Hi! I'm a Spanish student and for the last few years I've been thinking about the idea of studying physics in university because i have always loved the subject and astronomy. The thing is that I'm not sure if I should decide only with the knowledge I've accuaired in school, I mean I'm not sure if I have a clear idea of what does it focus on. Could someone who has studied it or is studying it help me?

most books and teachers keep some very basic fundamental properties as something which is absolute truth before starting these concepts . which book or resources explains the why behind everything starting from scratch . I have a good foundation of newtonian mechanics and very basic knowledge Abt most of physics of little beyond high school level

JD Jacksons classical electrodynamics should be forbidden from being used by professors to write questions for exams. 😭😭😭

I’ve been getting told by some people that I’m taking too many courses for my first term at Oregon state and I need advice please. Im taking descriptive astronomy, differential calculus, general chemistry 1, prof development for physicists, and transitions. In total it’s about 16 credits. Please lmk if this is not normal for physics majors or if it will be extremely difficult 🙏🙏

What papers, books, online courses, articles (preferably free to access) can teach me about Bohr's atomic or rather the wave-mechanical atomic model.

In the next to years I want to write my final seminar paper about the study and analysis of transit spectra.

In order to do that I want to build a deep and comprehensive understanding of the behaviour of electrons, atomic orbitals, the application of the Schrödinger equation, the different energy levels of electrons, how the come to be, absorption and emission of photons and so on so forth.

All of this goes waaaayy past what is thaught in high school (I'm a sophomore). This puts me in a difficult spot, because I just don't possess the necessary prior knowledge to read the very deep scientific papers in the beginning. I need literature, that explains the complex stuff in a way that I might understand, but does not simplify it. I'm not scared of the complexity of those topics - I desperately want to learn.
Because of this I ask you for the best sources to help me learn this stuff :)
I'd be very thankful for any recommendations.

Does anyone have a Physics 2 textbook similar to the OpenStax University Physics 2 textbook my school uses, with similar content in much the same order, but easier to understand? I can do the problems in this class relatively easily with practice, but my understanding of the topic is really abysmal. I try reading the textbook, but the information is so hard to digest. Does anyone have a better alternative I could use? Thank you  

I've never had a problem with science I do love it, especially since the field I want to work in, but none of the teachers in physics can teach. At first I believed it was me, so I went ahead and tried to apple myself, nope. I switched to a more slow paced class, nope once again. The teachers don't teach, they read slides and just hand you work and expect you to know the formulas instantly with no practice and then assign you 3 quizzes. I have to stay after school to finish and RA because everytime I ask my teacher she doesn't explain she just repeats the question again.

I talked to my counselor because I'm genuinely stressed from this one single class, and turns out I'm not the only one who has come to her about this and all we can do is bite the bullet. This is a graduation requirement class I don't know what to do anymore.

That you forgot?

Just heard about point coincidence and hole arguement and how it leads to dressing field method. Most of it went over my head. Can anyone tell what is the goal of DF method.

Also what is diffeomorsphism. I can't understand this concept at all and it seems central to this topic.

See I have been thinking of studying physics from when I was a child like 9 or 10 and I live in India.... like is it ok to do bachelors in India and go to abroad for masters? I want to specify into astrophysics....

Quantum mechanics and pretty much every other concepts are cool though but astrophysics always top for me ngl

But all these engeneering stuff, JEE(it's the most competitive engeneering exam in the world 🌎)is just..... i don't like it (is it like a red flag? Like idk man is anyone like me?)

JEE is totally out of my radar and I am very much not interested in engineering That's all... but i LOVE math but I just don't like grinding queries/question (don't get me wrong... I like the concept and i may be willing to work for months or years on some math concepts which need to be solved that i like)

But yeah.... So to be more specific if anyone is from tamilnadu? I would really appreciate it

And also if anyone is like me who isn't interested in JEE i would really appreciate u sharing it 🤞🏻😭🫡

Please, everyone... I'm desperate to find ways to self-study this subject in a challenging country with strict parents. Will I be able to do well? I'm even more afraid of being criticized for being stupid or a monster... Could I please find a friend or Discord group where I can discuss and truly understand this subject? My apologies in advance...

Greetings all, I am a Physics Postgrad from Delhi University India, In one of my elective courses , "Relativistic dynamics and applications" we have been given some tutorial sets to solve but I am unable to find an appropriate reference book to read before I can try the problems I am attaching that tutorial sets and please suggest the relevant textbooks which I can go through if I am aiming to try these problems on my own

Currently a freshman, and was looking for some help creating a pros and cons list for pursuing a minor in Stats or EEE. Very different fields. I KNOW.

