Which is the hardest science? Which is the easiest? Which is the most useful? Which is the least useful?

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Anonymous Sun Oct 27 19:30:05 2013 No.6119271 [Reply] [Original]

Which is the hardest science?
Which is the easiest?
Which is the most useful?
Which is the least useful?

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 19:33:35 2013 No.6119281 >physics >genchem >biology >historiography

Anonymous Sun Oct 27 19:34:04 2013 No.6119284

>Which is the hardest science?
Sociology because it needs real understanding instead of memorizing equations.
>Which is the easiest?
Physics because equations can be used without creativity.
>Which is the most useful?
Economics because money.
>Which is the least useful?
Math because it is only mental masturbation.

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 19:37:04 2013 No.6119295 File: 17 KB, 350x350, 1377021720259.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>6119284 Not even sure anymore if this is a troll or actually trying to make a joke.

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 19:40:05 2013 No.6119305 >>6119284 >Math because it is only mental masturbation. that's true though

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 19:43:04 2013 No.6119314 > Which is the hardest science? Physics > Which is the easiest? Physics > Which is the most useful? Applied Physics > Which is the least useful? Theoretical Physics prove me wrong

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 19:54:35 2013 No.6119346 >>6119305 It depends on whether you're talking about pure or applied math. If the mathematics is too far removed from concrete computational processes, it quickly enters the realm of the useless.

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 20:00:04 2013 No.6119355 >>6119314 > Which is the hardest science? Fluid Mechanics > Which is the easiest? Statics > Which is the most useful? Applied Physics > Which is the least useful? Theoretical Physics ftfy

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 20:07:05 2013 No.6119367 >>6119284 high quality post

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 21:39:01 2013 No.6119516 >hardest and most useful science What I'm doing. >easiest and least useful science What I'm not doing.

Anonymous Sun Oct 27 21:47:46 2013 No.6119532
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>>6119271
>Which is the hardest science?
to me, it's algebraic geometry. super-hard.

>Which is the easiest?
hard to say... maybe classical physics.

>Which is the most useful?
computer science. it's pervasive and everywhere you look.

>Which is the least useful?
quantum theory. right now, it just doesn't matter in your life. CS could make it relevant to larger swaths of population with quantum computing but that's far in the future.

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 21:56:58 2013 No.6119553 >>6119271 >Which is the easiest? >Which is the least useful? CS

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 21:56:58 2013 No.6119554 >hard geology because rocks are hard >easy geology because its so awesome and interesting >most useful geology because you can get a job in industry >least useful geology when you cant get a job in industry

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 21:58:28 2013 No.6119558 >>6119271 anything can become hard it just depends on how deep you go

Anonymous Sun Oct 27 21:59:28 2013 No.6119561

>>6119314
Applied and theoretical go hand in hand. Modern nano-science is a prime example; it wouldn't exist without the theoretical motivation from quantum statistical physics. People just need to remember that sciences are empirical when all's said and done.

Anonymous Sun Oct 27 22:06:28 2013 No.6119579

>>6119532
>quantum theory

I'm really not sure what you mean by that; are you inferring that quantum theory doesn't offer any useful contributions? Semiconductor technology is based on quantum physics, LASERs and MASERs, Scanning Tunneling Microscopes etc.; these are just naming applications that everybody knows, however suffice to say that modern physics including our standard gadgetry, required quantum theory to develop.

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 22:07:28 2013 No.6119581 >>6119579 >Semiconductor technology is based on quantum physics, Huh? Where did you get that from?

Anonymous Sun Oct 27 22:16:57 2013 No.6119592

>>6119581
Semiconductors are fundamentally explained by quantum physics, or to take it further, there is no classical explanation of the behaviour of semiconductors. At the very least you need pauli, fermi levels, delocalisation etc.

You can get some vague idea with the Drude model and a free electron gas, which is indeed classical. However that's a far too crude model to actually apply.

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 22:33:56 2013 No.6119608 >>6119532 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_mechanics#Applications

>>	Anonymous Sun Oct 27 22:48:27 2013 No.6119618 File: 90 KB, 318x235, 1358725137042.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>6119554 >geology These math scrubs don't know a schist from a gneiss.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 06:00:29 2013 No.6120106 File: 132 KB, 680x680, 8e7.png [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>6119284 10/10

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 06:13:00 2013 No.6120129

> Which is the hardest science?
I'd say physics and advanced mathematics go hand-in-hand here. They reach a level of such an abstraction and require so much work it's no wonder so few people succeed at them. "I'm not good at maths" and "I don't get physics" must be the two most often heard phrases during one's education.

