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How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

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Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#41

Post by sn9 »

vecter wrote: post #36
sn9 wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I know of at least one professor in Canada (Toronto maybe?) who was self taught and got into a graduate program on the strength of a letter of recommendation from a physicist he had been corresponding with. Can't remember the name at the moment, but I think his background had been in art. And then there's Ed Witten, who studied history and linguistics. It's not really clear when or how he studied physics (so very pos…

Ed Witten was very good at math when he was young. He scored exceptionally well in the American Mathematics Competition. He didn't pick physics up out of nowhere, he already had a quantitively talented mind.

Could you provide a citation for the AMC score? A cursory Google search doesn't turn up anything.

My understanding is he only knew calculus before college.

Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#42

Post by mikebenfield »

sn9 wrote: post #33
paulpauper wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure the number of high-quality researchers in theoretical physics, or any major field, who are totally self-taught is really quite small. I think it's zero

I know of at least one professor in Canada (Toronto maybe?) who was self taught and got into a graduate program on the strength of a letter of recommendation from a physicist he had been corresponding with. Can't remember the name at the moment, but I think his background had been in art. And then there's Ed Witten, who studied history and linguistics. It's not really clear when or how he studied physics (so very pos…

But these examples aren't what is being referred to as "totally self taught." Your grandparent comment acknowledges, "I have no doubt you can replicate the undergrad education through self-study..." (Of course that is pretty rare too, but what's in doubt is people who did the equivalent of grad school on their own).

FWIW, in mathematics I know there's Blake Temple, who IIRC did his undergrad in philosophy but was somehow admitted to a strong math grad program and went on to a very successful career... but again this isn't "totally self taught" in the sense here.

Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#43

Post by vecter »

kayoone wrote: post #40
vecter wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ed Witten was very good at math when he was young. He scored exceptionally well in the American Mathematics Competition. He didn't pick physics up out of nowhere, he already had a quantitively talented mind.

That might be true but op was just claiming that the number of self taught people in theoretical physics is non zero.

He was almost implying that Witten came out of nowhere with very little mathematical background and became a physics god. He implied this by saying that Witten studied history and linguistics in college, but he failed to mention his previously strong background in mathematics during his childhood. That last part is the key signal to how Witten could have even possibly become a successful physicist, although of course it is not a sufficient condition.

Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#44

Post by vecter »

sn9 wrote: post #41
vecter wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ed Witten was very good at math when he was young. He scored exceptionally well in the American Mathematics Competition. He didn't pick physics up out of nowhere, he already had a quantitively talented mind.

Could you provide a citation for the AMC score? A cursory Google search doesn't turn up anything. My understanding is he only knew calculus before college.

I can't find it today, but I remember reading the AMC results with my own eyes many years ago. I believe he was one of the best scorers on either the AMC 8 or the AMC 10 in his state.

Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#45

Post by xchip »

Physicist here, I am sad to say that all the theoretical physicists I know are teaching physics/math to first year undergraduates. What a waste of smart people. All the jobs they could do are already taken by very old people(+65) that refuse to retire.

Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#46

Post by fosco »

sn9 wrote: post #33
paulpauper wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure the number of high-quality researchers in theoretical physics, or any major field, who are totally self-taught is really quite small. I think it's zero

I know of at least one professor in Canada (Toronto maybe?) who was self taught and got into a graduate program on the strength of a letter of recommendation from a physicist he had been corresponding with. Can't remember the name at the moment, but I think his background had been in art. And then there's Ed Witten, who studied history and linguistics. It's not really clear when or how he studied physics (so very pos…

he was corresponding with another physicist, I do not think enough people realize no one is an island. Working, talking and communicating with others is how many things are learned and solidified because others force us to sharpen our thoughts by questioning them.

I think this is why some of the 'big' thinkers (see feynman einstein) worked at universities, it forced them to continue sharpening their skills because they had a collection of students questioning their ideas. I believe this applies to all fields... not just physics

my two cents. I agree with PaulPauper, I think it is zero as well.

Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#47

Post by fosco »

sn9 wrote: post #33
paulpauper wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure the number of high-quality researchers in theoretical physics, or any major field, who are totally self-taught is really quite small. I think it's zero

I know of at least one professor in Canada (Toronto maybe?) who was self taught and got into a graduate program on the strength of a letter of recommendation from a physicist he had been corresponding with. Can't remember the name at the moment, but I think his background had been in art. And then there's Ed Witten, who studied history and linguistics. It's not really clear when or how he studied physics (so very pos…

he was corresponding with another physicist, I do not think enough people realize no one is an island, working, talking and communicating with others is how many things are learned and solidified because others force us to sharpen our thoughts by questioning them.

I think this is why some of the 'big' thinkers (see feynman einstein) worked at universities, it forced them to continue sharpening their skills because they had a collection of students questioning their ideas. I believe this applies to all fields... not just physics

my two cents.

Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#48

Post by ice109 »

paulpauper wrote: post #17
Stasis5001 wrote: post #14

For reference, generally people learn all this over four years of undergrad and probably the first few years of grad school (I have a BS in physics, and a PhD in a different field, so not 100% sure on the grad school work). That's 6 years of more or less full-time work, surrounded by excellent peers and mentors, where every week you read 2-4 chapters and do 10 problems per chapter. If you're motivated and talented, y…

I'm pretty sure the number of high-quality researchers in theoretical physics, or any major field, who are totally self-taught is really quite small. I think it's zero

freeman dyson doesn't have a phd.

Re: How to Become a Good Theoretical Physicist

#50

Post by mobieus_jay »

ice109 wrote: post #48
paulpauper wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty sure the number of high-quality researchers in theoretical physics, or any major field, who are totally self-taught is really quite small. I think it's zero

freeman dyson doesn't have a phd.

Are you sure?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeman_Dyson

By the way, do you know that there is a series in scattering theory in quantum mechanics called Dyson series?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dyson_series

To be frank, I doubt if you know this.

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