Case Study Of Physics Or Computer Science

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Physics or Computer Science? That was the dilemma I faced four years ago when I had to choose a major. Although I enjoyed programming, and was often told that I had a natural flair for it by my school teachers, it was physics that had always captured my imagination and aroused my curiosity. Nothing equaled my euphoria at gaining an additional insight into the universe. Consequently, I decided to abandon programming and pursue a career in theoretical physics. I now know that I made the right choice, as my love for physics has grown much stronger; I was particularly fascinated by topics in gravitation and cosmology. However, I also came to realize that it was possible to apply my aptitude for programming to further our knowledge of physics. Thus the field of computational astrophysics offered me the best of both worlds. Numerical simulations are the sole means to explore systems that are too distant in space and time to be observed directly and too complex to be solved analytically. The prospect of harnessing the ever increasing power of state-of-the art computing machines to unravel the mysteries of the …show more content…

I opted for the more demanding Honors program and accomplished the rare feat of finishing its credit requirements in my third year, completing more graduate-level physics courses than any other student. Before I found my niche in astrophysics, I had attempted to explore every possible branch of physics. I sometimes had my hands full; yet I managed to cover the material at my own pace by often studying during vacations. This strategy gave me a broad understanding of different branches of physics, from elementary particle physics to fluid mechanics, and how they are interconnected. Despite the massive course-load I had undertaken, my performance in each semester has been monotonically increasing over the past three years, placing me fifth among thirty students on the basis of cumulative

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