Why, of all subjects, did I choose to pursue a Physics Degree? My fascination for Studying physics is derived from my passion for understanding complex matters that revolve around the universe. I also found myself performing very well in my Physics examinations at A-Level. However, studying Physics at University is perhaps not as well represented as I had initially assumed, which has left me pleasantly surprised.
Here are some points I think you should be aware of if you’re thinking of pursuing an undergraduate physics degree.
1) The importance of Maths. Physics is actually a type of philosophy, “Natural Philosophy”. In philosophy, an “argument” is defined as a set of premises and a conclusion, the language used to convey the argument is known as “syntax” and the argument is described as “sound” if and only if all the premises are true and there is no way that the conclusion can’t follow from the premises.
A major difference between Physics and other branches of philosophy is that the syntax used to convey arguments is Mathematics: the premises are a bunch of equations that have been either derived or postulated and the conclusion is a bunch of different equations that were derived using the first bunch. How, then, can one have a true understanding of Physics without Mathematics?
2) The importance of being able to derive equations. Knowing the derivation of an equation is necessary to understand the conditions and assumptions under which it is valid, which is needed to deduce whether it is applicable in a given situation. Back to the Philosophy analogy, the “soundness” of an argument is established by examining the truth of each of the premises and ensuring that the conclusion follows from these premises – it’s only after this that the philosopher can fully agree with its conclusion.
Likewise, the only way that a physicist and can fully understand the conclusion of a mathematical argument, the final set of equations derived, is by going through their derivation.
3) The importance of doing problem sets. A successful completion of problem sets requires the application of relevant mathematical theory. It will often be found that applying mathematical theory improves mathematical ability, which as explained in Point 1 above, is invaluable for understanding Physics. Time shortages in lectures often lead to lecturers making assertions without proof, and therefore addressing in the problem sets the parts of the proofs missed out in the lectures. In this case, it’s necessary to complete the problem sets to be able to derive the related equations from first principles.
You could view Physics as quite similar to philosophy; whose syntax is Maths and whose conclusions are equations which describe the physical universe. Implications of this are that Maths is necessary for a thorough understanding of Physics and that it is very important to be able to derive the equations covered in the course. Completing the problem sets assigned by the lecturers should improve your mathematical ability, as well as your ability to derive equations. They’re also an excellent way to test you understand the courses.
By Aaron M, Private Tutor in London
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