Math for physics Definition and 22 Threads

So, I am going into my second year in my physics-math double major. For our program, not much specialized math is specifically needed. I love theoretical high energy physics, have been attending seminars in institutes, and been trying to do some reading on my own (it is hard without the math...

Are there any mathematical models which operate with physical time as with hypercomplex number? If yes, are there any related experiments?

Homework Statement Test the series for convergence or divergence ##1/2^2-1/3^2+1/2^3-1/3^3+1/2^4-1/3^4+...## Homework Equations rn=abs(an+1/an) The Attempt at a Solution With some effort I was able to figure out the 'n' th tern of the series an = \begin{cases} 2^{-(0.5n+1.5)} & \text{if } n...

Homework Statement We have ## f(x,t) = cos(kx - \omega t) \\ g(x,t) = cos(kx - \omega t + \epsilon ) ## How to find out whether f lags behind g or vice -versa? Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I took, x =0, g (t') = f(t) ## - \omega t' + \epsilon = - \omega t ## ## t'...

There's a lot of questions that float around like "I'm an EE major, should I double/minor in math?", "What math classes should I take as a physics major?", etc. After I typed in the title, this already started to show. Maybe you will disagree with some philosophical points I make, but I think...

I am self taught, and would like to know more about physics, and engineering, the biggest issue I have been having is that for most physics courses, and textbooks I read, I do not understand the math behind. My highest math education was calc ab ap in high school. I was wondering if you all...

So I derived the E-field of a hollow sphere with a surface charge σ at z and I got: E(r)=\hat{z}\frac{\sigma R^2}{2\varepsilon _{0}z^2}\left ( \frac{R+z}{\left | R+z \right |}-\frac{R-z}{\left | R-z \right |} \right ) at z>R, the equation becomes: E(r)=\hat{z}\frac{\sigma R^2}{\varepsilon...

Good evening, I'm currently a high school student and I will have to make a decision for my studies very soon. I'm quite interested in physics and often watch documentaries / read books about it (especially about cosmology, quantum mechanics,...). But I wonder if the math wouldn't be too...

Hi friends , I am an electrical engineering student , interested in applying M.S in physics program in Europe . So i have started preparing for this , when i searched the web how to study for PGRE , most effective and common suggestion is go through the recommended books for each subject and...

I'm a first year physics and astrophysics double major. My schedule has me taking Differential Equations next year and Linear Algebra the following semester(or vice versa, I haven't asked my advisor which to take first). After that there are no required math courses to complete my degree. What...

Hello. I am a student in Germany, about to start my major in physics, namely in three weeks' time. I'm really excited about it because I've been wanting to study physics for about two years, but I just didn't have the courage to do it I've just turned 27 and before wanting to study physics I'd...

Legendre functions $Q_n(x)$ of the second kind \begin{equation*} Q_n(x)=P_n(x) \int \frac{1}{(1-x^2)\cdot P_n^2(x)}\, \mathrm{d}x \end{equation*} what to do after this step? how can I complete ? I need to reach this formula \begin{equation*} Q_n(x)=\frac{1}{2} P_n(x)\ln\left( \frac{...

Does physics need rigour?My problem lies with the fact that if a physicist makes a mathematical error he may not be able to identify it due to his lack of understanding of the rigourous mechanism which the mathematician is aware of.

Because I'm only in pre-calculus right now (I'm still not in ninth grade yet), I haven't been able to find a way to back up my theories on physics which are mostly based off of reason and logic (I know this is a bad way to back up my theories, I just want to know what you think of them and how I...

Hello, I need some book which covers all the essential mathematics(especially calculus) required for first year Physics. I am not sure whether I should first study the math rigorously or just concentrate on applications. Any advice is welcome.

I am looking to work my way through classical physics and into more complex modern physics topics. I try to learn from a combination of internet resources and textbooks, but on the internet I find them often using terminology which is too mathematically advanced for me. Some examples are...

Hello. I find myself struggling in my first proof based math class, number theory. I have taken math up to linear algebra and differential equations. It is elementary number theory so it really should not be that hard. It was probably the easiest class available that was proof based. However...

I'm currently a second-year university student considering applying to a PhD program in physics. I'm leaning towards theoretical physics, although I haven't really experienced enough to make a clear decision. I'm beginning to be involved in research with a theorist this semester, but I was...

I have a degree in electrical engineering, but of some years ago. For my own simple enjoyment, I wanted to learn the math of physics - specifically for cosmology. Key to my interest is the interpretation of the math in the physical world. In summary, what is the track in math topics?

From what I understand the math required for physics majors isn't extremely rigorous (except for the most theoretical of branches). I have also gathered from this forum that the reason for this is physicists use math as sort of "tool" and don't study it as a science (this may not be the...

What are the levels of math you need to know to go into quantum physics, or astro-physics, or any physics for that matter?

I was wondering what math I need to teach myself in order to progress in learning physics after the point of the basic books such as Stephen Hawking's The Universe in a Nutshell and Michio Kaku's Hyperspace. I have learned some from those but I want to know more advanced things now so I need to...