10 important reasons that make physics so hard

If you find physics hard or ask why physics is hard, this post is for you.

In this post, were going to discover the 10 important reasons that make physics the most complex major. 

Also, giving you a question test to respond to. So keep reading to discover is physics for you or not.

1 – Quantum mechanics

the first and most famous hard subject in physics is quantum mechanics, this subject is heavy in math and contains a lot of theories and equations you need to solve.

This field is different. It is not chemistry or classic physic. It is entirely different from other physics modules or subjects.

Mechanics quantics study the behavior of atoms, photons, and electrons by using a quantum mechanical equation like this in the image below.

File:SchrodingerEquation.svg - Wikimedia Commons

This was an example of a mechanical quantic equation. As a physic student or major, you will use a lot of these hard equations to determine how particles are moving in space or calculate their energy.

You may see these weird characters or symbols for the first time, But it doesn’t mean that you can’t understand them well. The only thing you need is to have a good professor to study this major.

The worst thing that can happen to any physic student is studying this subject with a terrible professor.

2 – Thermodynamics

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is thermodynamics-1024x683.jpg

Thermodynamics is another subject in physics that makes many students suffer not because of math. But because of the diversity of topics it contains. To clarify, you will need to learn and understand many things in thermodynamics.

In general, you will study:

  • The relation between temperature and energy,
  • How the energy is exchanged from one object to another
  • The entropy ( which is the science of chaos)
  • you will study how particles behave at different temperatures and pressures.

In other words, you will deal a lot with volumes and liquids and gazes. This domain relates a lot to fluids.

3 – Vibrations and waves

physics is hard

The third thing or subject that makes physics hard is the vibration and waves module. In this module, you will need a lot of calculus and significantly differential equations.

In this topic will study how mechanical systems vibrate and change energy. For instance,

You will need to solve these equations to determine. For instance:

  • the relation between energy and Mass
  • calculate the resistance of spring to carry a certain Mass
  • study how systems can oscillate and change the energy like a pendulum.

The reason that makes vibrations and waves a hard subject is the huge amount of calculus needed to use in this field.

The huge amount of calculus makes students vulnerable or prone to making mistakes according to the long math equations and the repetitive derivating operations they need to make.

Sometimes you will derivate a function 2 to 3 times to find the value you are looking for. So it is very rare not to make mistakes in your beginnings based on the enormous amount of calculus operations.

4 – Fluid dynamics

physics is hard

Fluid dynams is a branch closed to thermodynamics that studies oil and liquid consistency. In fluid dynamics,  you will study:

  • Determine the Masse and volume of different fluids like water versus oil.
  • Know the density of fluids and how it relates to mass and volume.
  • Knowing what energy is in fluid dynamics systems and how much pressure can produce.

What makes fluid dynamics the hardest physic subject is it needs a lot of memorization and applying a lot of calculus, especially equation differential which makes it the hardest subject in the physic major field.

5 – Solid state physics 

The hardest part in solid-state physic is not the math but the huge and numerous equation and geographic atomic forms that you should memorize.

To simplify you need to know more details about molecules and particles, this subject is close to chemistry. So the harder part of it is the volume.

In other words, there are many things to memorize in the solid-state course.

6 – Lack of interest

The most interesting thing that makes physics hard for students is the lack of interest. Many students make bad decisions by choosing the wrong majors, which could be for many reasons.

But mostly, the two reasons that make students choose the wrong path are money or parent pressure.

  • Many students follow majors just for money but don’t know how hard is the process to get there,
  • while some students obey their parents’ pressure and choose the wrong majors just to appease their parents or their social circle.

So it is normal to find physics hard if you don’t have an interest in it.

7 – Physics requires a lot of hard work.

Some students are lazy and don’t want to put it into the work, physics is for hard workers not for people who love to party with friends and sleep until 2 pm.

physics majors require consistent preparation by doing homework and doing a lot of research to understand this complex topic. If you want to succeed in physics, you have to be ready to work at least 4 hours a day. It is not a joke.

8 – Intelligence, not anyone meant for this major

The important aspect that many students ignore is physics is not meant for anyone. If you are the guy who works harder for longer hours and still gets modest results, you might have to think again about this major.

Intelligence is something important that most people ignore. Studying in some stem majors like physics and comptuer science requires a decent level of intelligence.

But before making this decision and judge to yourself that physics is not for you or yes, you have to read this next paragraph.

You can watch this video to learn more about how much intelligence you need for physics.

9 – Solid foundations

Having a weak foundation is a crucial reason that makes people say why physics is hard. But when you look at their level in math, you find it mediocre. In other words, they might lack the basics of math.

So as a student, you have to verify if you have a good foundation in math before deciding to drop this major if you are terrible at it.

If you aren’t doing well in math, a result means that the problem is not related to intelligence. But the weak math foundation that you have.

You could read this article: 4 important steps to learn math from the ground up

10 – patience

The last thing that most physic students don’t understand, which makes them think physics hard, is a lack of patience. In other words, a physics major is not a domain that you can learn overnight.

Physicists spend years of hard work studying one tiny subject, so don’t expect to understand it easily. It is a domain for grinders who are willing to be patient to get what they want.

Conclusion

physics is not mean to anyone and this is not a problem.

For this reason, we made this 10-question test for you to verify if you are a pure physics guy or not.

Questions 

Can you sit in a chair for long hours during the day?

Do you love solving math and physic problems?

Do you love research?

Do you like to think deeply about natural phenomena?

are you fascinated by physics experiences like astrophysics and space?                                                                     

Do you hate designing?                                                                                                                           

Do you like quantum mechanics?

Do you like to solve physics equations?

Do you enjoy learning all the time?

Do you have curiosity about things and always ask how they work?

 Do you love working on the paper more than hands? 

Do you feel attracted to this major ?

Do you have patience ?

Are you introvert ?

Do you like teaching?

If you respond by yes to more than 50% of these questions yoiu will likely mean to be a physicist.

yassin.ajanif

Yassin ajanif is a physics graduate and electromechanical engineer width more than 5 years in the field. My goal and my team are to share our experience to help you succeed in your career as a stem major. we talk about all tips, problems, and struggle STEM students face in their career and how to overcome them.