<p>I'm just curious. They say that EE is the most math heavy branch of engineering. In general, would EE be a better fit for someone who is stronger in math than in physics(mechanics)? As some of you know I'm struggling a little with Physics at the moment and was curious about other avenues. I breeze through Calculus and LOVE it. Physics (mechanics) on the other hand is a different story. I would think that for someone pursuing a MEHCANICAL degree, mechanics shouldn't be so difficult.</p>
<p>EE is very theoretical…while it’s hands-on, you don’t actually see anything happen most of the time…you have to believe in what you learn</p>
<p>EE is very physics heavy at times depending on which branch you do. The fact is, there is no type of engineering that is light on physics. You can’t escape it. If you want to be an engineer, you have to at least be passable in physics.</p>
<p>If you don’t like physics but like math and have a predisposition to EE, you should consider computer engineering or - if you are serious about liking math and nor physics - computer science. Those lead to quite similar job opportunities and lifestyles, I imagine.</p>
<p>Physics is applied math. If you’re good at math but not physics, it means you’re not really good at math. However, I wouldn’t be discouraged because most people aren’t really good at math to begin with. There’s a difference between being able to crunch numbers and understanding results. Once you get into an engineering or physics curriculum, you begin to understand what the math you learned is actually doing. Math becomes less following directions and more logical. When I was in highschool, I approached math like an instruction manual. Perform steps A, B, C and write down the answer. Intuition? Bye bye. </p>
<p>Start asking more questions. And keep in mind that physics is taking what you already know or have experienced and putting it into math terms. Just like formal definitions tend to have lots of technical terms, the math view of the world can be concise and seem complicated at the same time. Make connections between what you know is true in real life and the physics you’re learning.</p>
<p>^ I’ll just state that I disagree with the idea that physics is applied math, and I feel justified in stating such because I have some minimal background in these two (distinct) fields. I think it is perfectly possibly for a student to be good in one and not the other, if for no other reason because the quality of instruction can vary greatly across departments at institutions.</p>
<p>^ Okay, it’s not exactly applied math. But for the math student learning intro physics it might as well be. And yea, I did find the ECE department was much better than the math department at teaching… math.</p>
<p>^ That’s a sad state of affairs.</p>
<p>I agree with boneh3ad, you cannot escape physics within the discipline of engineering. You just have to keep working at it, and I promise you, there will be a moment where everything comes into perspective and you understand it. No one is born knowing physics.</p>
<p>If you want to do math, then you can do CS. Programming can get as difficult as physics though.</p>
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<p>I disagree, Michael Faraday is a very important figure in physics and a great creative experimentalist with unbelievable intuition about natural phenomena. His math was very poor.</p>
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<p>There are a ton of physicists who aren’t ‘great’ at math. I was addressing the ‘breeze through calculus’ statement. At the highschool level, you may not know what it means to be good at math just yet, especially if a little intro physics puts you off. I’m always troubled when students are ‘good at calc and bad at physics’. To me it says you’re missing something fundamental.</p>
<p>The only physics I consistently see in EE is electromagnetics which isn’t THAT hard. I can’t imagine there’s much else…</p>
<p>^ I remember E&M being the hardest physics class they made us Physics majors take. I thought QM or StatMech would be worse, but they turned out to be much easier for me (and it seemed like for most people) than E&M. Of course, (classical) mechanics is the only physics anybody should really enjoy. Springs!</p>
<p>Don’t get me wrong, Calc 1 and 2 aren’t gimmies. Maybe “breeze” was the wrong word to use. I’m just saying I understand what’s going on in the Calc lectures more than the Physics lectures. It’s not that I don’t understand the physical concepts either. I understand the principles of what we have covered. My problem is following the lecture. I’m not one to put blame on professors like many, but sometimes I wonder if my professor is really from the planet earth. I think, and I may be wrong, that he is one of those guys that tries to make things as complicated as possible. From what I’ve heard, Phys profs aren’t the best communicators, but that’s neither here nor there.</p>
<p>If you are having trouble following your professor’s lecture, than try using MIT’s Open courseware and see if the lectures on there are easier to follow. </p>
<p>[Free</a> Online Course Materials | MIT OpenCourseWare](<a href=“http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm]Free”>MIT OpenCourseWare | Free Online Course Materials)</p>
<p>This past semester, my calc professor was glossing over proofs and only doing a ton of examples. It was helpful for some in the class, but I found myself struggling to understand the concepts. I watched some of the OCW lectures and they were very helpful. It is a great resource.</p>
<p>Yea, physics can be really simple or really difficult depending on who’s explaining it. I wouldn’t decide between MechE and EE based on how I am doing in physics either. If you aren’t making a B, get extra help and make sure you’re asking the right questions (aka, figure out the root of your confusions and have them sorted out). As long as you always do your homework and attend classes, you will be fine in the long run.</p>
<p>EE obviously involves electricity which involves physics therefore you will never escape physics in this major.</p>
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<p>As I had already suggested in the previous thread. Not a great excuse.</p>
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<p>there are quite a few areas in EE that are divorced from physics. they tend to be more mathematically heavy though.</p>
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<p>there are a few areas in EE that are divorced from physics. they tend to be more mathematically heavy though.</p>
<p>so what’s the conclusive difference between EE and mechanical in this aspect then – EE requires more math?</p>