Musings on the physicists/mathematicians barrier

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In summary, learning differential geometry and topology from a background in physics can be challenging due to the need to connect it with previous knowledge. This can be difficult when there is a perceived contempt from those more well-versed in pure mathematics. Differential forms, as a mathematical tool, may not yet be mature enough for general use and their notation can be confusing. They may ultimately suffer the same fate as quaternions did in physics and be replaced by more applicable methods such as vector calculus.
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You are not alone. See THE VECTOR CALCULUS GAP: Mathematics not= Physics
by Tevian Dray and Corinne A. Manogue (24 September 1998)
(http://www.math.oregonstate.edu/bridge/papers/calculus.pdf)

BRIDGING THE VECTOR (CALCULUS) GAP by TEVIAN DRAY and CORINNE A. MANOGUE
(http://www.physics.orst.edu/bridge/papers/pathways.pdf)

Bridging the Vector Calculus Gap Workshop (http://www.math.oregonstate.edu/bridge/)

Physicists and Mathematicians often use mathematics in different ways and have different viewpoints on what some mathematical symbol means and how it is to be interpreted. E.g. Mathematicians think of vectors in terms of tuples of numbers in a linear space while physicists think of something with a magnitude and a direction. Sometimes physicists create their own mathematical objects to better understand something and occasionally they muddy the water by splicing two different formalisms together such as in the use of the Pauli matrices in quantum mechanics.
 

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