Help! Hate pure math - how much needed for physics or econ?

College Majors
1

<p>Hi, </p>

<p>As the title says, I absolutely can't stand theoretical proof based math. I looked through the sample real analysis problems (from harvard math 55 and louisville state wherever) posted in some of the math major threads. Some of you may like proving stuff by breaking it down into axioms and building it back up, and I respect that, but it's just not for me. </p>

<p>I like physics though. In fact, I enjoyed calc III the most when I was using those multiple integrals in physics e&m. I'm not sure how great I'd be at quantum mechanics and thermal/statistical physics, but when I look at some problem sets I feel interested at least. Not like with math where I want to burn them right away.</p>

<p>How much math would I need to understand high level physics? I'm guessing calc, multivar, linalg, ode/pde, complex analysis, fourier analysis. Did I miss anything out? Anything extra in there? Any proof-based math classes I'd have to take? <em>shudder</em></p>

<p>Physics is sort of a special interest for me, but I certainly don't plan on going into research or academia. That said, I also have other liberal arts interests that would be almost impossible to pursue if I went down the physics track (and took the requisite math courses to understand it.) </p>

<p>Alternatively, I could take the cushy i-banking route and do econ and explore everything else I love. In this case, what math would I need? Calc, multivar, linalg, optimization, ode/pde, probability, statistics, some quantitative finance classes? Miss anything out again?</p>

<p>So, er, thanks if you got this far. Any thoughts would be welcome.</p>

2

<p>Most undergraduate physics programs don't require any pure math; they will let you get away with linear algebra, multivariable calc and maybe differential equations.</p>

3

<p>For UG econ, your math preparation is more than sufficient.</p>

4

<p>My understanding is that many schools offer a math-for-scientists track that doesn't emphasize "theoretical proof-based math". Sometimes those classes are offered by the math department sometimes by the physics department. For instance at Berkeley the math department offers:</p>

<p>121A. Mathematical Tools for the Physical Sciences. (4) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: 53 and 54. Intended for students in the physical sciences who are not planning to take more advanced mathematics courses. Rapid review of series and partial differentiation, complex variables and analytic functions, integral transforms, calculus of variations. </p>

<p>121B. Mathematical Tools for the Physical Sciences. (4) Three hours of lecture per week. Prerequisites: 53 and 54. Intended for students in the physical sciences who are not planning to take more advanced mathematics courses. Special functions, series solutions of ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations arising in mathematical physics, probability theory.</p>