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I have another math question. i was wondering if other fields of mathematics are used in physics besides calculus. I know geometry is used in physics but i dont know how much algebra is used in it. i was wondering if it would be useful to learn all types of math besides only calculus such as algebra and geometry and if it would be worth the effort in order to understand physics and higher mathematics in general.

 

i didnt know exactly where to put this so i just put in the algebra section.

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I don't know of any branches of mathematics that aren't used in physics!

 

Here's a brief (and incomplete) rundown of what you need to know for the various subjects in physics:

 

Classical Mechanics

calculus, vector arithmetic, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, calculus of variations

 

Classical Electrodynamics

calculus, vector calculus, some tensor calculus, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations

 

Relativity

linear algebra, tensor calculus, some group theory

 

Quantum Mechanics

calculus, linear algebra, ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, group theory, some operator theory

 

Thermodynamics

calculus, ordinary differential equations (with Legendre transformations)

 

It gets even more complicated with Quantum Field Theory, SUSY, String Theory, and Loop Quantum Gravity.

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i didnt word my question very well because i was wondering if i should learn more advanced algebra and more advanced geometry instead of focusing on calculus only. i know algebra is used but i was wondering to what level. calculus seems to be the most important but i was wondering if it would be worthwhile to learn other areas of mathematics at a higher level instead of focusing on calculus only to understand physics.

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Originally posted by Superman

i didnt word my question very well because i was wondering if i should learn more advanced algebra and more advanced geometry instead of focusing on calculus only. i know algebra is used but i was wondering to what level. calculus seems to be the most important but i was wondering if it would be worthwhile to learn other areas of mathematics at a higher level instead of focusing on calculus only to understand physics.

 

What do you mean, what level of algebra?

 

It's a language you have to be fluent in.

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