Physics for Mathematicians

Educational institute: WiNSt (Mathematics and Physics and Astronomy)

Automatic approval for: students of Mathematics

EC: 30 EC

Additional information

Since Newton’s time (1642 – 1727) until approximately 1930, mathematics and theoretical physics were inseparable partners. Very often a breakthrough in one field also led to a big step forward in the other field, and it was not uncommon that this progress came forth from the work of one person, such as Newton himself, or Huygens, Euler, Lagrange, Laplace, Fourier, Gauss, Poisson, Cauchy, Jacobi, Hamilton, Riemann, and Poincaré. Their work is the foundation of the classic mathematical physics. A second blooming period in the early twentieth century shapes the work of famous physicians such as Einstein, Born, Dirac, and Wigner, and of famous mathematicians such as Hilbert, Weyl, von Neumann, and Kolmogorov. A combination of their ideas lies at the foundation of modern-day physics of, for example, the theory of general relativity, quantum mechanics, the mathematics of differential geometry, the Lie groups, and function analysis.

The minor Physics for Mathematicians is a coherent set of courses of 30 EC which prepares students for the Master’s specialisation Mathematical Physics in the group of Prof. dr. Klaas Landsman, Prof. dr. Gert Heckman, and Prof. dr. Erik Koelink. This research specialisation is very popular with mathematicians in Nijmegen.

The minor Physics consists of the following courses:
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