If I wanted to start studying theoretical phyics...

CK25

...how would I go about it?

I am 26, I am a solicitor and I have an undergraduate degree in law and a masters degree in commercial law.

I have never studied anything remotely close to physics nor do I have any background in mathematics. But I am just very interested in the area. Obviously I have a very limited academic understanding of it save for what I have read from books written for the benefit of laymen, such as various Hawking books, etc.

Anyway, I am always looking to expand my knowledge and I genuinely miss the thrill of academic pursuit now that I am no longer studying anything. I also love a challenge and I think studying something like this would be very challenging and therefore ultimately rewarding for me personally especially because traditionally I was not all that good at maths in school, but I happened to be very interested in it.

So, hypothetically speaking, would it actually be possible for me to go back and study theoretical physics, preferably in a part-time capacity, despite not having any background in science?

Can anyone tell me what kind of courses there are available out there and what kind of entry requirements they have? Would it be possible to study theoretical physics as a mature student? And would my current academic history be enough to satisfy the entry criteria even though they are in an entirely separate field?

Thank you! :pac:

Hi,

Perhaps a good starting block would be to give this class a go and see how you get on. After that, you will have a good idea of whether you need to patch up on your math or not, and as to whether you still have an interest in learning more.

krd

CK25 wrote: »

So, hypothetically speaking, would it actually be possible for me to go back and study theoretical physics, preferably in a part-time capacity, despite not having any background in science?

The primary degree in physics is the foundation for all the post-graduate stuff. Theoretical physics requires a substantial foundation. It's not like you do a degree in sociology and then do a "masters" in Information Technology.

The maths is incredibly important, because its the language of physics. Or to put it another way - you won't have a clue what most of weird squiggles in the equations mean. Or why e^(-i*Pi) - 1 = 0......And I only have a foggy notion about that one.

Can anyone tell me what kind of courses there are available out there and what kind of entry requirements they have?

Would it be possible to study theoretical physics as a mature student? And would my current academic history be enough to satisfy the entry criteria even though they are in an entirely separate field?

For post-grad physics, either a physics degree, or a maths degree.

The law degree is very nice. But in the field of quantum field theory, it's as useful as a masters in embroidery.

You could do an Oliver Heaviside, and do it all yourself. Paint your nails black, and then go slowly off your rocker.

Personally I'm only interested in physics as a relaxing hobby. In terms of making a living from physics, it's worse than law.

Study chemistry. Because if all else fails you can make illegal drugs - when the cops finally catch up with you, your legal degree will come in handy too. And an interesting thing about chemistry these days is how it's merging into quantum physics.

And interesting thing about some of the great physicist of the last century. Some were rubbish at maths. Hubble of the Hubble space telescope had someone else do his maths for him. But when Quantum Mechanics got going the maths really becomes horrifying. It's an enigma, wrapped in a riddle, inside a wave equation, in a Dirac Bra-ket, tied up in a sigma over a function.

If you're reading popular physics books, read as many popular maths books as you can get your hands on.

ray giraffe

Maths & Physics Tutor here.

Check out the excellent physics videos here: http://www.khanacademy.org/science/physics

For a real taste of theoretical physics, have a browse of A Level Mechanics

However you probably want less maths and more words. Then I would recommend a more experimental book: A Level Physics

ZorbaTehZ

How to become a good theoretical physicist by Gerardus 't Hooft.

Justin1982

ZorbaTehZ wrote: »

How to become a good theoretical physicist by Gerardus 't Hooft.

Thats one serious bad ass, no frills, no bull****, dont mess with the Fonz, mofo of a website 't Hooft has got going there.
Is there actually anyone out there bad ass enough to seriously sit down and read through it though?

Justin1982

CK25 wrote: »

...how would I go about it?

I am 26, I am a solicitor and I have an undergraduate degree in law and a masters degree in commercial law.

I have never studied anything remotely close to physics nor do I have any background in mathematics. But I am just very interested in the area. Obviously I have a very limited academic understanding of it save for what I have read from books written for the benefit of laymen, such as various Hawking books, etc.

Anyway, I am always looking to expand my knowledge and I genuinely miss the thrill of academic pursuit now that I am no longer studying anything. I also love a challenge and I think studying something like this would be very challenging and therefore ultimately rewarding for me personally especially because traditionally I was not all that good at maths in school, but I happened to be very interested in it.

So, hypothetically speaking, would it actually be possible for me to go back and study theoretical physics, preferably in a part-time capacity, despite not having any background in science?

Can anyone tell me what kind of courses there are available out there and what kind of entry requirements they have? Would it be possible to study theoretical physics as a mature student? And would my current academic history be enough to satisfy the entry criteria even though they are in an entirely separate field?

Thank you! :pac:

There is multiple paths to becoming a TP. You could fill out the CAO form and try get into one of the TP courses around the country. Thats the obvious route. You want to have balls of steel though just to do the course I think, never mind making a career out of it.

As always there is more than one way to skin a cat. You could do a physics degree also. I'll be accused of being a bit pretentious by saying it but a physics degree will probably be easier to gain entry to (might need less points in LC and might not need a B in maths). My experience is that by doing a physics degree you will get to do a lot of the TP subjects (with the possibility of doing all of them) but they are given in a more basic manner. Dont take this the wrong way please. As in you do Classical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics, Electomagnetism and General Relativity in a Physics degree generally and also in a TP degree. Difference will be that the TP degree way of doing it is at a more advanced level generally. Which isnt always a good thing in my experience. And a lot of Physics grads go on to become top notch TP's.

Your age probably isnt an advantage in my opinion but dont let that throw you off. You could follow in the foot steps of Leonard Susskind and become a great TP (he started off as a plumber in NY)

TP is a seriously interesting subject. You cant imagine how rewarding it is to study it and marvel at the **** that gets spat out of a few equations.
You probably cannot imagine how tough it is do also as a degree. Work alone wont get you through it. You really got to have a serious talent for maths or your life will be hell and you'll develop an inferiority complex and possibly some mental problems that you didnt have before.

Trying to do TP from books alone in your spare time...Hmmmm.....Not sure you'll get too far to be honest. You probably want to have double the balls of steel as a TP doing it in Uni.