Large Hardon Collider

[Kaylia]

Yeah that goes without saying in my program. First class devoted exclusively to Real Analysis is in third year (and it's a mandatory credit for me), but honours calculus introduces analysis concepts right from first year.

Real analysis do have a few prerequisites, but I'm pretty sure most people can get away without it. The only thing you need to know are the different types of proof (direct, induction, contradiction), but even then, I'm sure most teachers cover that in the first week.

These are all good points. I guess I just assumed his college was like mine where research credits is always an option for any semester. Since research doesn't seem to be an option for him, that changes things, unless there are other research options for him other than credits. The first few years of my research were for pay only, and some students do research without pay or credit. This would look good to grad schools.

I'm with you here. In term of usefulness, research credit are probably miles ahead anything else. It's actually something that many graduated students are lacking (including myself), and this isn't the kind of practice you can get on wikipedia (or even at the school library!).


However, if you have a clear plan, just stick to it and take the class that look the most interesting to you. You better milk on that motivation while it last, and in the worst case, it's just one more years at school. However, who cares about that, I stopped believing that I will ever get out of this place long time ago.

lol, I'm pretty sure every single one of us said this at first. I used to be 100000000% certain that I'd do theoretical and vowed to never do an experiment because I hate them, and now I'm spending my summer building solar cells and doing laser scattering experiments. I'm even looking for grad schools for a condensed-matter PhD programs. The point I'm trying to make is that your mind still may change, so if there's any way you could possibly be involved in research now, you should go for it. Also, if you get the option to take a physics class that seems useful for experimental/applied physicists but useless to you, take the class anyways, just in case. I'm beginning to regret not taking solid state or optics.

It's kinda hilarious when you think about it. I remember both of us saying we would never do applied sciences toward the beginning of this thread...and here we are!

Personally, I spent the last couple of months studying metal hydride and building 3d molecules for DFT simulations.

The face I had a when I realized that I'm virtually a chemist was actually pretty close to this
http://s3.amazonaws.com/kym-assets/e...jpg?1286515652

[Woozie]

I'm lucky that I was getting paid for my research. Otherwise, I would have never even done it and would have ended up regretting not getting any research experience. My professor always told me how important it was and how much grad schools like to see research, but I was always like "screw this, I'm theoretical." Remind me to thank him when I get back to Akron in August for keeping me in research. The same professor also urged me to take advanced lab, more programming courses, and solid state and optics. I didn't take his advice on any of those

What are DFT simulations? And what's metal hydride?

[Shiroikage]

Get all the research experience you can if you seriously plan on going to grad school for whatever masochistic reason.
It will help you more than anything else in your undergraduate degree (perhaps outside of grades for obtaining funding) and if you need to volunteer to get it, it's always the way to go.

[Kaylia]

What are DFT simulations? And what's metal hydride?

I...don't...know...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Density_functional_theory
DFT stand for density functional theory, and it's a QM methods to evaluate the wave function for a large system by studying the electron distribution. I believe the solution is exact in a traditional QM context (EM and spin), but obviously, you have to do some approximation to solve it. I called it simulation because we use the result on kinetic monte carlo simulation after, but technically, DFT doesn't simulate anything.

DFT is actually heavy on the physics side, but when you're forced to use program such as Vasp or material studio to evaluate it, you end up doing what a chemist would do. I did swore to myself to never press a "run" button without understanding the underlying theory, but still, there is like 10 billions parameters that can be set to "correct" the simulations, and none make any sense to me. I'm not particularly fond of correction either...I would rather get something that converge toward the right answer.

Hydrogen diffusion in metal hydride metal (I think that's the name in english) is what I'm studying. I'm not exactly sure what classify as one, but that's not really important. All i have to do is modelize the diffusion for specific materials that are given to me by someone else.

[BerenTebogo]

I emailed my adviser and the chair of the math department about taking on a second major. If I'm taking Adv. Calc I and II and I've been told for about a year to take Differential Geometry directed study, I'm like 3 classes away from the double major. My adviser checked and ALL my gen eds I need for both majors are 100% done. All I need to do is find time to take a few extra math courses and I think I'm out in 1 semester longer than physics major alone.

