I've always wanted to do a physics degree but..

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To counter everything here. Brian Cox only got a D in Mathematics at A levels. Yet he is a good Physicist.

He may be famous and do a good job publicising physics but I haven't ever heard anyone say he was actually a good, or even above average, physicist.

Reply 81

Simplicity

Original post by a.partridge

What do you think is hard mathematically then if you are saying everything is easy? Professors of maths don't think it is easy so you must be some kind of genius, or well a liar...

Algebraic Topology like in Hatchers book.

I doubt Feynman could read that book as he didn't care about Maths.

Mathematics is the calculus and formulae crap that Feynman did.

His grades in maths and physics at MIT were unprecedented for an undergraduate - he also took extra graduate level physics courses from the start of his second year.

That means nothing. Firstly, it was ages ago. Secondly, maths below grad level is easy. He didn't do grad Mathematics only Physics courses.

He didn't do well in the things he didn't care about - he didn't care about humanities subjects and got bad grades in them for it - he didn't care about mathematical proofs because he knew that they had no relationship with nature and the advancement of useful knowledge

Cool story. Either way that doesn't make him a good Mathematician. I'm just saying he isn't as good as Maths as everyone is making out him to be.

He didn't care about what Maths i.e. proofs. Even applied Maths has proofs now.

Reply 82

Simplicity

Original post by Ch1pp0

He may be famous and do a good job publicising physics but I haven't ever heard anyone say he was actually a good, or even above average, physicist.

Read his books and he argues that you shouldn't do hero worship.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 83

Benniboi1

Original post by EmmaJane_

I think physics is fun! I'll find some C3 and C4 text books and have a look through them.

You don't need to tell me physics is fun, doing a physics degree next year :colone:

I'm on MEI as well, although I understood everything in C1 and C2, I found them dull (especially C1) and scraped an A in C1 and scraped 90UMS in C2. C3 and C4 just seem more interesting, things like Parametric and Differential Equations (C4) can be fun and the Integration stuff gets more interesting in C3, did half as much work for C3 as I did for C2 and nearly got full UMS.

Bottom line: you like maths, not all of it is going to be enjoyable but if you stick at it you won't regret it :smile:

Edit: Have you heard of Khan Academy? Google it and check out some of his videos, he can make the most boring stuff seem useful and interesting.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 84

Casshern1456

I would probably put my money on everyone who does a Physics degree have Maths at least at A-level at good universities. Yeah, if you can't hack Maths don't do Physics.

Reply 85

skittlesaremydrugs

Original post by Pride

you hate the course content?

oh pull yourself together. If you want to do physics, you'll do the damn maths. Stop complaining...

unrelated but what album cover is in the bottom right hand corner of your sig, i know it from somewhere and its bugging me that i dont know! :smile:

know some of the others though :smile:

Reply 86

Benniboi1

All this talk of Maths and Physics has made me wonder why there isn't a TSR Maths Challenge?

Reply 87

evening sunrise

Original post by Simplicity

In defence of his statement.

There are probably a lot of people on this forum who are better at Maths, than Feynman. Feynman hated Maths and couldn't be bothered to learn Topology. Like he was describing it as pointless in one of his books.

Einstein said something similar.

But in the character of physical law he makes it clear that to truly understand nature requires a deep and fundamental understanding of higher mathematics. No direct quotation marks as I cant be bothered to retreive my copy from the dining room. But he does make some amusing comments regarding the different perspectives of physicists and mathematicians.

Whether they liked or hated maths is neither here nor there, but in terms of ability at mathematics both would make the average undergraduate getting a first appear clueless, but of course a very small percentage of those getting firsts are the next Einsteins and Feymans. It is a bit like comparing a national master to a super class GM.

Reply 88

james.h

Like people have said, I'm not sure what you're getting at by saying you hate maths but love physics. Seems like a bit of an oxymoron. :s-smilie:

If it's just a case of needing to keep the maths away from abstract formalism, then you should be okay doing a physics degree. Even abstract-sounding areas like quantum mechanics have ways of being visualised.

However, I can't think of an area of mathematics (that isn't ridiculously narrow and contrived) that doesn't find an application in physics.

