School of Chemical and Physical Sciences brochures Physics Astrophysics brochure 2019 | Page 27

PHYSICS AND ASTROPHYSICS | 27
Some ideas for your degree...
Single Honours
Physics or Physics
with Astrophysics
Your course will have provided you
with a range of analytic, computational
and communication skills. A Physics or
Physics with Astrophysics degree from
Keele will prepare you for many different
careers. Employers value versatile,
numerate graduates who can analyse,
investigate and communicate. You could
take up roles as a research scientist,
medical physicist, geophysicist,
software engineer, or teacher; take
on roles that are not directly related
to physics such as in management or
public services; or you might branch
out to become a data analyst, science
writer, chartered accountant or IT
consultant. Many of our graduates will
go onto study for further degrees at
Masters level or continue into research
at PhD level. Combining Physics or
Astrophysics with another subject may
offer some more specific opportunities,
as the examples below illustrate.
Physics and
Mathematics
Mathematics is the language of Physics.
It gives us the means to express
physical concepts and principles
with maximum precision, compare
them rigorously to experimental data,
manipulate them logically to predict
new phenomena, and finally refine
or revise them in the light of any
shortcomings. While the requisite
mathematical tools to do Physics are
taught from first principles entirely within
the Physics course, modules in pure
Mathematics can add a greater depth
of understanding from a more abstract
point of view. Conversely, ideas and
calculations met as routine in Physics
can provide grounding for some of the
methods and techniques developed in
applied Mathematics.
Astrophysics and
Computer Science
Perhaps more than any other discipline,
Astrophysics has made enormous
strides in recent years as a direct
consequence of advances in computing
hardware and software. For example,
the breathtaking images and other
data we receive from any space-
based observatory rely on hardware
and software at the telescope itself,
telemetry down to a ground station
and transmission of digital files to an
astronomer, followed by sophisticated
reduction and analysis of the received
data. Furthermore, it is now possible to
use large-scale “number crunching” on
GPUs or multi-core clusters to calculate
(for example) the fates of millions of
stars as two galaxies collide. With such
advanced techniques, it is now possible
to address problems that would have
been inconceivable not long ago.
Physics and Chemistry
Physics and Chemistry are
complementary disciplines. For
example, in the Physics course students
cover the fundamental principles of
atomic structure that underlie the
configuration of the periodic table,
and the basic quantum physics,
thermodynamics and solid-state physics
that support studies in spectroscopy,
analysis, kinetics and structure within
Chemistry. Many physical processes,
such as X-ray diffraction and electron
microscopy, are used by both physicists
and chemists to study the structure
of materials (such as crystals and
polymers) at the atomic level.
Astrophysics and
Geology
Both of these sciences are firmly
based on experimental fieldwork,
except that in the Astrophysics case
this is astronomical observation.
The geological nature of planets
and other bodies in space are of
significant scientific interest, and
also of commercial interest as future
sources of minerals. Astrogeological
activity (including, for example,
planetary volcanoes) is another
area of common interest. From the
career perspective this combination
prepares students well for work in
exploration and in geophysics, as well
as providing rewarding study of a huge
range of natural phenomena across
the Universe.
keele.ac.uk/physics