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Author Topic: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide  (Read 2204 times)

Kesc

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College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« on: August 25, 2011, 01:06:07 pm »

   Since kid I am interested in astronomy, quantum physics and cool physics stuff. Always curious, always interested in math, also... But that is what a physic course really demand?
   Besides that, I am also interested in mathematics: Developing completely abstract ideas inside my mind, building patterns and solving complex problems with equations. Damn that's fun! But I'm ignorant. I never knew someone who did math in college and my physicist paw, well, he told me everything that he had to and I'm still paranoic bout that. Also, I like programming, but I consider it a hobby.

  So, anyone here is a physicist or a mathematician that might help my choice? Or maybe someone with good advices?
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Levi

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #1 on: August 25, 2011, 01:08:26 pm »

Could you take physics with a minor in math?  Math is usually more useful paired with another discipline, so that would be my advice.
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Heron TSG

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #2 on: August 25, 2011, 01:12:06 pm »

Well, I plan on double-majoring Math/Physics, but majoring in one and minoring in the other would be just about as effective. For physics, math makes it infinitely easier, though. You'll need at least some calculus.
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G-Flex

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #3 on: August 25, 2011, 01:14:08 pm »

Well, I plan on double-majoring Math/Physics

Wouldn't this be a prohibitively grueling choice, especially if you plan on grad school?
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Heron TSG

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #4 on: August 25, 2011, 01:15:09 pm »

Not especially. By the time I graduate from High School I'll be done with general requirements and have most of the math credits for the math degree. It shouldn't take abnormally long.
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G-Flex

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #5 on: August 25, 2011, 01:18:02 pm »

Er. Please inform me how you're going to manage to graduate high school with almost all the work done necessary for a bachelor's degree in mathematics. That should be interesting!
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Kesc

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #6 on: August 25, 2011, 01:21:34 pm »

Could you take physics with a minor in math?  Math is usually more useful paired with another discipline, so that would be my advice.
My actual intention is to take the math course and a minor in physics, since I'm only interested in few areas (Quantum physics, astronomy).

Also, the math course that I'm aiming do have physics in the curriculum (mechanics). I'm worried about thinking the course is something and it isn't.
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Heron TSG

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #7 on: August 25, 2011, 01:34:36 pm »

Er. Please inform me how you're going to manage to graduate high school with almost all the work done necessary for a bachelor's degree in mathematics. That should be interesting!
I'll fulfill general requirements via a dual-enrollment program that will allow me to graduate with my Associate of Arts degree (though with ~140 credits instead of 90, though many are 'elective' for this degree and I'll have some wonky paperwork to do.) My math credits from dual enrollment will be Pre-Calculus, Calculus, Calc II, Calc III, Statistics, and two other classes that I forget the specific names of that I'll be taking this year. At most universities with quarter-terms, you need 180 for a bachelor's degree. I'll have most of my lower math classes out of the way, but I would need to take three or four higher math classes that just aren't available where I live.
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Est Sularus Oth Mithas
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Il Palazzo

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #8 on: August 25, 2011, 02:09:01 pm »

The choice you have is thus: Either pick math as you major* and forget about all the cool stuff in physics. No in-depth quantum mechanics for you, no astronomy either. All you'll get is a bunch of introductory courses that you're likely to never expand on, or have any use of.
Or choose physics, and forget about the truly esoteric mathematical problems like proving some obscure theorem, exploring alien algebraic bodies, or whatever it is that the mathematicians do in their shadowy hideouts. You'll be learing maths roughly to the level of being adept at solving differential equations and being generally fluent in the mathematical language. Which is not that simple anyway.

For the record, I used to study physics at a local university for two years, before being flunked out for failing to realize that the high-school smart-arse attitude was not enough to carry my lazy self through without doing any actual work.
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Kesc

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #9 on: August 25, 2011, 03:15:18 pm »

I believe that a math course is the best for me, I'll forget about taking physics in college... I can study it by reading books, just for fun!

Thanks for the advices, guys. It really helped me!  :D ;D
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Taniec

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #10 on: August 25, 2011, 04:28:21 pm »

If I am not too late to the party here...

Economics. The introduction classes are pretty basic, but when you hit your second year/the advanced classes you will be using math a lot (derivatives up the butt), so much so that a lot of people double major in economics and math because they share a lot of the same classes. Sadly I'm doing the Economics/Management route. I want to take over the globe with harsh business practices and ruthless economic efficiency.

Plus you can be cool...like me!

But if you don't want to be cool...(like me!) then I would probably lean more toward math itself. Physics may be more interesting to you/more enjoyable to study, but I feel that math is more practical when it comes to prospective careers.

I know some friends who are physics majors and I have a feeling I would of dropped out/switched majors after the first year. That shit can get hard.
« Last Edit: August 25, 2011, 04:36:37 pm by Taniec »
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Vector

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #11 on: August 25, 2011, 11:27:18 pm »

but I would need to take three or four higher math classes that just aren't available where I live.

... HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAA

Oh lordy.

Good luck, honey.  I hope you don't need it.


@OP: I'm a math student.  I'll try to answer any questions you have.
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

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Heron TSG

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #12 on: August 25, 2011, 11:31:24 pm »

but I would need to take three or four higher math classes that just aren't available where I live.
... HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAA
Well, I was going by the requirements I found at the University of Washington. 18 credits of 300+ ranked classes while there would suffice for the bare minimum, though even if that were all I'd need, I'd squeeze in a few extra. There may also be hidden requirements that weren't listed on their website. I don't really get the humor in it, but hey, I don't get the humor in a lot of things.
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Est Sularus Oth Mithas
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Vector

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #13 on: August 25, 2011, 11:37:59 pm »

Over here, at the very least, you're expected to take at least 7 semester-long upper-division courses at the bare minimum, i.e. to graduate.

The usual/expected, of course, is that you clear your lower-divs in the first year of college, pack another two or three years of math into the next year, and then are taking graduate-level coursework by your junior year, senior year at the very latest.  And that if you want to even think about going on at any level whatsoever, you study from all areas of mathematics and gain an extremely firm, fluid understanding of their basis (there's a lot of them).  Of course, proof-based courses are entirely different from the computationally-based learning you're used to, as well.

I've had 30-40 hour problem sets for single courses before, one per week.  It's not a path I'd ever call "easy," nor expect to clear most of before leaving high school unless you started sitting down with the intro graduate texts at the age of sixteen--and even then, possibly not.
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"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

nonbinary/genderfluid/genderqueer renegade mathematician and mafia subforum limpet. please avoid quoting me.

pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".

Kesc

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Re: College : Math or physics? Needing some help to decide
« Reply #14 on: August 26, 2011, 09:06:56 am »

but I would need to take three or four higher math classes that just aren't available where I live.

... HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAA

Oh lordy.

Good luck, honey.  I hope you don't need it.


@OP: I'm a math student.  I'll try to answer any questions you have.


How is the course like? Is it more "doing equations, solving problems of real life" or "discussing about mathematical concepts"?
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