<p>I'm currently thinking about majoring in Geophysics at the Jackson School of Geosciences and we get to pick between these two Physics courses. I've heard that the non-engineering physics is a lot tougher than the engineering physics because its designed for physics majors, but I just wanted to clear everything up. Does anyone know what the real difference between the two course sequences are?</p>
<p>Well you heard wrong. 301 is a joke compared to 303k- 303K goes at a rapid pace and they focus on small details that get overlooked in 301. 303K is focused for engineers and 301 is focused for pre-meds,etc.</p>
<p>Isn’t the Physics for Pre-Med students 317k?</p>
<p>Yes, Physics 317k is designed for the pre-med students.</p>
<p>i’m not 100% sure but I doubt Physics majors take 301 … I took both 303K and 303L and from experience, they are much more rigorous.</p>
<p>The rigor is necessary considering those are the only two physics courses required of engineering students.</p>
<p>I think physics majors do have to take 301:</p>
<p>[As</a> a Freshman/Sophomore, What Do I Take, and When?](<a href=“Undergraduate”>Undergraduate)</p>
<p>[url=<a href=“Undergraduate”>Undergraduate]As</a> a Junior/Senior, What Do I Take, and When?<a href=“see%20the%20degree%20option%20checklists”>/url</a></p>
<p>While 303K and 303L (plus labs) are technically the only PHY classes engineers need to take, most will be repeating the material pretty often during their degree.</p>
<p>For example, mechanical engineering majors need to take EM 306 (Statics), ME 324 (Dynamics), and ME 326 (Thermodynamics) which basically reteach 303K in greater depth with an even more “practical” focus on physical applications (e.g. trusses, frames, refrigerator/engine cycles, etc.).</p>
<p>I saw some of the homework of my electrical engineering friends, and they’re doing circuit problems even in a first-semester intro class EE 302 which is like PHY 303L circuits but without calculus. Next semester, they will be taking EE 411 which is like PHY 303L circuits but with a LOT more calculus.</p>
<p>I know that aerospace/civil/architectural engineers also need to take some sort of statics/dynamics class in addition to more classes with a focus on materials strength, structure design, fluid mechanics etc.</p>
<p>I don’t know much about biomedical, petroleum, and chemical engineers, but I’m pretty sure they take a ton of chemistry/biology rather than physics, while the other engineering students are the exact opposite, taking a bunch of physics and almost zero chemistry/biology (besides the general university requirements and natural science electives, of course).</p>
<p>TLDR: Basically what I’m trying to say is that PHY 303K/L aren’t the only physics classes engineers need to take.</p>
<p>I’m a ChemE and we have to take Physical Chemistry.</p>
<p>I was exaggerating a little bit in my last post. There’s always some overlap between the different fields. I think this xkcd describes it pretty well: [xkcd:</a> Purity](<a href=“http://xkcd.com/435/]xkcd:”>xkcd: Purity)</p>
<p>Does anyone else have anymore insight on this subject? Is either physics course harder than the other? Or just different? I too am a Geoscience student and am looking for the best (easiest) way to knock physics out next semester :)</p>
<p>i’m a physics major. we’re supposed to take 301, 316 and 315, among many other physics classes after that. i registered late and 301 was completely filled, so we’re allowed to substitute 303k for 301, but we’re not allowed to do a substitution for any other physics class more than once. they don’t like physics majors doing engineering physics. one other physics major told me that 303k emphasizes very strange stuff. what he meant by that, i am not sure. 303k is hard. i would imagine 301 to be easier, but i am not sure about that either. you could email your counselor and i am sure s/he could enlighten you more than we could. you might want to look at myedu. com and compare the grades people get in those classes.</p>
<p>I understand what you friend was saying in that it emphasizes weird things- I think he means that it focuses only on subjects that are important to engineers, such as uncertainties, etc. (engineers have to be spot on all of the time), whereas 301 might cover a broad spectrum of subjects… I’m just trying to pick the easier one.
But thank you for your response. With a brother who is an engineer and has gone through engineering physics, I certainly have a good source of information for 303k. </p>
<p>Is there anyone out there who has taken PHY 301 and has any insight on this matter?</p>
<p>this is the same question I’m having now…</p>
<p>I am a biochem/ biophysics double major.</p>
<p>I am taking 303k and it is tough…like unnecessarily hard. class averages are REALLLYY low so there is for sure going to be a curve at the end of the semester. Why bother making a test that the class is going to average out at 40-50% which you’re going to curve it anyways? anyways thats besides the point of my post…</p>
<p>I recently added biophysics to my major and next semester I am deciding whether to take 303L (engr physics) or 316 (majors physics)</p>
<p>the only problem is 316 conflicts with different course I need to take for biochem.</p>
<p>if I take 303L i can take the other class (on my biochem degree plan) concurrently</p>
<p>do I deal with it and take 316 ?</p>
<p>or do I take 303L?</p>
<p>if 303L is harder I’d rather just deal with it</p>
<p>I asked my physics major friend who tutors 303k and 303l students at the sanger learning center and this is exactly what he said:</p>
<p>The problems that are assigned are solved the exact same ways. Except in engineering they beat around the bush and try to confuse you with wording (which is the applications part that engineers need I guess) where as in physics majors physics they get straight to the point (either you know it or you don’t).</p>
<p>He said when he started tutoring engineering physics even he had problems doing some of the hwks assigned because most of the time it’s hard to decipher what exactly they’re asking for, but besides that they’re the exact same class.</p>
<p>so…how I interpret what he said is that phy 316 is easier.</p>
<p>“I’ve heard that the non-engineering physics is a lot tougher than the engineering physics because its designed for physics majors”</p>
<p>^^ What is that supposed to mean? Take 303k. I want 303k to happen to you</p>