Undergrad Definition and 909 Threads

I'm going to be taking graduate physics courses this semester and I need to decide how many to take. My question is how does the difficulty and work load of graduate physics courses generally compare to upper level undergraduate physics courses. I know there is variation between courses and...

Hey! So I posted something similar back when I was deciding what to apply to at university and whether or not I should go for physics or not. I'll be starting my concurrent program with a BEd. & astrophysics this fall. Kind of worried about it now. I'm commuting 3 -4 hours a day and have...

I am currently in 9th grade and have been into astronomy and basic physics for a few years now. I'm thinking about (once enrolled obviously) majoring in physics. Only problems are: 1: Pretty good at math but struggle a bit and end up forgetting a lot of information (at least in algebra) and I...

Hello there, I am currently a senior undergraduate Astronomy and Astrophysics major at Villanova University. With the GRE and graduate school applications coming up I have been wondering if it would be beneficial for me to either take a gap year or to possibly take a 5th year of undergraduate...

Hello , I am Physics undergrad on my 1 st year. I have worked out most of the chapters from Riley Benson Hobsons Mathematical Methods for Physics and Enginnering. Now i want to Do Arfkans book. Now the thing i want to know is that is it absolutely necessary to finish it in undergrad level ?

I want to solve Irodov's problems in thermodynamics and for this I need a good textbook. I have Heat and Thermofynamics, Dittman and Zemansky. Should I read this book or should I go for another book?

I'm starting my engineering program (mechanical engineering) this fall 2017. Transfer student, going in as a Junior. That being said I'm looking to buy a new laptop to get me through the prorgan. I currently have a MacBook Pro 2010, no longer good. I'm not familiar with the Microsoft PC world...

I am searching for an undergraduate level summer school, not the ones where you are being taught like an ordinary semester, but preferably the ones where you take a fast 1-2 week concentrated courses, and maybe some research. Something like Plasma Surf. I want something that is either related...

I'm going to start my first year as a Physics major in University, so I'll be taking first year Physics with one variable Calculus with Linear Algebra. I have taken math up to Calculus but I found that I have some gaps in Algebra, Geometry, and Trigonometry. Not any serious gaps, I know most of...

I am considering taking it down the line.

My school doesn't really offer research opportunities for undergrad level. so i lack experience. being a senior student now, I spoke to a professor and arranged a year in his lab starting next semester. but i am afraid that won't be too much. Already handled my toefl, i am confident i will do...

Hey everyone, I'm new to this community, and I came here hoping to find some advice on applying to graduate schools. A bit of educational background about me: Biology BS & Applied Mathematics BS Double Major Neuroscience & Chemistry Minor (declared neuroscience officially, but earned the...

Im debating between Berkeley and UCSD and I am not sure what to do, I plan to go to grad school, and I am worried that it might be difficult to get a lot of research done at UCB whereas I've heard its easier to get into research at UCSD. Furthermore I'd start a semester late at UCB because I...

Undergrad physics major, interested in going to grad school for PhD, currently deliberating between UC Berkeley and UC San Diego.

I'm currently a high school junior, and I'm highly interested in studying biophysics in college, my eventual goal being to get a Ph.D. in it. Out of all the colleges I've visited, Princeton and the University of Chicago have been my favorite. Which of these schools would allow me the best...

So I'm currently in my second year doing biomedical engineering. I want to study physics in grad school, but am at an impasse. I can't do a physics minor because there is no space in my schedule, and I can only petition one physics course to fulfill my engineering electives. So I am debating...

Hi, How important is undergraduate education in terms of following a specific physics directory? Right now I am on track to take 3-4 upper division classes that will allow me to earn a B.S. in astrophysics. What if I wanted to focus on theoretical or quantum physics for a PhD (assuming I get...

Hi all, I study Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at university. Next year, I'll have a choice between three modules; Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics Cosmology Fluid Mechanics My main interest is Condensed Matter Physics; therefore, thermodynamics and statistical physics is a given...

Hi everyone, I have a choice between Stony Brook and Cornell for my undergraduate education in physics and I am at a cross-roads. I want to show my father that I'm a grown man and willing to allow him and his wife to remain financially not-bankrupt so to speak (also not psyched about the student...

Will having a 4-5 year gap between your undergrad and grad school hurt your chances of getting into a PhD program? I'm a physics major but I'm also doing ROTC and am planning on serving in the Air Force for 4 or 5 years after I graduate before applying to grad school. Are there any huge...

I'm two semesters away from graduating, after which i will get a masters degree in stats. My last semester is basically just one where i take courses I want while i wait for grad school to start, because i will have graduated after the semester after this current semester. Which COMPUTER SCIENCE...

Hi all, I am recently retired and would like to study Physics or Astronomy. I live on a military pension so the US is not going to happen. Tuition is just too expensive at American schools. I am looking for universities that have Physics or Astronomy Bachelor's programs taught in English...

Hello, I need some project ideas for my course in BSc Physics level 2. I need something which is creative and interesting. Anything from fluids, wind... Regards, Jadaav

Hey PF, since you're all so good at helping me with my homework maybe you can help me figure out my life as well :P. edit: below are many ideas I've had about what to do after I graduate it. If anyone could offer insight into any of these topics or give me new ideas, it'd be greatly...

I'm looking at colleges right now. I'm really interested in biophysics, so I've been planning out what I biophysics curriculum would look like at various schools. However, most schools do not have a biophysics major, so I've had a hard time planning out what classes to take in addition to the...