[Cadsuane]

Real analysis do have a few prerequisites, but I'm pretty sure most people can get away without it. The only thing you need to know are the different types of proof (direct, induction, contradiction), but even then, I'm sure most teachers cover that in the first week. [/img]

Yeah, pretty much the first week. That's kind of what I like about my program actually, that the proffs take a constructionist approach to the theorems and definitions, even if we only end up doing computational work sometimes (like integration or canonical forms). Like for example, Algebra I for most people isn't abstract algebra in most programs, and our textbook reflected this, but the first thing we defined was a field because it's required in turn for the definition of a vector space. So we were always couching our discussions in stuff like some space V over some field F as opposed to something like Rn or Cn. Our weekly assignments were mostly proofs cleverly designed to illustrate the structure of these entities instead of computational practice questions, which we recieve very little of in general. Come to think of it even our discussion of integration started with a week or so of fiddling with Riemann sums to prove integration theorems, and to do that we had to talk about the boundedness axiom of subsets of R, and so on, and so forth.

Anyway I get the impression this isn't typical in the science oriented math courses outside the B.Math purview, since my proffs are always ribbing us that if we find it too hard we'd better switch to engineering/economics/computer science etc.

[BerenTebogo]

On same topic as Cadsuane:

I got this email regarding my not wanting to take MTH181/182 (discrete 1 and 2 for comp majors)

You could take MTH 350 instead of MTH 181/182; they essentially cover the same topics but are geared to a different audience ( MTH 350
goes faster and has more difficult assignments).

MTH 350 - Applied Discrete Mathematics

-.-

Think that will be any better or is it still going to be an absolute bore?

[Woozie]

I...don't...know...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Density_functional_theory
DFT stand for density functional theory, and it's a QM methods to evaluate the wave function for a large system by studying the electron distribution. I believe the solution is exact in a traditional QM context (EM and spin), but obviously, you have to do some approximation to solve it. I called it simulation because we use the result on kinetic monte carlo simulation after, but technically, DFT doesn't simulate anything.

DFT is actually heavy on the physics side, but when you're forced to use program such as Vasp or material studio to evaluate it, you end up doing what a chemist would do. I did swore to myself to never press a "run" button without understanding the underlying theory, but still, there is like 10 billions parameters that can be set to "correct" the simulations, and none make any sense to me. I'm not particularly fond of correction either...I would rather get something that converge toward the right answer.

Hydrogen diffusion in metal hydride metal (I think that's the name in english) is what I'm studying. I'm not exactly sure what classify as one, but that's not really important. All i have to do is modelize the diffusion for specific materials that are given to me by someone else.

Haha, sounds a lot like me with carbon nanotubes and with bioinformatics. I still can't answer even the most basic questions about protein folding and I know very little about carbon nanotubes despite all the research I've done on them. Josephson junctions/Quantum pendulums are the first (and so far, only) thing I've researched that I actually understood what I was doing while I was doing it. I think I'm somewhat getting a grasp on all this solar cell stuff. I'm sure I'll understand it by the end of this summer.

So if I'm understanding this correctly (which I'm sure I'm not. I tried to read the wiki page but can't really grasp it), you're looking at hydrogen diffusion through some material called "metal hydride"? Is there a particular goal of this research? Does your professor have some sort of application in mind or is this something he's doing for its own sake? I'm asking because you mentioned that the data for the materials are given to you by someone else, so I imagine this is part of a bigger project. Is that correct? It would be so awesome if you got published before graduating. I'm still hoping to get a publication soon, hopefully out of this solar cell stuff. I'm regretting not focusing more on Josephson junctions. I probably would have had some success there.

[Ferion]

Think that will be any better or is it still going to be an absolute bore?

If you've never taken any kind of proof writing courses it might not be a bad idea to take it. The Advanced Calc classes at my school didn't begin with any kind of proof writing techniques, my professor just jumped right into proving convergences of sequences. So if you've never spent any time learning to write simple induction, if and only if, etc. style proofs then it may be a good idea to take the class. If you already feel comfortable with that stuff or think you can learn it on your own then it's probably a waste of time.

[BerenTebogo]

I learned a bit in my Calc 2 class but sounds like it'd be a pretty good time. I helped some friends study for their Discrete finals during the fall semester without ever taking the class. Shit was pretty easy.

[Kaylia]

I emailed my adviser and the chair of the math department about taking on a second major. If I'm taking Adv. Calc I and II and I've been told for about a year to take Differential Geometry directed study, I'm like 3 classes away from the double major. My adviser checked and ALL my gen eds I need for both majors are 100% done. All I need to do is find time to take a few extra math courses and I think I'm out in 1 semester longer than physics major alone.

