r/PhysicsStudents • • Aug 05 '20

Meta Homework Help Etiquette (HHE)

156 Upvotes

Greetings budding physicists!

One of the things that makes this subreddit helpful to students is the communities ability to band together and help users with physics questions and homework they may be stuck on. In light of this, I have implemented an overhaul to the HW Help post guidelines that I like to call Homework Help Etiquette (HHE). See below for:

  • HHE for Helpees
  • HHE for Helpers

HHE for Helpees

  1. Format your titles as follows: [Course HW is From] Question about HW.
  2. Post clear pictures of the problem in question.
  3. Talk us through your 1st attempt so we know what you've tried, either in the post title or as a comment.
  4. Don't use users here to cheat on quizzes, tests, etc.

Good Example

HHE for Helpers

  1. If there are no signs of a 1st attempt, refrain from replying. This is to avoid lazy HW Help posts.
  2. Don't give out answers. That will hurt them in the long run. Gently guide them onto the right path.
  3. Report posts that seem sketchy or don't follow etiquette to Rule 1, or simply mention HHE.

Thank you all! Happy physics-ing.

u/Vertigalactic


r/PhysicsStudents • • 7h ago

Research ​Genesis, a real-time atomic & subatomic physics engine calculating 3D orbitals, quantum tunneling, and quark dynamics on PC

1 Upvotes

Genesis is a free real-time atomic and subatomic physics simulator built for Windows PCs. Instead of relying on pre-rendered animations or pre-scripted events, physical phenomena are calculated live on consumer hardware using official reference datasets (NIST, NUBASE, PDG, CODATA).

​Key Features & Physical Models

​Atomic Level:

​Live rendering of 3D electron orbitals across all 118 periodic elements.

​Photon absorption, excitation states, and alpha decay dynamics (e.g., Uranium-238 → Thorium-234).

​Nuclear Reactions:

​Deuterium–Tritium (D + T) nuclear fusion via quantum tunneling.

​High-energy heavy-ion collisions and quasi-fission (e.g., Uranium vs. Gold, tracking 50+ individual fragments).

​Subatomic & Quark Dynamics:

​10 GeV electron-neutron scattering.

​Quark confinement, gluon string stretching, and string-breaking/hadronization.

​Parton sea dynamics and a hadron construction workshop constrained by quantum color charge rules.

​Technical Implementation & Limits:

​To maintain 60 FPS on standard consumer GPUs and CPUs, the engine relies on physical approximations rather than full ab initio quantum calculations. It is designed primarily as a visual and educational reference tool.

​


r/PhysicsStudents • • 10h ago

Need Advice ¿Podría estudiar física o no ?

1 Upvotes

Últimamente lo de escoger una carrera me tiene muy estresada y más que en mi país no tengo muchas opciones,por lo general soy una estudiante con un promedio alto (98.8) y si tengo que estudiar no me molesta, pero he de admitir que mi problema viene en que no soy la mejor en matemáticas,o sea no me va mal pero no es mi fuerte, sin embargo me apasiona mucho la física y estaba pensando en carreras como física pura ya que acá no se estudia ingeniería física y también estaba pensando en otras opciones de ingieneria, mi pregunta viene al hecho de que si mi dificultad por matemática podría condicionarme el desarrollo de la carrera.

Ojo:Nunca he suspendido un examen de matemáticas y tampoco he tenido baja nota en ellos, simplemente no me ge dedicado mucho a entender las mates para ser sincera.

Les agradecería la opinión, lo leo ;)


r/PhysicsStudents • • 11h ago

Need Advice Please Help Me, I don’t know where to go

1 Upvotes

I am student currently in class 12 in an Indian school , non-attending ,first for Jee but I couldn’t do that, cause it was so limiting me to its syllabus when there’s a whole world of unknown out there, so I quit my coaching and started studying on my own when I started 12, though topics of Jee first in more depth(so much time waste is chemistry) , but I realised I couldn’t do it , I needed rigour so went in math and studied broader topics like algebra and calculus but then needed more rigour so I combined my wishes to study math rigorously for theoretical physics to figure out nature reality (I know I sound like an idiot here) and found the perfect course by someone named Fredrich Schuller , but there’s so many doubts and AI can’t explain shit, so you see my problem here ; I need to figure the nature of reality through the approaches of physics and computational neuroscience but I realise I can’t do it alone now ,
So what can I do ?


