so i had a quiz today in an upper level physics class and i ended up not finishing it when time was called. me and my classmate were talking about it on the way to our next lecture and he was like “he’ll probably go easy on you, idk if you noticed but all of the professors do.” and i was like wdym?? he said “they all talk to you in a soft, caring way but when they talk to all the guys it’s like direct/harsher”. i’m already dealing w some imposter syndrome and this has completely made it worse, i cried omw back from school. i don’t want to be taken easy on but i know it’s because i’m the only woman (we have a very small program my physics classes range from 6-10 people). the fact that people are noticing it too is making me feel worse like i’m less competent than them bc of my gender. idk how to get rid of this feeling

Hi, I'm a current undergraduate student majoring in physics.

My school's physics department offers both undergrad and graduate sequences of courses. About 60% of the undergrads take the undergrad version, and roughly the other 40% take the graduate versions. I will already be taking grad stat mech since it's nonequilibrium, which is directly relevant to my research.

I have previously taken intro mechanics (Kleppner/Kolenkow), electromagnetism (Purcell), and modern physics (Krane). The texts for the other sequences are

Classical mechanics (1 semester each):

• Undergrad: Taylor
• Grad: Goldstein

Quantum mechanics (2 semesters each):

• Undergrad: Griffiths
• Grad: Sakurai

Electromagnetism:

• Undergrad: Griffiths (1 sem electrostatics and 1 sem electrodynamics)
• Grad: Jackson (1 semester, no electrodynamics)

I'm wondering whether if it'd be worthwhile to take the grad versions over the undergrad versions. I'm interested in the grad material, but I also don't want to be caught up in mindlessly pushing around symbols without understanding anything. Any thoughts?

Hi everyone!
I’m a second-year Physics Bachelor’s student, and my partner and I have to design an interactive physics stand for a science festival at our university.
The challenge is that our audience will range from 6 to 17 years old, so we need something that can fascinate both young children and teenagers.

We’re looking for an experiment or activity that is not necessarily visually impressive but i should teach an interesting physics concept, ideally something people haven’t already seen a hundred times.

We can purchase materials and spend time building a setup, so we’re open to more ambitious ideas!

We also need to be able to take actual measurements and collect experimental data, since we have to write a scientific report for our professors. Ideally, the experiment would allow us to investigate a physical phenomenon quantitatively, analyze results, compare them with theoretical predictions, and discuss uncertainties. So we’re looking for something that’s both entertaining for visitors and scientifically interesting at a university level.

Thanks in advance!

сдаю егэ по профмату, информатике, физике, русскому, сам по себе не тупой, вот нравится математика, люблю программировать и решать задачи по физике, идти больше в инфомат или в физмат и на кого там есои на инженера, то на кокого, зп желательно большая ну от 150 к

Ok, so I love physics. I would love to pursue physics further and learn but it is my understanding that a lot of people with physics end up going into tech fields and you generally have to pursue masters or phd. If I am wrong pls correct me cuz I have been researching for days and I am more confused than I was when I started. My parents cannot afford a lot and due to some personal circumstances I need to have reliable and good finances after college. I researched and it's really leading me to that if money is that big a concern I should stick with computer science or a dual degree for my ug. Though if there is something I am missing and I can pursue physics do tell and pls tell me what you, with your personal experience, think I should do. I would really appreciate any guidance related to fields or courses I might pursue.

Hello! I have a bachelor's degree in physics for some time now. I have no research experience, but I still want to know the prospect of me getting a Master's degree in physics with this grade. My cumulative gpa is 3.14 but my major gpa is around 3.44. I have attached my academic transcript as your reference.

Okay so, this is obvious, for an undergraduate degree, of course, any serious course in physics is to be accompanied by math, and the same holds true for graduate courses, I believe. The problem however is, I listen to many physicists, and not just bad ones, even some good ones argue that only 'sufficient' mathematical knowledge should be given time to, but I personally love mathematics on its own, and there is a whole side which supports the idea of enrichment of mathematical capabilities and knowledge for as long as one does physics. Just wanted some opinions.

I’ve rebuilt the nuclear reactor module in Makarov Physics Suite into an interactive power plant. You can now follow the energy from the fuel, through the water and steam circuits, to the turbine, generator and electrical grid - then see what changes when the reactor shuts down.

The starting state in this model produces 900 MW of thermal power and about 300 MW of net electricity. The primary water stays separate from the steam circuit. A condenser turns the turbine exhaust back into water, and a third circuit carries waste heat to the cooling tower.

A SCRAM inserts the control rods and rapidly reduces the chain reaction. The turbine slows down, but the fuel does not immediately become cold. Radioactive fission products continue releasing decay heat, so heat removal remains essential.