> Which is the easiest?
Some bullshit like sociology, management sciences or philosophy (if we call them "sciences"). They have absolutely no content and it's a disgrace you can actually get a "degree" in them.

> Which is the most useful?
"Useful" in what terms? Physics + Chemistry + Biology help us understand the natural world, Economics + Law help us understand and operate in a man-made environment, Engineering sciences actually deliver tangible structures. All of them are pretty useful imho.

> Which is the least useful?
Philosophy, hands down, no contest.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 06:48:05 2013 No.6120190 >>6119592 semiconductors are explained very well without ever talking about quantum mechanics. classical approximations are more than enough to describe the vast majority of their behavior.

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 06:52:05 2013 No.6120198

>>6120190
id add, that QM is actually a horrible direction to take to explain behavior in semiconductors. QM works in isolated systems that are very small and very cold. semi conductors are none of the above. they are macro systems that usually operate at room temperature. quantum behaviors dont even come close to emerging until you start scaling shit down and reducing dimensions (quantum dots, quantum bridges), and even then you usually need to drop the temperature to within a few kelvin from absolute zero before you see anything interesting.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 07:01:36 2013 No.6120215 >>6119271 Hard is a relative term. What is more important is how passionate you are anyone is about the subject. Same with use all science interconnects at some point. Depending on how much detail you go into the subject.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 07:01:36 2013 No.6120216 >>6120190 >what is tunneling >what is band structure can't tell if retard or troll

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 07:40:36 2013 No.6120241 >>6119532 Yeah man fuck light switches don't need no QM #YOLO.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 08:11:06 2013 No.6120275 >>6120129 lmao if you actually think philosophy is easy because grasping the Kantian noumenon is easier than dissecting dead things, right?

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 08:42:00 2013 No.6120309 >>6120275 Yes.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 08:46:39 2013 No.6120315 >>6120198 wat the fuck? QM is used in quantum statistics and statistical mechanics all the time.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 08:48:10 2013 No.6120317 File: 119 KB, 572x700, give her the doge.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>6120275

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 08:49:10 2013 No.6120318 >>6120216 > what is band structure The little bands of colour on resistors, of course! Resistors are semiconductors because they don't conduct all of the current.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 09:27:40 2013 No.6120336 >>6120318 >Resistors are semiconductors 2/10

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 10:02:09 2013 No.6120361

>Which is the hardest science?
Mathematics is the most abstract and furthest from normal people's general thinking
>Which is the easiest?
The easiest to learn would be biology, since you don't need to understand complex concepts
>Which is the most useful?
Medicine
>Which is the least useful?
Psychology

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 10:35:10 2013 No.6120385 >>6120361 >since you don't need to understand complex concepts dude what

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 10:35:39 2013 No.6120384 physics biology chemistry economics

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 10:41:40 2013 No.6120391
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>>6120361
>The easiest to learn would be biology, since you don't need to understand complex concepts

But I have to agree that many graduated biologists have no idea of a lot of stuff they should be familiar with. But again this is true to most graduates disregard of their field.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 10:45:10 2013 No.6120394 File: 8 KB, 190x133, image.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>6120391

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 10:57:40 2013 No.6120411 >>6120391 http://www.cc.gatech.edu/~turk/bio_sim/articles/metabolic_pathways_2006.pdf

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:04:39 2013 No.6120415 >>6119271 >math >sociology >biology >theoretical math

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:05:39 2013 No.6120418 >HARDEST science CS >SOFTEST science Sociology >Most Difficult Physics >Least Difficult Political science >Most useful Biology >Least useful Cosmology >inb4 CS >inb4 biology hard science Hardness/softness is defined by rigor, rigidity, coherency.

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:06:39 2013 No.6120419

>>6119271

My answers are on getting a degree, eg. "whats the hardest science to get a degree in/ most useless degree"

>Which is the hardest science?

Pure-mathematics. Can have some really abstract/complex things to wrap your head around.

>Which is the easiest?

Probably something business or sociology related

>Which is the most useful?

Applied/physical science, CS, and business

>Which is the least useful?

Philosophy and premed (if you don't get into med school).

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:12:09 2013 No.6120424 >>6120361 5/10 for actually making me respond. Psychology isn't a science. Half of it's people just guessing about things and using conjecture to back it up.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:19:39 2013 No.6120430 Which is the hardest science? Math Which is the easiest? Chemistry Which is the most useful? Math Which is the least useful? Physics (it's just a subset of math for people with big egos)

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:31:09 2013 No.6120445 >>6120418 >Hardness/softness is defined by rigor, rigidity, coherency Then math is the hardest science.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:34:09 2013 No.6120449 >>6120445 Only it isn't a science

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:36:10 2013 No.6120452 >>6120449 Every argument against math as a science can be used against CS as a science.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:36:40 2013 No.6120454 >>6120430 You're a math major, aren't you?

