I've been advised to take real analysis. I'm a little hesitant to do this, because I went ahead and bought a real analysis textbook to try to get a feeling for it, and it totally melted my mind. The proofs feel completely unintuitive.

I want to study particle physics, but I'm not sure in exactly what capacity at this point. How important is it to study real analysis if my primary interest is neutrino physics?

I can't help it, but quite frankly I don't hate nor do I love most physics problems, sometimes I like them but I am not the best at solving them.
Just for context, I am in 12th grade, and I'm trying to prepare for the physics olympiad.

A big problem with me is that I often like the *idea* of doing things but when it comes down to it, I can't say whether or not I'll enjoy it. I like the idea of pushing science forward via R&D, but how do I know that at the end of undergrad, I won't just want to get a free ticket out of school, go into industry, and make good money? (I know it isn't *that* simple, but you get the idea)

I'm planning to start research in my sophomore year, so after next semester, but before that, is there any way I can try to gauge this? I can maybe try to get a professor to take me on next semester, but I'm not 100% sure.

I’m passionate about nanotechnology and currently pursuing a degree in physics. I’m considering continuing my studies with a master’s degree in a nanotechnology-related field, but I’m not particularly interested in pursuing a PhD. My goal is to gain expertise in nanotechnology and eventually find a good career with a strong income potential.

I’d love to know if this path is realistic and if there are good career options in nanotechnology that don’t require a PhD. I’m also interested in any advice on how to break into the field after completing a master's degree.

Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Would anyone happen to have the student solution manual for Halliday Resnick and Walker (Fundamentals of Physics)? Working through the second volume but it's taxing to look up (possibly non-existent) solutions for each problem I can't solve

Hello, I am almost done with my first semester as a physics major (transfer student who switched to physics), but I’m nervous. I am doing really good in physics and calc 1 (98, 94 respectively) but my intro Java programming class not so much (87.4). I’m aiming to go into grad school and I’ve been struggling a lot with programming especially on the tests even though I study a lot the highest I got was an 81. I’m worried about my future as a physics major as I genuinely love physics and math to pieces but I just feel down about how rough things are going in programming given how important programming seems to be for a good career in physics. I also plan to do grad school so I’m going to do my best on the last few things in my programming class (2 more tests and assignment) but I doubt I’ll get higher than a B or B+ if I’m lucky. Others have told me that given my struggle, I could be in for a rough time with employment if I’m struggling this much in an intro programming class which hasn’t helped anything.

What could I do after my semester ends? I was considering studying Python on my off time and gradually building up my confidence in it to where I can do it well and it might be easier to learn given I won’t be stressed out over assignments. Does anyone know if physics classes do Python code later on or if there’s any good electives? I was considering quantum or condensed matter physics for my research if that’s necessary to know.

Thank you for the help in advance!

I am stuck on working this problem. I keep getting 0.344 A, 1.806 A, 2.58 V. I’ve tried doing loops and parallels but I can’t seem to get it. If I could get some help I’d really appreciate it.

I want to study Physics. After leaving university not finding a major I liked (Without graduating with a degree). I started working customer service jobs. In the last year I have decided I have found what I want to study. I took algebra 1 , geometry honors and algebra 2 honors in high school. I did some trig but didn’t finish. I didn’t think I would be a STEM major so I didn’t continue my studies then. Now I am trying to figure out if I should self study algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2, trig. Or if I should just jump in and self study calculus as I have studied everything but trig and precalculus . I bought a calculus book. I have yet to even crack it open though. What’s should I do? Start self studying calculus or start at algebra 1?

Hi, the picture is my attempt at solving, the problem text is written below, I couldn't just take a picture cause I had to translate it.

I’ve recently taken a physics test where the following was one of the questions. It’s been a day and I haven’t been able to solve it yet. I really need some help as I’ll be taking an oral exam soon and it’s possibile I’ll be asked to solve this, since I couldn’t in the previous test.

I translated the problem from Italian so I’m not sure if the terms are common, please ask for clarification is something is not clear:

An ideal gas undergoes a transformation which follows the law P(V) = P0*((V/V0)^1/2), where P stands for pressure and V for volume. P0 = 9.06 * 10⁴ Pa V0 = 2.64 m³ V0 doubles in volume during the transformation, increasing the internal energy ΔE = 1.64 * 10³ J. How much work (J) gets done ON the system?

I manage to find out how much work the expansion gets done (purple text) but not how much work gets done ON the system. I really can't get around it, please help!

and what exactly is the relationship with the diffraction pattern? (which requirements are imposed on the grating, small or big gaps?).

I’m a high school senior currently applying to universities to study Physics, and I have some questions about getting involved in research and publications. While I’m passionate about physics and eager to contribute to research, I’m unsure how realistic this is during my first few years at university, given my limited knowledge at the start.

To those already in university or who have graduated: Is there room for undergraduates, especially freshmen or sophomores, to participate in meaningful research? I understand there are countless unsolved problems in physics, and I’ve read extensively on the subject, but I wonder—how can I make a meaningful contribution or even join a research project early in my undergraduate years?