Homework Statement [/B] I had an inorganic lab this week which involved making VO(acac)2 from VOSO4⋅xH2O. In order to calculate the percentage yield, I need to work out x, that is, the number of water molecules coordinated with the vanadyl sulfate n-hydrate before the reaction. I'm stuck...

I am currently doing Bachelors in Economics however I have always wanted to pursue astrophysics and all. So like can I in the future with a good enough GRE score do a graduate degree in Physics? And also what would you suggest me to study to know undergrad education of Physics? I really love...

Homework Statement Find the sum of the following series: $$ \left( \frac 1 2 + \frac 1 4 \right) + \left( \frac 1 {2^2} + \frac 1 {4^2} \right) +~...~+ \left( \frac 1 {2^k} + \frac 1 {4^k} \right) +~...$$ Homework Equations $$ \sum_{n = 1}^{\infty} \left( u_k+v_k \right) = \sum_{n =...

Hello, I don't mean that question to sound rude or judging, but financially I can't really leave my state (Oregon) until graduate school. I was always told that in science where you go matters, but no one in my family except my uncle have gone to college. Thanks in advance for the advise.

Hi, I'm an undergraduate, currently enrolled in a degree program for Physics. Part of the requirements of the program is—you guessed it—a thesis. Now, I'm not really good with experimental physics, and aside from that, the university I'm currently enrolled at doesn't really have much equipment...

Hi, My undergrad degree is sort of nebulous; mostly math and physics, with some graduate math thrown in. I'm enrolled in UW Platteville's MS Engineering program for the Engineering Management emphasis. Although I'm impressed with the courses I've taken so far, I know that getting a job as a...

I am in my last year as an undergrad and will be graduating in the spring with a BS in Physics. I personally have terrible grades this including overall GPA and major specific GPA (currently around a 2.2 for both). At this point, bringing my GPA up is nearly impossible without some post...

I'm a sophomore currently at university and I'm beginning to wonder if my undergrad experience with respect to the physics department here is indicative of everyone's experience as a physics undergrad. Here's what I'm dealing with: So far, I've only taken 5 physics courses: 3 semesters of...

well hello everyone! I have just started my college and i have in mind to find books that are beneficial to certain subject I am studying and i asking for your help. I'm not an English native so I am going to help you help me by providing a subject description so you can tell me your...

Hi, thank you for taking the time to read my thread. Since the historic discovery by LIGO earlier this year and NASA's apparent intention to rejoin the LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) project being spearheaded by the ESA, I am considering studying and eventually researching...

I live in Arizona and will be transferring to a state university next semester (I'll be starting in Jan. 2017). I've managed to get all of the introductory credits that I need completed at a community college for much cheaper than at university, so things have gone well so far in that respect...

Hi. I am currently thinking about going back to school in a year or so in order to get a physics undergrad and I was wondering what I should study in order to best prepare myself. I haven't been in school for a while, and my last experience with maths was in high school (which I hardly have any...

Hi there. I'm currently in my senior year for my physics degree. I was wondering whether it would be wiser to finish up my undergrad this year, or if I'd be better off taking a fifth year to complete it. My university does not grade with + or -, so a low B is represented exactly the same as a...

I'm going into chemical physics for undergrad, but I'm worried that would hinder me in grad school if I decide to switch fields. Is it something to be concerned about?

First off, sorry for posting yet another one of these threads. I've scavenged through this forum for undergrad textbook recommendations and have been somewhat overwhelmed. I'm beginning first year soon and would like a textbook that I can rely on as either my main textbook, or at least a...

So, I'm a undergraduate student. And I want to know what classes should I take to work with Quantum mechanics or Particle Physics in the future. I want a good general physics knowledge too.

Schools I am looking at only require one semester of inorganic for their BS program. Is this enough if one wants to go to grad school down the road?

I will be a senior at UC Berkeley studying Computer Science, and I am looking for some research experience in the fields of CS for next fall. The CS class that I have done best in is machine learning and I also enjoy working with big data (2 internships related to it), so any type of research...

I think I want to major in Computational and Applied Math with a physics minor. I'm interested in pursuing a career in scientific or industrial research. What kind of grad degree would be best and if not in applied math how does one make the transition? Thanks!

So I'm entering my second year in uni doing a physics degree. We're just about to tackle on some of the interesting topics like EM (which I've self-learnt before), Classical Mechanics(we've already covered Newtonian) and QMech. Apart from my core academics, I'm interested in pursuing some...

Good morning all, I’m about to enter my sophomore year of college, and after doing a significant amount of job research, a career in medical physics appears very interesting to me. The idea of using applied physics to have a direct, positive impact upon people’s lives sounds pretty neat. That...

Hello all, I presume that this is the best place to ask. I'm currently doing my undergraduate degree in Physics. I'm in the UK and taking an MPhys(Hons) which is a four year course of an integrated Bachelors and Masters instead of the conventional Bsc of 3 years (I understand that they are 4...

I am currently a rising junior studying chemical engineering and minoring in computer science at a pretty strong state school. I struggled choosing my major within the engineering school as I was interested in nanotech, materials, chemistry, physics and computers. I ultimately picked CHE because...

Hey all, I'm an Applied Physics Undergrad who just finished first year and I ended up with a 2:1, which is grand. Anyway, in second year we have to pick between two electives, Physical Chemistry 3 or Sensors & Actuators. Then again in third year you have either Physical Chemistry 4 or...

So I am transferring from a community college to the university after this coming semester for a physics degree. Being a transfer student I am expecting to be at a disadvantage when compared to the other students at the school. I have had Calculus based physics 1 and 2 which mainly is focused...