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:40:39 2013 No.6120459 protip everyone: math is math, not science unless you want to include metaphysics as science. If you can't observe it, and can't experiment on it, it's not a science. Applied math maybe

>>	smarter than you !!6EmLjTOTG91 Mon Oct 28 11:43:10 2013 No.6120467 >>6120452 Yes, and the argument remains factually correct. Science is defined by the scientific method.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:43:10 2013 No.6120465 >hardest computation theory or theoretical physics >easiest physics >most useful computer science >least useful quantum physics

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:43:10 2013 No.6120464 >>6120459 What the fuck am I reading.

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:43:40 2013 No.6120463

>>6120452
How long have you been here?
Lurk before posting.

Math is different than all other sciences no matter how soft they are.

Math is the only purely abstract, it is standalone.
Based on axioms and builds on itself without giving a fuck about reality

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:47:09 2013 No.6120474 >>6120464 the internets

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:52:10 2013 No.6120484 >>6120275 >if you actually think philosophy is easy Talk about mental masturbation and a complete waste of time. . . . All you need is a little Seneca in your life. Put down that other bullshit and start living. Easiest classes I've ever taken.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:53:39 2013 No.6120486 File: 25 KB, 275x404, index.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>6120465 I don't believe in CS.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:53:39 2013 No.6120487 >>6120361 >>Which is the least useful? >Psychology Who told you this was a science? Oh, right, your Psychology professor. . . . Bet you didn't make it out of baby algebra, did you?

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:56:10 2013 No.6120492 >>6120459 I guess you used this as reasoning to drop out of Calc I. go back to /int/

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 11:58:40 2013 No.6120494 >>6119618 I got microline my nigga >the only reason i learned geology is dwarf fortress

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 12:01:41 2013 No.6120499 >>6120487 But psychology IS considered a science.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 12:25:12 2013 No.6120533 >>6120487 >a field of study based on the scientific method isnt a science okay

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 12:32:41 2013 No.6120537

>Which is the hardest science?

Macroeconomics quite easily. It has to integrate everything. Bias runs rampant due to its politicized nature. Study periods are measured in several decades. There are only a limited number of cases, but almost infinite number of variables.

It's not a coincidence macroeconomics is possibly the least understood of all sciences. We should dedicate hundreds of billions annually to study it, as opposed to few hundreds of millions. Out of all the sciences it easily has the most potential to improve the lives of all people.

>Which is the easiest?

Math. It's pure and doesn't suffer from bias and confounding factors.

>Which is the most useful?

Probably chemistry.

>Which is the least useful?

Possibly some social sciences. Not because the science itself isn't worthy, but because the practitioners are biased.

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 12:35:41 2013 No.6120540
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>>6120537
>macroeconomics
>science
yeah, you can't perform experiments and you're not observing natural phenomenon. It's a cultural study at best. I bet you think political science is science as well.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 12:38:42 2013 No.6120543 File: 115 KB, 648x864, image.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>6120537

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 12:41:41 2013 No.6120546

>>6120540

It's science if you apply the scientific method and principles. Experiments are conducted constantly, but there are so many variables that performing studies like in physics or even medicine aren't possible.

It's in very poor shape, though, I don't deny that. If I had a couple of billion and wanted to make a difference, I'd create a foundation to study macroeconomics. Buy a supercomputer and run endless simulations.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 12:41:41 2013 No.6120547 File: 20 KB, 250x250, 1346437845112.jpg [View same] [iqdb] [saucenao] [google] >>6120540 >not observing natural phenomenon >implying all phenomena aren't inherently natural

Anonymous Mon Oct 28 12:53:12 2013 No.6120557

Which is the hardest science?
>social science

Which is the easiest?
>maths, just learn and apply formulas

Which is the most useful?
>social science, by far

Which is the least useful?
>physics/maths, hurr we found higgs boson, fucking world changing discovery right here.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 13:06:42 2013 No.6120566 >>6120557 1.5/10 raged slightly

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 13:07:41 2013 No.6120567 >>6120557 >apply formulas Infers said formulas pre-exist.

>>	Anonymous Mon Oct 28 13:57:51 2013 No.6120631 >all this field circlejerking Can we all just admit that engineers and the like are useful so people don't knock on our doors asking us how to build houses or clean their water?

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/sci/ - Science & Math