Question:
anyone studying quantum mechanics/ physics?
=O
2010-06-21 09:30:44 UTC
i was just wondering what this job is like because its something im thinking of doing. could you tell me what uni's you went to and any information about dow dificult studying is and any exams and qualifications needed (a levels, what you got in gcse's, phd's that kinda thing) thanks =]
Three answers:
Chicken God
2010-06-21 10:14:00 UTC
I'm an undergrad, and I got an A in my quantum course. Quantum mechanics isn't hard if you're willing to suspend a little disbelief every now and then. The mathematics is straightforward, except maybe the angular momentum algebra. You do get the feeling that quantum mechanics is an incomplete theory, but it still tells us very much about the world around us.



If you want a job doing quantum mechanics, aim for a phd in physics.
oldprof
2010-06-21 17:07:39 UTC
I got a B in quantum physics. There were three of us in the class. Quantum physics was not a popular course back then. A, B, C was the end of term grade distribution.



Quantum math is really quite simple, but the physics, understanding the bizarre world of quanta, is hard to grasp... even by those of us who have spent years in the field. There are effects we know about but, even now, we have no clue how they work. Quantum entanglement is a prime example If you were to explain how that works, you'd win the Nobel in Physics.



I found other aspects of physics much more difficult from a math POV. I took a course in Maxwell's equations for example where the prof handed the final exam out on the first day of class. We had all term to work it. It was take home, open books and notes, and collaborative... meaning we could team up and work the exam as groups. At the end of the term, my team got a C in the exam.



Then, on the other hand, doctoral level physical chemistry was a breeze. I ended up with an A for that course and didn't even have a textbook. I just studied from my lecture notes.



Depending on how the school runs the doctoral program, you'll need to take some sort of comprehensives. In my school, that meant written comprehensives that lasted two full days and covered every course I took at the PhD level. As my classmates were also taking the comprehensives at the same time, we teamed up and studied as a group. We met on the weekends at the school.



At each meeting, we'd go over one of the twelve courses we took, including electives. One candidate would present the material he/she thought was important to know. Then we'd discuss it, review it, etc. until we were ready to move on to the next subject. We met for about six weekends, both days each, to cover all the material. The good news is that everyone in our study group passed them.



The bad news was that only two of us actually went on to get our PhDs. The roadblock was the dissertation. It took me six years to complete my dissertation because I worked on it part time. I had a full time job as a rocket scientist for Lockheed Martin; so there was little time and energy left to work on the dissertation. But I plodded away and finally earned the PhD. Total time from taking my first doctoral course until receiving the degree.... eight years. Whew.
liminal_lady
2010-06-22 02:44:36 UTC
If you want to do quantum mechanics as a career, you'll need a PhD. It's a very math-intensive field, so if you don't enjoy math, you may not do well in QM. As an undergrad your actual major will probably be plain physics, and you'll only take one or two QM classes, then study it more in depth in grad school. I don't know what the research is actually like, but I suspect it focuses more on mathematical modeling than on actual experimentation. I don't really know- my (undergrad chemistry) quantum mech. class did have a hands-on lab, but it was a demonstration lab, not research.



My advise is not to pick what sub-field of research you're interested in before you've actually tried it. You may be more interested in particle physics or gravity research or microfluidics or any one of dozens of subfields, or decide that you'd rather focus on straight math. It's really hard to tell which research topics will interest you- I thought I was going to do biochemistry, but found that my real interest was magnetic resonance. Ooops. Be open to whatever you happen to like and be good at.


This content was originally posted on Y! Answers, a Q&A website that shut down in 2021.
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