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Majors within the Department of Physics
Platform and Operating System (Mac vs Windows)
Department of Physics’ students, depending on their major and/or plan of study, will develop experience using a variety of computing environments, including Windows, Macintosh, and Linux.
Computer Specifications
In order to complete their coursework, students will often find it necessary to use computers in their residence, around campus, in classes, or when meeting with project groups. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that students purchase a laptop as they will be disadvantaged without one.
In addition, due to the numerical modeling that is required in physics courses, it is recommended that computers follow TechZone’s “New Advanced” recommendations. Laptop computers should have webcam and the ability to connect to a wide variety of external displays for sharing and presenting work.
A Physics major will find that a computer that meets the following specs (regardless of platform) meets the needs of their major:
A selection of models sold at TechZone that meet these requirements are found at the end of this page. For a complete listing of models return to the home page by clicking the TechZone logo above and browsing by brand. This list is by no means exhaustive and provides only a small example of the models available.
TechZone recommends a primary computing device with a full-featured Windows or Mac operating System. Chromebooks, iPads, and some entry-level Windows devices are not sufficient for all needs across the University but can be used as secondary devices.
Software Recommendations
Office 365 is a service, available to all faculty, staff and students at Illinois State University. It allows you to:
Need assistance installing Microsoft Office? Visit TechZone Service Center in the Bone Student Center for in person assistance or watch either of the following videos: Windows or MacOS.
Mathematica is provided to all students at no cost. To request access:
Students should also be prepared to become proficient in a programming language such as Fortran, C or Python, as well as Mathematica. Compilers for most languages are freely available online.
In addition, some programming assignments will be done using SFTP connections to our (on-campus) machines. There are several free SFTP clients available for all platforms (e.g. PC, Mac, Linux).