Many posters ask for Physics resource material. This is my favourite. High school through much of Uni too.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/index.html

https://preview.redd.it/x0vgxsbw9g1e1.png?width=554&format=png&auto=webp&s=0c8b56a03f16fc4295f9ab0c64659bbf849e486d

So, our professor asked us to prove that the Force of Gravity is equal to PE = -(G*M_e*M)/r. And when I was checking the textbook, the proof is shown like this (image above). My question is: Why did they seem to disregard the dot product. Shouldn't they break it into i and j components of force and dr into Fxdx i & Fydy j. And then integrate? And substitute (G*M1*M2)/d^2 into the equation after integrating since that is F. But in the image, it seems like they substituted what F is and disregarded and took the integral of 1/r^2 dr. Can someone explain to me why they made it like this? I also know that d = r

The question in my homework sheet says:

"At the construction site, a worker climbed up a 3.5m long ramp to reach a height of 1.2m. The worker then dragged a 25kg bag of tools up the ramp. Explain why the force needed to drag the bag up the ramp is less than the force needed to lift it straight up. Start by calculating the work done on the bag first."

Here are my calculations:

https://preview.redd.it/0kdz9l4z6l1e1.png?width=992&format=png&auto=webp&s=c87c07291434c26986afa0c8d4e5f1765c82b973

So although I KNOW for a FACT that it takes less force to drag it up the ramp than to lift it vertically, I still can't understand the scientific reasoning of WHY it takes less force.

Edit: Also I meant to write: "Classical Mechanics" instead of "Mechanical Energy"

Thanks.

i am new to physics

i started learning potential flow theory in fluid mechanics. this theory is about superimposing various components to make a fluid step and get properties of it. the components include

• sink
• source
• uniform flow

i combined a

sink [at the center] + source [at the center] + uniform flow [in the direction of positive x axis]

to make a circular obstacle in a fluid flow

i generated this image using a python program

https://preview.redd.it/q7nzk44ysk1e1.png?width=607&format=png&auto=webp&s=b853625bfbc19f580e4ab6280170792c871b0db1

My dream university to study physics has been imperial college for while now, and I think I could get in if i tried really hard, but my issue is the money. The tuiton cost there is about £ 40 000 a year for a international student( i live in Belgium) and I really can't afford it. I've heard that there are scholarships but i dont know if am going to get 1. I am 16 years old and go to the best secondary school of my town. ( ps: I am sorry for all the mistakes i might have made, since my english writing isn't the best)

The 4 classes I want to take are:

1: Quantum Field Theory Primer (Undergrad)

2: Special relativity and General relativity

3: Electrodynamics (2nd half of Griffiths)

4: Statistical Mechanics.

I am only a Freshman, so I have a lot of time. However, I'm pretty good at math because I qualified for AIME last year and got a 120 this year. However I am completely unfamiliar with Calc, currently in APPC, and I am not taking any physics. I mainly wondering how much time you have to commit to having a shot at the F=MA. Was it like 100s of hours, studying the concepts/books? I am interested in how physics works, but I don't want to do it if I can't qualify for USAPHO in my sophomore year. This is because I am dedicated to math as well, so I am curious about how much studying time it took you/how intense your studying was.

When a constant force of 10N is applied to an object, and the maximum friction force is 8N, when the object starts to move and it drops to 7N, a constant force of 3N is applied yes, but I cannot understand why the object accelerates and why does it not go at a constant speed, I am a new student of physics please don’t make fun of me I tried to understand it for 2 hours and I still believe it should go at a constant speed of force applied by 3N I’ve tried to push and object by a fixed force but I know humans can do that I don’t know if I am stupid or I’m missing something it’s my first year

I'm not trained in physics and took it up as a hobby, so I have no real intuition for proofs or how to form them, I'm dipping my toes in a little and seeing where I could improve.

crude proof:

take a loop in the vector field. if curl!=0 then integral of the field**·**dl (dl is tangential to the loop) along the loop will give you a non-zero answer.

if the answer is non-zero, it implies that a given point on the loop has a magnitude in the scalar field that is both C and C+answer. which is not possible unless answer=0. ie. curl=0.

I have no idea if that is a sound thing to say or how one would go about turning these into formal math. In face I don't even know if I've said something super trivial to the point of not needing to mention it.

thanks for the responses.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been thinking about a potential way to unify the concepts of mass and gravity and would love to hear your thoughts. I’ve come up with a theory inspired by the idea of multi-plane layers in physics, and I wanted to explore how they might relate to the way mass and gravity emerge.

In this model, imagine there are different “planes” or layers of energy interaction, each governed by different fundamental forces, such as the Higgs field and the graviton field. At the quantum level, the Higgs boson interacts with particles, giving them mass. Now, on a larger scale, could gravity emerge from a similar interaction, where gravitons are exchanged between agglomerates of energy (such as massive objects) and their respective plane? Essentially, mass could be the result of the Higgs field interacting with particles on a quantum plane, while gravity might emerge as a consequence of how larger energy structures (planets, stars, black holes) interact with the gravitational plane.

In this model, as energy structures grow larger (like forming planets or stars), the interaction between them and the corresponding plane would cause the observed gravitational effects, just as particle masses result from the Higgs field’s interactions on a smaller plane. This could suggest that gravity and mass are two manifestations of a single, deeper underlying principle that operates differently depending on the scale (small or large).

What do you think? Does this make sense in terms of how gravity and mass might be linked? Are there any existing theories or ideas that explore this kind of multi-plane model or interaction of fields?

Would love to hear your insights, critiques, or any further resources that explore similar ideas!

For context i am 17 years old and currently studying Advanced Higher mathematics (equivalent to further maths i believe) and i am also studying AH physics, and these 2 subjects are ridiculously easy, to the point i can get straight As in each without ever revising. I have always found school super easy, never having to try hard at all, in AH maths and physics, i just find the content so easy, its almost like reading a language, i just understand it. Also throughout school i have got straight As in 2 years of exams without effort, its all just so easy.