Reply 89

Pride

Original post by skittlesaremydrugs

unrelated but what album cover is in the bottom right hand corner of your sig, i know it from somewhere and its bugging me that i dont know! :smile:

know some of the others though :smile:

it's called Mind Bokeh, it's by Bibio. You may have seen the album cover on an apple advert.

I may replace it actually, I've remembered albums I like better than that one.

Reply 90

bobbyjimmy

Original post by EmmaJane_

There's no need to be a dick about it.

Exactly!

Reply 91

Manitude

I think all of the offers I got demanded A level maths. With grade A, too.

Reply 92

a.partridge

Original post by Ch1pp0

He may be famous and do a good job publicising physics but I haven't ever heard anyone say he was actually a good, or even above average, physicist.

It's a shame that there are far far better physicists at the university of manchester but he's the only one the public know :z

Reply 93

Intriguing Alias

Original post by TheGrinningSkull

I'd have to disagree, (Not regarding A2 maths being important for a physics degree), but it is possible to do physics A2 with only having done maths AS. I have a friend who's doing this quite well.

And tbh, physics A2 only probably depends on a little differentiation of trigonometric functions from C3 to understand what's going on with the types of graphs, not that much really.

He meant don't do a Physics degree without A2 Maths; not don't do A2 Physics (A2 physics can be done with a small top-up from GCSE maths).

Original post by a.partridge

you might have to make a new thread about doing medicine with a hatred of chemistry, looks just like a parallel to this thread tbh lol

Ahahaha

Reply 94

Ch1pp0

Original post by Simplicity

Read his books and he argues that you shouldn't do hero worship.

What??!! I can't see any way in which that relates to what I said.

Reply 95

Intriguing Alias

Original post by EmmaJane_

I've looked at all of that, and got some work experience booked. I'd still prefer to do physics.

Then it'd be silly to go for medicine. Yes some people were harsh on this thread; I definitely feel there was absolutely no need to insult you calling you an idiot etc.

You just do need to understand that if you go for physics the majority of the maths content in your degree (which will be a large proportion) will have its roots set in the A-level Maths syllabus. Stuff you say you 'hate' you will have to get over (plus who hates logs? They're amazing!) or at least push through if you want to study physics.

What is it that you enjoy about physics? Do you enjoy the problem solving and maths you have to do in your AS Physics (granted there's very little of it)?

Reply 96

Miryo

Original post by EmmaJane_

Insightful.

Physics is applied maths...
If you really want to do it at uni, stick through it for another year, you'll be in a better postion to do what you want :smile:

Reply 97

kingkongjaffa

Original post by OMGWTFBBQ

Einstein famously "hated" maths....

Doesn't mean he wasn't a mathematician.

And a very very good one.

Reply 98

kingkongjaffa

Original post by Simplicity

Are you drunk? Feynman was one of the best theoretical physicists who ever lived, I highly doubt anyone on here is a better mathematician than him.

Feynman was good at maths.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feynman_parametrization

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellmann%E2%80%93Feynman_theorem

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheeler%E2%80%93Feynman_absorber_theory

Reply 99

OMGWTFBBQ

Original post by kingkongjaffa

Doesn't mean he wasn't a mathematician.

And a very very good one.

No, he was a relatively poor mathematician. More of a thinker. There is a quotation somewhere about him stopping and thinking rather than working through reams and reams of complicated maths. I wish I could find it.

http://journalstar.com/news/local/article_aacec19e-e75d-5537-9742-92efc517b3a7.html

Is Newton a physicist or a mathematician? In his case, he created the mathematics in order to solve the problems of physics or dynamics.

Einstein was not a mathematician. He did not create mathematics, he used mathematics. He wasn’t even very good at mathematics. He got help. With his general theory of relativity, he had to go to a mathematician to explain it to him.

I'm not denying you need A Level maths to study it at uni. Preferably FM for a top uni. And then you need to pay attention to 2 years of uni level maths lectures.

But the quality of your physics isn't interconnected with the quality of your mathematics once you reach the required threshold.

The new styles of thinking, e.g. the game changers of EMag and relativity, are more likely to be found by those who think as a physicists rather than derive as a mathematician.