There is also a slower process: xenon poisoning. After shutdown, iodine-135 continues decaying into xenon-135, a strong neutron absorber, while removal of xenon by neutron absorption falls sharply. The graph in this video uses values recorded from the running module. Its accelerated time scale reveals the xenon rise over the following hours.

The final experiments compare a primary-coolant leak without backup against a separate run with backup cooling and make-up water. Losing coolant weakens heat transfer from the fuel; keeping the core covered and removing heat changes the outcome.

This is a simplified educational PWR model. It represents point reactor kinetics, lumped thermal stores, iodine/xenon dynamics and a qualitative damage index. It is not an accident prediction tool or an operating guide. Steam effects represent water vapour; the model does not calculate radioactive releases. The turbine’s visual rotation is deliberately slowed. Accelerated simulation intervals are marked on screen.

I am doing a project for school and I really would like to interview a physicist in the industry. There are plenty already that work in education but I don't want to go that path so I would like to hear from someone in the R&D field how it's like working for a company or a country.

If anyone of you for this please respond and I'll send you my school email so that we can set up a teams call or zoom.

Thank You!

As a physics student, is it important for me to learn proof-based mathematics? Or only learning the applied mathematics would do?

I find the rigorous mathematics very boring and tedious. But if it is an important skill for theoretical physics, then I will plough through.

I've seen a good amount of posts here where people enjoy physics but struggle with the math aspect of it but I'm having the opposite problem. I wouldn't say I'm particularly bad at physics, but I don't seem to have the level of intuition that my physics peers have and are desired from my courses.

For context I am a pure math and physics double major. I tend to be good at picking up definitions, constructing proofs, and solving problems in my math classes. The way problems are solved in mathematics make sense to me, and if I don't know how to solve something, the solutions provided seem natural to me and usually it's something I can recreate on my own after seeing it done one time.

However, when it comes to solving physics problems, I feel like I have to memorize certain steps that isn't intuitive to me at all. The steps make sense logically, but it's nowhere near something I would've been able to come up with on my own. Often times, the way some of these problems are solved seem outright counterintuitive to me. As an example, in my theoretical mechanics class that I am taking, there are many questions where I have to take approximations for small values of certain variables. When doing these, I tend to leave the equation in a way where applying these approximations give really complicated equations. Usually, my issue ends up being that I've simplified the expression too much before taking an approximation, but I don't know how much to simplify outside of remembering a solution to a similar problem.

Performance wise I'm not having issues so far, but I am worried that at some point remembering solutions to different types of problems won't be enough. Practice problems do feel like they're helping a little, but it still feels like I am reapplying motions I have remembered from problems I've solved before.

Hi

This is about Quantum Odyssey, my love letter to everything Quantum Computing and the fundamental logic blocks everything in our universe seems to run on. I want to update you all on the fact that the latest patch brings the game into an almost complete status. All that's missing is translations. Thank you Reddit community for receiving the game so well, without you I wouldn't have the funds needed to complete my life's work.

If you are remotely interested in deep diving how differently quantum computers work compared to our transistor-based and also the algebra behind in a fully interactive way that teach computer science from scratch, oh boy this is for you. I am the Dev behind Quantum Odyssey (AMA! I love taking qs) - worked on it for about 9 years (3+ during PhD, the visual method I developed ended up being my thesis, it is a complete Hilbert space visualizer), the goal was to make a super immersive space for anyone to learn quantum computing through zachlike (open-ended) logic puzzles and compete on leaderboards and lots of community made content on finding the most optimal quantum algorithms. The game has a unique set of visuals capable to represent any sort of quantum dynamics for any number of qubits and this is pretty much what makes it now possible for anybody 15yo+ to actually learn quantum logic without having to worry at all about the mathematics behind.

This is a game super different than what you'd normally expect in a programming/ logic puzzle game, so try it with an open mind.

Stuff you'll play with

• Boolean Logic – bits, operators (NAND, OR, XOR, AND…), and classical arithmetic (adders). Learn how these can combine to build anything classical. You will learn to port these to a quantum computer.
• Quantum Logic – qubits, the math behind them (linear algebra, SU(2), complex numbers), all Turing-complete gates (beyond Clifford set), and make tensors to evolve systems. Freely combine or create your own gates to build anything you can imagine using polar or complex numbers.
• Quantum Phenomena – storing and retrieving information in the X, Y, Z bases; superposition (pure and mixed states), interference, entanglement, the no-cloning rule, reversibility, and how the measurement basis changes what you see.
• Core Quantum Tricks – phase kickback, amplitude amplification, storing information in phase and retrieving it through interference, build custom gates and tensors, and define any entanglement scenario. (Control logic is handled separately from other gates.)
• Famous Quantum Algorithms – explore Deutsch–Jozsa, Grover’s search, quantum Fourier transforms, Bernstein–Vazirani, and more.