r/PhysicsStudents • • 15h ago

Need Advice Best physics textbook advice for studying

2 Upvotes

I'm an undergraduate student in my first year of college in Italy, studying for a bachelor's degree in Physics. I wanted to know some good physics textbooks for Mechanics and Thermodynamics. If there are any, why not a complete/comprehensive book, or one that is really worth reading and is meant for actually learning — so, a calculus-based, non-fiction book? Thank you all.


r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

Need Advice I want to major in physics because I want to get into nuclear physics, but I don't know how to find which universities offer paths for that.

11 Upvotes

I'm a senior in highschool at the moment and I've been doing research on different universities, mostly by considering if they offer nuclear physics research and have a solid physics program. For some websites they make it pretty clear what they offer (eg. UB) but for others I can't really see if they have any electives for that because their websites are weird and confusing. Should I just give up on trying to specialize early and deal with the fact that I'm going to have to keep doing general physics for my undergrad?


r/PhysicsStudents • • 16h ago

Need Advice How did you get better / good at physics?

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,I'm a 17 Yr old applying for theoretical physics at uni. Im doing OK in class at school and predicted a star but I always feel as if im behind and everyone else is getting it . What did you do?


r/PhysicsStudents • • 14h ago

Need Advice Career paths as a Computational Physics Major!

1 Upvotes

Hello everyone! I am currently a student at the University of Texas pursuing a degree in computational physics and a minor in semiconductor engineering. I was writing because I was wondering what career paths I could go into, along with some advice!


r/PhysicsStudents • • 20h ago

Off Topic Has anyone studied or worked in BOTH post-Soviet and US/EU/Asian universities?

2 Upvotes

How different they are? I mean the educational system, professors, research culture, etc.


r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

Rant/Vent Lowest exam grade you’ve received in undergrad?

41 Upvotes

please help me feel better about bombing my modern exam i studied hard for 🙏


r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

Off Topic Am I ever going to get to use the TI-84 I bought in 7th grade?

6 Upvotes

I haven't gotten to use that thing since Algebra II, barely even get to use my scientific calculator. Just curious when that comes back if it comes back


r/PhysicsStudents • • 20h ago

Need Advice 12th edition Cutnell Physics Textbook PDF

1 Upvotes

I know this was asked before but I really need it now, I exhausted all my options and reaaaaally need it for the semester if anyone has a digital copy lying around


r/PhysicsStudents • • 21h ago

Need Advice Where and how can I study this topic Phonons, lattice vibrations, and finding the dispersion equation

1 Upvotes

r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

Need Advice I want to learn mathematics, physics, programming, and AI, but AI itself is making me question the point of learning anything.

29 Upvotes

I genuinely want to learn mathematics, physics, programming, computer science, and AI. I want to build a career in computer science, pursue AI research, and hopefully do a PhD someday. But lately, I've been feeling increasingly demotivated.

The problem is that I rely on AI to learn almost everything. Whenever I have a question, I ask GPT. Whenever I don't understand a concept, I ask AI to explain it. And the more I learn this way, the more I wonder: What's the point of learning anything when AI will always know more than I ever could?

Even the most basic AI models seem to possess more knowledge than I could acquire in a lifetime. And with new models becoming increasingly capable, I keep wondering whether the knowledge I'm working so hard to gain will even matter in the future.

With GPT-6, Claude Opus 5.5, Gemini 4, and other models competing to become more capable, it feels like the gap between human intelligence and AI capabilities will only continue to grow.

I want to understand the mathematics behind AI, learn physics, become a better programmer, and contribute to actual research. But sometimes I question why I'm putting in the effort when AI can explain concepts faster, write code better, and potentially solve problems that I might spend years learning to solve myself.

And even when I genuinely want to learn, I'm confused about what I should prioritize learning and whether any of it will remain valuable by the time I become proficient.

I'm not necessarily saying that learning is useless. I genuinely love the idea of understanding how things work. But I'm struggling to reconcile that curiosity with the feeling that AI might eventually outperform me at almost everything I want to become good at.

