Physics 89

Physics 89 explains the mathematical topics needed for physics courses.

Overview

Physics 89 class covers a variety of physically useful mathematical concepts. The class explores such topics as linear algebra (the incredibly useful study of anything “linear”), tensor analysis (where students learn to bypass extensive computations with index notation), complex analysis (an inquiry into an amazing extension of the familiar real numbers), Fourier and Laplace transforms (the dissection of all signals into pure tones), and others. Physics 89 tackles these topics with a practical slant, focusing less on the mathematical rigor of each argument and more on applications of newfound mathematical tools to physics.

Prerequisites

Math 53, Physics 5A or Physics 7A may be taken concurrently.

Student Comments

“This course is a replacement of Math 54 for Physics and Astrophysics majors. The skills you learned in this class are the foundational math skills you need for all upper division physics classes.” – Andrew Hsu, undergraduate physics/astrophysics

“I would say that in a sense Physics 89 was among the most useful I've taken at Berkeley; at least with Austin Hedeman I found that the material kept coming in handy again and again throughout my undergrad career.” – anonymous