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/what-mathematics-courses-should-one-take-for-physics.912593/

 

[Krunchyman]

Depends on what you want to do.