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Looking to take up a minor...

R

RESmonkey

Diamond Member
I know there are a few engineers/mathematicians/physicists/etc. on here quite often.

I'm doing Electrical/Computer engineering right now and am about to finish Differential equations.
I have an interest in space, astrophysics, subatomic physics, and some other stuff.
I want to pick a minor I'm interested in (math/physics/astronomy) and still have it somewhat relevant to my major.

I know physics would be very relevant, but higher math classes like real analysis, fundamentals of math, etc. seem appealing too. So far, astronomy sees like the least relevant, but it sure is interesting.

Any thoughts/inputs?
 
Minors are pretty much worthless... I picked up a math minor and employers didn't care about it. It hasn't really helped me either. Don't get one unless you really want to take every class that's needed to get the minor.
 
if you are at difeq, you probably are only a class or two from the physics and math minors.

at my school, you need calc 1-3, difeq, and 2 electives (i took math history and statistics)
 
Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
Minors are pretty much worthless... I picked up a math minor and employers didn't care about it. It hasn't really helped me either. Don't get one unless you really want to take every class that's needed to get the minor.
Click to expand...

I'm an employer and I care. Maybe not all do.
 
Originally posted by: miketheidiot
if you are at difeq, you probably are only a class or two from the physics and math minors.

at my school, you need calc 1-3, difeq, and 2 electives (i took math history and statistics)
Click to expand...

Nope, minors here require quite a few. Especially the math. I'll need to take 15 more hours of high level math for the minor.


 
Originally posted by: Evadman
Originally posted by: KillerCharlie
Minors are pretty much worthless... I picked up a math minor and employers didn't care about it. It hasn't really helped me either. Don't get one unless you really want to take every class that's needed to get the minor.
Click to expand...

I'm an employer and I care. Maybe not all do.
Click to expand...

Ohh, sweet! What kind of company?
 
You learn some cool stuff in physics if you do quantum, quantum field theory/particle physics, and general relativity. Quantum is a major physics course and is not easy. QFT is well, pretty nuts. The math can be pretty mind boggling. GR is cool too but the weird non-euclidean math isn't exactly fun.

The upshot of these courses is there is some really cool stuff in them if you can get past the mathematical formalism. One cool thing I learned in particle physics is that anti particles can be thought of as regular particles moving backwards in time, and you talk about wormholes and warp drive in general relativity.
 
Originally posted by: silverpig
...

The upshot of these courses is there is some really cool stuff in them if you can get past the mathematical formalism. One cool thing I learned in particle physics is that anti particles can be thought of as regular particles moving backwards in time, and you talk about wormholes and warp drive in general relativity.
Click to expand...
Now that stuff does sound fun. 😀


 
Originally posted by: silverpig
You learn some cool stuff in physics if you do quantum, quantum field theory/particle physics, and general relativity. Quantum is a major physics course and is not easy. QFT is well, pretty nuts. The math can be pretty mind boggling. GR is cool too but the weird non-euclidean math isn't exactly fun.

The upshot of these courses is there is some really cool stuff in them if you can get past the mathematical formalism. One cool thing I learned in particle physics is that anti particles can be thought of as regular particles moving backwards in time, and you talk about wormholes and warp drive in general relativity.
Click to expand...

I'm afraid of damaging my GPA (it's at 3.37 right now, probably will drop after I take my finals this week). Next semester is painful with:

ECE programming (computer/digital systems)
ECE analog signals processing
E&M Physics (calc based)

and I need an elective/other class, which I want one of these:

Discrete Mathematics
Fundamentals of Mathematics
Mechanics and General Relativity I
General Astronomy (calc based)


^^^I can register for two of the four above, and see how they are, and drop one later on. So far I've registered for Fundamentals of Mathematics and Discrete Mathematics.
 
As I recall, you should be able to get your minor in physics by taking an extra 3.5 courses. You have to take 2.5 courses of Physics, 211, 212 and 1 of 213 or 214. You can take the other 213 or 214, the intermediate classical mechanics and then you can choose any two of the undergraduate physics courses. That's what I did to get my physics minor four or five years ago. I just took the two undergraduate EM classes but for my graduate curriculum I later took the two undergraduate quantum mechanics courses and the graduate classical electrodynamics course. I wish I could have taken a quantum field theory course while I was still on campus. HKU does not have any graduate physics courses, at least they only list one and it's general relativity.

A math class you should look into is mathematical methods for engineers. It's an undergrad course and I would have taken it but I had to drop due to a conflict with the lab I had to teach. I took the graduate mathematical methods for physicists from the math department (physics has their own versions). Aside from the awful text, which I think the prof was going to change, I heard Hillbert is a good one, we used Keener, it was a pretty interesting class.
 
^ It's changed so now 213 and 214 are both required. Will my course-load be too much? (ECE 190 is going to take a lot of time)

BTW, are you on campus?
 
Originally posted by: RESmonkey
^ It's changed so now 213 and 214 are both required. Will my course-load be too much? (ECE 190 is going to take a lot of time)

BTW, are you on campus?
Click to expand...

Nah, my advisor took up a position at the University of Hong Kong so I'm on leave of absence out here with him in Hong Kong. I'll still get my degree from UIUC but I'll only probably go back for my prelim and defense/filing.

Heh, well it never really made much sense to me why they didn't require both 213 and 214 since it left you with a half semester of either sitting around or trying to take volleyball to fill the slot.

I would say four classes is probably the usual minimum. Even with three classes you are usually only looking at 12 hours max (4 hours each) which is the minimum to be full time. At least put in Discrete Math in there. I took it during the summer semester from the math department (CS has their own version) along with two other courses. I didn't think it was too difficult. I usually took around 16 hours a semester I think. It's been a while since I looked through my transcripts though.

http://physics.illinois.edu/current/undergrad/minor.asp
Yeah, so the physics minor hasn't really changed at all. It's pretty easy for CompE or EE since you only need to take three extra courses. It was better for me since I needed the extra EM courses anyway, but a few other courses will still be useful. Stuff like quantum mechanics and solid states physics are good. Though as a CompE you'll take a solid state physics course from the department but it'll only focus on semiconductor physics, I don't know how that will differ from the ECE's. Oh yeah, I also took the Atomic Scale Simulations course. A nice course if you want to learn more about computational methods since it uses stuff like monte carlo simulations and such. Not too much emphasis on the actual physics though it helps for the final project.

EDIT: I didn't take ECE190, I did CS125. I can't say how much time 213/214 will take you. Really for me, I already knew 211/212 and pretty much most of 213/214 when I came to college. I did a year of independent study in high school and went over course materials that covered some of the topics of 213/214. So I can't say how much time it would take someone who didn't have the leg-up that I did. But the courses are similar to 212 from what I recall and they are half a semester each so they can't get into too much detail.
 
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