For those of you studying computer science, mathematics, physics, or AI, how do you deal with this feeling? How do you stay motivated to learn when AI is advancing so rapidly? Do you think deep technical knowledge will still matter for people pursuing AI research and PhDs, or should we be approaching learning differently now?


r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

Need Advice Looking for Literature Recommendations

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone :)

I'm starting three new topics next semester and want to take a look at the material already, get books from the library, etc. Unfortunately, some profs don't recommend any book and haven't done so in the past. I'm an undergrad and would love to study with books that contain problems with solutions. The topics are:

- Solid-state-physics

- Nuclear and Particle physics

- Thermodynamics and statistical physics

Thank y'all! :)


r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

Need Advice Worried About Changing My Major to Physics

0 Upvotes

Hello! I am a sophomore in college and I have decided to change my major, but I still am very worried about changing.

I was originally an accounting major, but found that accounting was much more law based than numbers based and that was not very satisfying.

I’ve considered other majors. Math was my first pick but proofs and higher levels do not seem very appealing.

I’ve considered computer science but with AI that field seems like it’s imploding and I do not enjoy coding very much.

My university does not have an engineering program of any kind.

Physics appeals to me because the subject seems interesting, the math seems practical, it feels like it could give me a sampler platter of different areas of science (Electromagnetism, Nuclear, Astrophysics, Quantum), and I feel with a little legwork I could have a lot more options for careers than just being an accountant.

However, I still worry, my worries mainly concern finances, and I’ve heard how hard STEM classes are. My scholarship requires me to maintain at least a 3.00 and I worry the classes will just break me down and I will lose any opportunity of getting a college degree.

So if you have any advice, what you did in undergrad, what you would do in my position, or just anything that you think would be helpful. I would greatly appreciate it.


r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

Need Advice Will I get in trouble for this?

2 Upvotes

I'm in a physics 1 (calculus based) class. We are allowed cheat sheets for our exams. Here is the exact policy:

"Students may use review notes (a "cheat-sheet") consisting of one 8.5" by 11" sheet of paper (letter-size) written on one side only during all in-class assessments (exams and quizzes). The "cheat-sheet" may not contain any solved problems or answers to quiz questions from the text. Failure to follow this rule will invalidate the assessment."

My cheat sheet for exam 2 contained step by step guides for solving each type of problem with diagrams using only letters/symbols. I was under the assumption that he would not collect the cheat sheets because he didn't last time.

This time, after the exam, he asked everyone to staple their cheat sheet to the back of their exams. I had no choice but to do this, so now my professor will see that cheat sheet with all of the problem tutorials and derivations. Do you think I will get in trouble for cheating because of the in depth tutorials for solving each type of problem? Should I send him an email right now apologizing for "misunderstanding" the policy?


r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

Need Advice PhD students - did you finish your PhD on time or was it much longer? How many papers did you publish in your PhD?

2 Upvotes

I'm a PhD student in the UK. I find it hard to measure success in the PhD. So papers is the only measure but obviously it's an incomplete measure.


r/PhysicsStudents • • 2d ago

Research Physics, Mathematics & Space in my Makarov Suites

39 Upvotes

How does a differential work? Why do metronomes synchronize? How can plasma be confined, and what happens to light near a black hole?

Explore interactive experiments from Makarov Physics Suite, Makarov Math Suite and Makarov Astronomy Suite in one journey through mechanisms, electricity, geometry, algorithms and space.

This video shows the software in action: robots and engines, particles and fluids, mathematical surfaces, spacecraft, planets and stars. In the programs, you can change parameters and explore how the results respond.


r/PhysicsStudents • • 2d ago

Need Advice Do I need an REU given my extensive research experience?

4 Upvotes

I'm a junior physics student at my state school. I love doing research but I also have commitments at home that make me very hesitant to leave over the summer halfway across the country. My question is, looking at my current experience, should getting an REU at another institution be at the top of my priorities, or can I prioritize my family?

General list of my research experience:

  • Academic year undergrad research fellowship on satellites (not in a lab) freshman year
  • Summer undergrad research fellowship following the same topic (following summer)
  • summer undergrad research fellowship in the major condensed matter physics lab on campus
  • continued unfunded research in that same lab that I plan to do until the end of my degree (I plan to apply for funding for summer 2027)
  • undergraduate research assistantship at a non-physics department (1 academic year) about environmental policy. I will be co-author on a paper for this project.
  • science communications consultant micro-internship this past summer

Additionally, in the spring I will be assisting a class/being in the learning center.

