Physics and Math at Yale

Colleges and Universities A-Z Yale University
1

<p>I am not very familiar with the physics department of Yale, specifically its offerings for first-year students and its implications in the math department. What is the physics department like at Yale? Are there a large number of physics majors (Harvard counts 200 --- a little big!), and what is the student-faculty ratio --- are class sizes sufficiently small, and are students in close contact with professors? What have your general experiences been like with the physics department?</p>

<p>Next year, I will be taking physics and math at Yale. By that time, I will have completed AP Physics C and basic multivariable calculus -- I was thumbing through Yale's website and was a little ambivalent with regards to which classes to take. Physics 260 / Math 230 looked very enticing, since I am very interested in the theoretical aspects of math and physics. However, I am afraid that the course load might be too much -- can anyone with personal experience or knows someone who took those classes shed light on them? What are the courses like, and do you have another recommendation for math and physics classes at Yale given my background? </p>

<p>Any and all advice or experiences are greatly appreciated. Thanks!</p>

2

<p>My likely letter says the ratio is 3:1 in math and physics. Beyond that, I don't know much more. Seeing that Yale is now a very plausible option for me and that I want to major in physics, I'd like to hear what people have to say too!</p>

3

<p>From what I've heard, classes are very small and the program is excellent.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for the input!</p>

<p>Any one have any input on physics 260 and math 230, especially people with first hand experience?</p>

5

<p>If you have adequate mathematical training than math 230 and physics 260 shouldn't be a problem. Both courses are very mathematically rigorous meaning you will be spending a lot of time of difficult proofs. Math 230 this year is taught by a new professor (new as in new to the course not new faculty) who is extremely good at explaining concepts but makes the class very difficult. Usually the courses complement each other and the workload for each class is about 8 hours a week on problem sets and depending on your study habits anywhere from 0 to 15 hours of additional study time.</p>

6

<p>Thanks!</p>

<p>Do you know the mathematics and physics backgrounds of the people you know that I have taken the two courses? Do you know of the textbooks for physics 260 so I can indirectly assess the difficulty through the text?</p>

<p>Any more input is extremely helpful.</p>

7

<p>Can anyone comment on how the physics department at Yale compares to that of Brown?</p>

8

<p>Miles,</p>

<p>I don't have a lot of time, so I will answer your questions about the classes. I am happy to answer other questions about the Physics Dept. in general too.</p>

<p>If you do well on the AP Physics C exam, Phys. 260 and Math 230 will probably be a good fit for you. As others have said Math 230 tends to be proof based. If you don't like this (remember you have two weeks of shopping period to decide), you can check out MATH 120, MATH 222, MATH 225, MATH 246, ENAS 194, PHYS 301. By the end of your first year at Yale, you will want to be comfortable with multivariable, linear algebra, and differential equations. If you are thinking of majoring in math though, MATH 230 is probably a good place to start.</p>

<p>A lot of people take Phys. 260 and Math 230 concurrently. One's success and happiness in the classes depends a lot on the classes one pairs with it. If you are thinking of majoring in physics, you should probably take PHYS 205 (freshman lab) too. This gives you 2.5 credits. I would recommend pairing this up with a 1.5 credit language course (for a total of 4 credits) or 2 other "easier" classes (for a total of 4.5 credits). If you go for the 2 class route, I would recommend taking classes in something you enjoy or that sound interesting and that fulfill 2 differnt group distributions. If things go well first semester, you can always take 5 or 5.5 credits in the spring semester. Examples of "bad" ideas that people have survived through: Phys. 260, Math 230, and Direct Studies or Physics 260, Math 230, Phys. 205, Mus. 211, Mus. 221, Mus 360, and Engl. 129...Both these people did fine, but they certainly were stressed and short on time.</p>

9

<p>does yale allow student to combine math with another major to create theirown major?</p>

10

<p>Yale seems to allow two majors: <a href="http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/ycps/chapter_iii/special/two_majors.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.yale.edu/yalecollege/publications/ycps/chapter_iii/special/two_majors.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Although I think, depending on how far you want to proceed in one major, it might be pretty hard to major in another subject too, because of all the prerequisites. You'll be spending 2/3 or slight more your degree doing the two majors, if I'm right?</p>

11

<p>If you are only qualified with AP Calc AB, do you think you are too far behind everyone else that would major in physics?</p>