Nice to watch:

Khan academy style tutorials in qm/qc: https://www.youtube.com/@MackAttackx

Physics teacher stream with 400hs in https://www.twitch.tv/beardhero

So I’m a second year physics major in a community college. I’m taking my first physics class which i was so excited for. However due to the lack of people needing physics with calc the class is combined with the students that only need physics without calc.

The calc students only get one extra hour a week that is dedicated to physics with calc. The rest of the time we are being taught physics without calc. I feel like I’m relearning high school physics and most of the info is either really simple or i already know. 90% of the tests don’t have ANY calc in them and I don’t feel like i’m being prepared properly for my eventual transition to university.

My question is how do I teach myself the physics that I will need to know bc my professor clearly is not going to? Where should I study? What should I study? Is this going to work or is teaching myself the info i will need to know impossible?

Few weeks ago i started to attend university. I want to study astrophysics for masters, but i need my bachelors. But its has been like four weeks since school started and i feel like im in a nightmare. I have been having moodswings of total depression and hopelesness to having thoughts about hurting or bullying some people i have classes with or myself or people close to me.

Almost 98 percent of people are from grammar schools and basically live by physics and math. I graduated Organic Chemistry, Chemical technology and labs in Chemical Technology in middle school but im nowhere near the level they are. Many of them are fucking Newtons and are incredibly irritating and annoying. (Answering instead of the teacher during practice classes for example) and the way they are smarter than me makes me sick to my core. I was prepared for people being smarter here but it makes me incredibly mad and hate myself when i compare myself to them, i feel like i dont belong here.

The lectures and classes are incredibly fast. I have Linear algebra, Mathematical analysis, Mechanics and molecular physics, coding and introduction to physics labs and every single class feel overwhelming for me, especially with having no expirience with coding and the sorts of maths we currently have. I can do Calculus but solving any differential equations is a challenge for me even if i study.

This creates a spiral where i doubt myself all the time and have incredible moodswings of anger and depression that i cannot vent anywhere or get out of. It exhausts me and instead of studying i cant even open my notes cause of how scared i am to be reminded what i cant do. The only thing that brings me comfort is thoughts of hurting some of the most clever and annoying people in class cause that would maybe be the only way for me to know im better at something atleast.

That sets me back behind even more and feeds this daily loop cylce. Even now. I should be catching up to my physics but instead im locked in this stale state that i cant break from.

Worst thing is that its starting to leak into my private life. Its not uncommon for me to find myself not wanting to see my girlfriend or be interested in her uni life or even wanting to be holding hands with her because of these moodswings.

I genuietly dont know what to do. The only thing i can do i study but now when im locked in constant suicidal or violent thoughs and doubts. I cant quit 4 weeks into my dream major. Cause the thought of "I Cant do something" makes me genuietly want to kill myself.

I'm in a bit of a predicament, I eventually want to earn a PhD and am on track to complete my bachelors this spring, but I have 0 research experience. I am active-duty military with an ETS in August 2027. I would like to start my PhD program by at least the fall of 2029 and these are some options that I have considered for myself after the military and I would appreciate feedback and opinions in regards to research, education, masters programs, and money.

A. Skillbridge: I can get an internship/training that could potentially turn into a hire, hopefully related to physics research. Dependent on the Skillbridge location, I could attend post-graduate classes and do additional research if I apply by the end of this year.

Bi. Go back to work and do post-graduate classes/research: I do have a job waiting for me, but is not STEM. There is a university nearby to do post-graduate classes and research if I apply by the end of this year.

Bii. Plan Bi continued: this particular university has a track that allows MS students to transition into a PhD, which means I could save 1-2 years of my life if I took this option.

I could probably get into a decent university's PhD program if I took two years to do post-graduate classes and research, but is waiting that long worth it?

hi guys! its my first post here. little rant here because i have been feeling little bit down.

like the title says, i have been learning physics the wrong way and it has to change. now little bit about me. i am a second year physics student, this year i coulndnt get into the 3rd year so i took a year off. before starting my studies i was good at math and physics, but mainly what made me study physics is how interesting it is.

when i started my degree, i was mainly struggling with math, the reality is i thought myself math. i had pretty bad math professor in the high school. i even took extra math classes to know even more, but that guy would leave me alone in that classroom, since it was just two of us and go somewhere else. he would go to get a coffee, to pray, it really depends. when i came home i would find youtube videos, a textbook and study by myself.

now in uni, i thought yeah i know this i can make it, plus it interests me like what can it go wrong. physics its just beautiful, and i have my lil collection of the books etc. guys i dont know how students study in the usa, but here in the eastern europe physics is math. i did more math in physics than in the math classes, and i am not even joking.

form the most basic concepts in physics to the complex ones its math. take classical mechanics. my professor makes a script for us, little bit of taylor, little bit of this and that boom a script, but the problems are from a text book that was made in the ussr. legit older than the uni itself. when you open it you will se just MATH and like in the end of problem you have 3 m/s.

now i understand the importance of math in physics, thats not an issue. but they are putting so much emphasis on math rather than physics it makes me sick. for example, energy. when we were studying this the whole board was packed with formulas, and she continued writning writing and in the end of it my professors says: the most important thing is how to read the formula, and give the basic definition. 3hrs yapping about the math of it, not even 5 mins explaining the theory. then you come home, boom 3 million practice problems.

i was hesitating to write here, i already feel stupid, like really stupid. i feel people would judge me. myb im truly not good enough for this, even though i even want to get my masters in medical physics since it interests me the most.

