Of Fortran and Physicists: Part I

So, a few days ago, I printed the phrase "hello world" in five languages: Python, Lua, C++, Java, and Fortran. I eventually intend to pick each language back up and learn more about them, but today is the day of Fortran. Why Fortran? Why today? Well, Because today was the day my professor asked to meet with me and teach me Fortran, and I see no reason to duplicating effort later on. That being said, I have decided to split today's post into three parts:

Part I: The Trinity of Physics Research

Part II: Why Fortran?

Part III: Fun with Fortran

So, let's get started!

Part I:

The Trinity of Physics Research

I am an undergraduate physics major at my university, and am planning to go to graduate school after the spring of 2014. That being said, when I inform others that I study physics, their reaction is typically one of disdain or disgust--as if there is some sort of spider crawling up the side of my face. It would seem that in one way or another, the mighty forces of physics have taught everyone their place, whether that be in elementary school when they were attempting to jump off a jungle gym, or in college when they realized that there were some things in life that take long and arduous thought to understand. To me, though, physics is kinda fun. I spend my days thinking philosophically about the world and then sprinkle in some math when I see the need. Sure, it's not everyone's cup of Java, but it's good enough for me. That being said, when entering the world of physics research, I was given a choice from one of three branches: Theoretical, Experimental, or Computational Physics. 

The realm of theoretical physics is filled with massively intelligent individuals who can observe a system and intuitively know how and why it works the way it does. Think of Einstein or Maxwell, two famous individuals who continually produced brilliant ideas for the good of humanity. Theoretical physicists are the testers, the tinkerers--those guys who have a smug little smile creep along their faces the moment you open your mouth, as if they are thinking, "Oh, it's so cute that you can still be so naive." Truth be told, I like these guys. If you ever have a question, you can rest assured that they know the answer--or at least how to get near enough to the answer that no one questions their logic.

The second branch of physics research is experimental physics. Of the three, these guys are closest to engineers. They are known for their massive laboratories with giant magnets, particle accelerators, and tokomacs. Chances are when you think of "cool physics," you think of experimentalists. The other day, I heard a few experimentalists talking and swore I heard the phrase, "big ----ing laser" at least a dozen times. Generally spaking, these guys love their research and love to talk about their research--especially because it is often easier to understand than their theoretical counterparts.

Finally, the third branch of research is computational physics. As you might imagine, computational physics is somewhat younger than the other branches of physics research, but still older than computational research in other scientific fields. Because of this, computational physicists are usually also tied to either theory or experiment. Most theoretical physicists also use computational methods to enhance their theoretical work. That being said, within the past few decades, the sheer number of computational physicists, especially in atomic and molecular physics, definitely define the field as it's own branch of research.

If you are interested pursuing physics as a career, you may wish to decide between one (or more) of these paths. Remember, though, that physics research is not for everyone. In most cases, it takes roughly a decade of dedicated research towards one, specific field to even stand a chance at being highers.