I hover around a 3.5 gpa and I'm an honors program student. My career goals are to get my masters and my PhD in physics. I am also an artist and I love science communication, so thats another career avenue besides research I want to explore.

What should my priorities by in my last couple years? Should I be dropping everything to get an REU at another institution? Thank you!


r/PhysicsStudents • • 1d ago

HW Help [General Relativity]: What does it mean for a vector field to be asymptotically timelike?

2 Upvotes

I saw this term used in the definition of stationary and static spacetime. I cannot however find a formal definition of what it means to be asymptotically timelike anywhere. Any help?


r/PhysicsStudents • • 3d ago

Meme Found this gem helping a friend with her homework

Post image
128 Upvotes

r/PhysicsStudents • • 2d ago

Need Advice Genuinely worried about Math and Physics because of LLMS

25 Upvotes

I am an AI master student , currently working in an AI startup. I love maths and physics and it was my passion my whole life pretty much. I always wanted to go for math or physics higher degree but rn it seem pretty absolute to me. And yes , I am not saying this because of some AI hype , i work very closely with AI and have trained SLMS by myself.

Progress of Language models in verifiable tasks is crazy , recently they solved Navier stokes (Ik there's controversy who solved it) but i still believe the attempt is crazy , I remember , how just a year ago these models were doing mistake in my assignments and now i don't see single mistake. I have heard that even Quant firms heavily using LLMS for there math researches and openAi also solved another small 300 unsolved math problems. It looks like progress is really fast and kind of exponential. Even though these models won't beat top 10 mathematicians they already beat majority people out there.

I want to know you guys suggestion , what you think about the future of Math and physics, is it worth it to go into , i mean anything STEM pretty much requires math and if models can think of math better than humans than what will humans study , to me math was language of universe and seems like models understand it better than humans. I was seeing this podcast with terence tao and he was agreeing that models very close surpassing human mathematicians and how human brain never evolved to understand math instead it was evolved for language and visuals.

I want to know what you guys think , what future will look like as humanity because it seems almost purposeless world to me where machine understand math better than humans.


r/PhysicsStudents • • 2d ago

Need Advice What is the best way to study the math needed for undergraduate physics?

5 Upvotes

I want to self-study physics. I have already studied precalculus and calculus. However, I’m not sure how to proceed with the mathematics required for a physics degree.

I’m considering two approaches:

  1. Study different math textbooks on seperate subjects (linear algebra, differential equations, tensor analysis...)

  2. Study one or two comprehensive textbooks that cover all or most of the math needed for an undergraduate physics degree. I’m considering "Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences" by Boas.

My main goal is not to become highly proficient at solving physics problems, but rather to develop a deep conceptual understanding of physics and gain enough mathematical proficiency to solve basic problems.

Thanks in advance for any advice!


r/PhysicsStudents • • 2d ago

Need Advice The question is when a meteorite strikes earth what happens to the Earth's time period neglecting impulse from meteorite initially ?

1 Upvotes

When meteorite strikes. What happens to earth time period. Assume impulse is negligible the impact from asteroid.

My teacher says , "Assuming the impulse to be negligible ,There is no external torque on the earth, But mass Increases And moi increases,Since Iw is constant , w decreases and time period increase. "

My friend said " angular momentum is r×mv we take derivative to get dr/dt×mv+r×(vdm/dt+ma) so here the torque from vdm/dt must exist "

My answer ,"Why do you think we can Ignore the initial impulse. The only way this can be possible is when the meteorite is the system as well along with the earth(the question might be asking this ) ,So that the force from meteorite is an internal force And hence no torque , we must consider earth meteorite system here , The angular momentum of the earth - meteorite system Is conserved. But now accounting for moi increases , My verdict would be Since meteorite is now on the surface , The mass distribution shall change and Com is shifted, If earth was previously spinning with axis through com , now it's I=Icom+Md² but axis doesn't change and then moi increases , w decreases increasing time period"

What do you think of this