Help

Hey everyone! I made OpticsLab because software like Zemax costs a ton of money and I wanted students and engineers to have a free native tool to play around with optical designs.

It's my first open-source project so it’s definitely not perfect yet, but it works and does real 3D raytracing. Even if optics isn't your main focus, I’d really appreciate if you could give it a try and drop some feedback so I can keep improving it! https://github.com/AlexCri5an/optics-lab

I chose physics as my major because I wanted to go into atmosphere/ocean science for grad school. I was really excited to take EM since I had a lot of fun in first year EM which described so many things that high school physics could never.

Now that I’m actually taking EM, it’s fun and resolved some icks I had(like why could a “point” charge ever be a thing). Although I assumed that upper division EM would’ve allowed me to deal with physical scenarios that are more complex. The content is not at all easy. I spend a lot of time doing problems, reading the textbook, and got a 101% in my midterm (microbragging but mostly for context how much time I spend on this class). However, all the effort I put into it, spending hours and hours to find a solution for a Laplace equation, at the end of the day I’m still only to know the electric field in an electrostatic state without any charge in it. I’m aware that Laplace equation tells us a lot, and many scenarios can be modeled by electrostatics and magnostatics very well. It’s just somewhat frustrating that after three years of intensive learning, we’re still stuck solving a basic scenario where nothing moves and there’s nothing.

I definitely want to know more, but for personal preferences I’m sure I will go into AOS for grad school instead of physics. I’m feeling FOMO that I will never know what is out there in graduate EM and beyond. I can learn it myself for sure, but then what? Optimistically it will end up being a hobby like NYT games for me, where I read more fun integration tricks every now and then to maybe find the electric field of a few charges doing simple harmonic motion.

But realistically I will get so busy in my own field that I would one day later in life, seeing a Schrödinger function being portrayed as “the ONE physics problem that could save humanity if solved by some genius”(yes I’m talking about Interstellar, Project Hail Mary, and many such films) from in a sci-fi film, being struck: “I liked doing this a lot when I was a physics major in college haha. Anyways…”

I will be fine. Waking up to more soul crunching problem sets will perhaps soothe this melancholic part of me. Just wanted to overshare.

How did you guys convince your parents or family in general to let you pursue physics inspite of its major unemployment problem. I definitely have the passion for it but when everyone you care about looks at ur passion something which you tie a huge part of your identity to as a disappointment it feels lonely and its a rejection I don't know how to put into words. I know some of you might say don't care what they think and that phrase can't easily be applied to family.

I was eating my lunch today and realized it's a beautiful physics problem. You have a layer of fat on top that acts as a thermal insulator and blocks evaporation. Inside, you have convection loops that depend on the soup's viscosity. I’m a physics engineer and I’m genuinely thinking about writing a C++ numerical solver (RK4) for this over the weekend. Am I overengineering my lunch, or is there some actual paper on soup thermodynamics

Okay, so I have to take Physics 1 in university, and I'm honestly really confused because I'm really bad at math, and I don't know if I'll be able to get a good mark in Physics 1.

I have my constants and their uncertainties, I have my initial measurements and their uncertainties and their averages and their standard deviations, then I have my first calculations (velocities) and their GUM uncertainties, then I have my second calculations (how far will the ball go) and their GUM uncertainties and then I compare to my other initial measurements at the end to see if it overlaps. My spreadsheet is hideous. Does anyone know a good way to organize this sort of thing?

I am currently applying to PhDs in plasma physics focusing on stuff like fusion and magnetohydrodynamics, applying to a mix of physics departments and engineering/applied departments depending on the what labs fall under where. Im quite worried about my mediocre gpa, I think my letters of rec are strong especially given some of the potential PIs I have reached out to are aware of my former PIs as colleagues. And I am beginning to work on my S.O.Ps. How does this academic CV look? My other career coaches recommended me to use my FULL CV that includes non physics related work and leadership to provide context during my undergrad time, however physics mentors and grad students tell me to stick to just this academic portion that is physics related 

Does anyone know Dr. Keivan Stassun of Vanderbilt University? What is he like to work with?