If you can take one grad class at the same time, do it! It will be worth it imo.

Anyway I get the impression this isn't typical in the science oriented math courses outside the B.Math purview, since my proffs are always ribbing us that if we find it too hard we'd better switch to engineering/economics/computer science etc.

You're right, it's not a typical class since it doesn't give you any tools that can be applied. However, anyone who is serious about physics will reach a point where they need a good understanding of the tools they are using, and analysis is probably the best one for this since in a way, this class tell you how to build mathematics.

Personally, I don't think there is a better way to understand the axiomatics nature of mathematics and physics than doing analysis, that's why I give that class so much importance.

Think that will be any better or is it still going to be an absolute bore?

Probably better for you if its directed at mathematicians.

The topic isn't a bore, especially if its the first time you're dealing with. It's just that class directed toward people in computer sciences are much much slower, and it might not be what you're looking for.

[Kryssan]

Heheh, I know what metal hydride is. After all, hydride reactions is what happens around 2700C in a reactor and makes things go boom during meltdown. Although, I think you're specifically referring to the reaction itself, rather than a metal composition of 'hydride'.

Hydrogen diffusion, where hydrogen molecules actually pass through solid metal due to specific atomic properties is the other thing you were describing. They are rather basic material properties covered with reactor plants. Certain materials are susceptible to it and in certain environments it can happen a good deal due to the radiolytic decomposition of water making plenty of H2/O2.

[Kaylia]

]Haha, sounds a lot like me with carbon nanotubes and with bioinformatics. I still can't answer even the most basic questions about protein folding and I know very little about carbon nanotubes despite all the research I've done on them. Josephson junctions/Quantum pendulums are the first (and so far, only) thing I've researched that I actually understood what I was doing while I was doing it. I think I'm somewhat getting a grasp on all this solar cell stuff. I'm sure I'll understand it by the end of this summer.

As long you can string enough complicate words together, you're fine! It discourage people from asking another question or verify the validity of your answer.

I almost accepted a project involving carbon nanotube earlier this year. I was suposed to calculate the physical adsorbtion inside nanotube or something like that. A few engineer in our department are also working on solar cells (not quite sure what they are doing)...These topics seem popular lately.

So if I'm understanding this correctly (which I'm sure I'm not. I tried to read the wiki page but can't really grasp it), you're looking at hydrogen diffusion through some material called "metal hydride"? Is there a particular goal of this research? Does your professor have some sort of application in mind or is this something he's doing for its own sake? I'm asking because you mentioned that the data for the materials are given to you by someone else, so I imagine this is part of a bigger project. Is that correct? It would be so awesome if you got published before graduating. I'm still hoping to get a publication soon, hopefully out of this solar cell stuff. I'm regretting not focusing more on Josephson junctions. I probably would have had some success there.

This kind of membrane are often used for H2 purification, and I believe in fuel cell. I wouln't be able to tell you exactly why we want them, all I know is the data I'm gathering will be used for a new project that will involve 7-8 persons over the next few years. Technically, my job right now is to build a program that will simulate hydrogen diffusion in various material, and the first step is to reproduce results obtained in older paper.


Essentially, our department's goal is develop hydrogen related technology (fuel cells, hydrogen car, hydrogen production and storage, security), and everything I will do is going to be related one way or the other to one of these things.


I would like to publish something in the next few years, but it will depends how well thing goes. At the pace thing are going, I'm not sure I will be able to, but thing might speed up consideraly once I get used to the topic.

[BerenTebogo]

Don't publish it in french. I wanna read it.

[Shiroikage]

Publishing in French is a good way to ensure no one reads it.

[Kaylia]

Don't publish it in french. I wanna read it.

I don't think there is such thing as french publication in sciences. lol

Also, scientific papers are so boring. I would do you a favor by not posting it.

[Shiroikage]

I don't think there is such thing as french publication in sciences. lol

Also, scientific papers are so boring. I would do you a favor by not posting it.

There are plenty of European language-specific journals.
There's a reason one tends not to be aware of their existence.

[Restrat]

Thought I would post the worst black hole analogy I'd ever seen:

Two separate teams pored through data and concluded that an unsuspecting star the size of our sun likely got sucked in by the powerful tug of a giant black hole much like a fly that can't escape a frog resting on a lily pad.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/0..._n_878317.html

[Plow]

It's not that bad really if you picture an invisible "tongue", it would be similar in that it would just reach a point where it got too close and got snatched in.

[Eliseos]