🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Oct5.002102.22858@riacs.edu>, danforth@riacs.edu (Douglas G. Danforth) writes...
> 
>How many of you (with BS, MS, or PhD in physics) were required to take
>a course in probability theory given by the math or statistics departments
>in your universities?  A course in statistical mechanics does NOT count.
> 
>I ask this simply because I had to leave the field of physics before I
>was exposed to the true beauty of probability theory.  Neither Stanford's
>undergraduate degree program nor the U. of Maryland's graduate program
>required a course in probability theory.  This is truely remarkable
>since Stanford's statistics department is about 100 feet from the
>physics building!

At MIT, there was no "requirement" for probability.  But when I was a 
Junior, and Gian-Carlo Rota offered course in Probability, I and many 
of my friends siezed the opportunity.  After having all gone through 
"Differential 'Quations" with him, we knew it would be a fantastic class,
and it was.

There were very few required classes outside of the core physics courses
and your basic courses which covered vector calculus, differential equations,
and linear algebra.  After that, you had to rely on the good sense that 
God gave you to choose your classes wisely.  I think that most of us did
alright, without the restrictions of course requirements.  

-Scott
--------------------
Scott I. Chase			"The question seems to be of such a character
SICHASE@CSA2.LBL.GOV		that if I should come to life after my death
				and some mathematician were to tell me that it
				had been definitely settled, I think I would
				immediately drop dead again."      - Vandiver