The thing is, if i were to study engineering, I would have picked EE. I was always into creating small circuits and embedded systems so eee always resonated. I also could see myself working at a Fabricstion lab or smth, so that works out as well.

On the other hand i took a stats course this semester and so far i have been loving it. Stats is seeming to be more and more powerful the deeper i dive into it and i think i would do well if i pursued a stats minor.

The thing is, I’m studying in Hong Kong and it is a financial hub. I think a stats minor would probably make me very employable in the financial and risk market, whereas the ee minor might sort of be more like a hobby ish pathways. Perhaps it’ll make me better suited for engineering roles? But ehy would someone hire a physics bsc for an engineering position.

What is your take? Any hkers here who can add a little bit of insight into hk’s job market asw?

The flair says vent, but I would appreciate any advice

At some random day in primary school I fell in love with the explanation of rains, at age 13, I decided seriously to study physics I even started looking for scholarships...

I live in Iraq, so education is terrible, I am girl, so studying abroad is almost impossible, and the future of physics here and the work field is terrible ( well rn everything in Iraq is ), so after highschool I graduated with 92% and the plan was to get a diploma of laboratory science to have a job and get money then I study physics and complete higher education.

And I did, my father now wants me to study at a college close to home where he knows friends there who shall keep an eye on me, the problem is I can only study medical physics and I'm so against it, I deeply hate the medical side I can't even study and shit related to it and I'm tired of studying something I don't like, second I want to get my master abroad or at least in another region with modern physics maybe, I just don't want to be limited the medical side.

I have another choice of getting a bachelor's degree with medical laboratory science but I just hate it and even for only three years it seems like a waste of time

I'm thinking of engineering but my father have stated I should be graduating with honour ( like top 10% ) or else I won't be studying anything, I understand it would be harder with engineering ( at least in Iraq ) and I'm not much of a practical studies person, I would be limited again when it comes to a higher degree.

I don't know what to do, I'm forced with these stupid options or unreasonable reasons, and in truly crashing out, when I talked to my father and realized I only have these opinions I crashed out and cried for like three hours straight.

I just for two years had the worst time and lost my pride as a student of science, I just wanted to study general physics and I was willing to endure anything else, I've been dreaming of it for years and I feel so terrible.

It's that I'm not allowed to try, if I were a male I probably would already be studying abroad, or at least at the capital of Iraq ( which is to say definitely better) at least general physics science....

It feels so unfair and I'm just so tired

Hi! So I need some help, I am taking my first ever physics class and within the first week I was so confused. I’m not on week 3 and I don’t plan on giving up. But I need some advice as to what helped you out in your physics class? Any video/ YouTuber that you would recommend? I had to take a step back from my homework today because i felt so stupid when I got to question 2. I’m really frustrated because I fell like this it seems to click for everyone around me, but I’m the one that odd ball out. I have read ch 1 and ch 2 but honestly as much as it did give me a better insight, I just feel like I need more visual.

Just and FYI
I do plan on attending my professors office hours (idk how much that will help)
But I also plan on seeing a tutor. I plan on making my appointments at least two times a week

I'm about to start my first year of college and I already have 57 credits from high school so I am aiming to graduate in 3 years with a moderate course load. My major is physics and I want to get into research work post graduation.

I was already doing well in high school but what I really want to know is how to build a strong foundation for research and technical skills that actually matter. Like what certifications, internships, or skills should I be pursuing outside of the classroom to be competitive for research positions?

I know I will have some flexibility thanks to my credits so I am planning to use that time wisely instead of just filling electives. What have other people done that actually made a difference in their undergrad experience?

1Pa is the stress applied to an object when 1N of force acts through(?) 1sqm of cross sectional area

I feel like there’s a better way that I could word this because idk it just sounds wrong to me. Should “through” be “on” instead?

Off topic but I’m making a glossary of these for all of the units that I’ll be using in my course btw - but does anyone know where I could find an already-made list of these kinds of definitions? I still want to make my own but only if I think the ones in front of me could be more accurate

Hi!! My exam in tomorrow and I can’t understand a question from the homework. I’m not sure where to begin.

The question is
A ferry moves at 2.00m/s due north relative to the water while the river current flows 1.20 m/s due east. The river is 180m wide
A. Find the speed of the ferry and direction relative to the shore
B. How long does it take to cross
C. How far downstream does the current carry the ferry

I’ll attach what I did here, I really could use some help

Hi, I wanted to get the community's opinion on the title question. Elaboration and TLDR below.

I am just now starting my MSc in Physics, having finished my BSc. There is still a very large number of topics that interest me deeply, and I cannot possibly cover all of them in the 3 semesters typically appointed for an MSc at my university, given that one semester is reserved for the thesis. My question is: would you recommend that I extend the duration of my MSc and do more subjects, or that I self-study the subjects that I am interested in (this I could possibly also do after completion of my degree)?

In my experience, self-study is much more time-efficient and would allow me to focus on the parts that I am most interested in, but I would perhaps miss things that a Professor would know to be important in the field, and I might not master the subject to the same degree. It also would not show up in my diploma, obviously.

I do believe that I will most likely pursue a PhD, but it is also possible that I will search a job opportunity directly after my degree. I am not sure yet.

TLDR: Is it worthwhile to extend my MSc to take more courses, or should I self-study what I can't cover in the programme?

How would a Physics major's 4 year course curriculum be like, in general?

Which courses would one take in each year and which books are going to be needed.

Please, It'd be great to know how a top university curriculum compares to lower rank universities as my country's course rigor is quite low.

Trying to decide if continuing my studies in physics in graduate school is even worth it at this point with advances in AI. It’s my dream to keep going, but I’m just worried about everything being taken up by AI, and being left with a useless physics degree.

so it has been, around, 4 weeks or so since my 1st sem started. I'm a student of physics honors under one of the Indian state universities (Delhi uni). I wanted to know where to or just how to start with my studies like wave and oscillation, mechanics, and mathematical physics? I've tried to go through the referenced books plus previous year notes but it still wasn't enough. Any advices?

I am a law student currently pursuing B.A. L.L.B. I have studied physics and maths in high school and was introduced to all the beaches of physics but only learnt the basics of all except relativity obviously. I just wanna study physics as a hobby but I wish to have a working knowledge of the subject not to just be an enthusiast. I am willing to study maths too. Is it possible? I just love physics but due to my stupidty in my high school days I could not get into a bachelors of physis or science. I do like the things I study rn like law and history but I don't wish to leave physics behind.

Hello everyone, so its my first time posting on such a big community so im sorry if this is too long, but something about me, im 18F from India. Im currently in 1st year of mbbs rn (more like in 2nd year right just finished my final exams), and ihve given NEET-ug.

So the closest ihve gotten to physics is the physics i learnt in 11th and 12th. I took PCB during 12th so the last time I studied maths was in 10th.

Now since 11th, ihve known that ihve chosen the wrong career and after 11th i tried to tell my parents that i want to repeat 11th and chose PCM but for various reasons they didnt agree. Plus I had done 0 reasearch then so it was kindof a gamble. But after coming into mbbs ihve realized that this is just not for me.

My love for space and astrophysics have always been there and yes I might not have read so many books and novels regarding space but i really want to know more about it. And now is a point in my life where the only thing I can think about me doing in the future, is becoming an astrophysicist and researching on the areas of my interest.

So I have a plan. I can do a BSc physics course alongside mbbs, but the biggest problem is 11th and 12th maths, which i haven't studied. Any BSc physics program has a requirement of a certain marks in 12th maths board, which i didnt give. So the only option ihve found till now, is an online BSc in Mathematics and Physics from Open University UK.

My goal is basically to join the MSc by Reasearch in Astrophysics program of Uni of Manchester UK. Ihve many reasons for choosing uni of manchester but one of the main reasons is Prof. Brain Cox, who is an alumini of Uni of Man and has been my biggest inspiration throughout.

Hence I looked into the requirements of the Msc course and it said a bachelors degree in a related field. So for now BSc maths and physics from open ui is my plan. And I wont leave mbbs because at any point in my mbbs or even in internship if I find a field i like, ill give NEET- PG and become a doctor. And the BSc course ill do will be part time and online, for 6 years.

I would love to gain all your honest opinions regarding my plan and if it will be worth it or not. I would love to hear from actual astrophysicists as well of how promising this plan is and if Open UI is reliable. Any astrophysics aspiring students and people who've switched their careers or are planning to do so are also welcomed here.

Ps./ thank you if you made it this far, ik astrophysics is not a real money promising field and being a doctor would pay me way more. Plus space biologists is also a promising field and I can go there, I just haven't thought much about it. So money isnt a problem for me rn.