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:
- Current generation Intel, AMD, or Apple Processor
- Minimum of 16GB memory
- Minimum of 256+GB SSD storage
- A dedicated Graphics Card
- A 3 or 4 year warranty that includes Accidental Damage coverage
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:
- Access your email and files from anywhere, on any device
- Store your files in the University-connected OneDrive cloud, for anywhere-access to your stuff
- Download the latest version of Microsoft Office for installation on your laptop or desktop computer
- Install the Microsoft Office App on your mobile devices
- Access Microsoft Office Online (a simplified version of Microsoft Office) even on systems that do not have Microsoft Office installed.
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:
- Visit Wolfram
- If you do not have an account create one using your Illinois State email as the user name.
- Log in with your account and select student
- Select Get Mathematica Desktop
- Complete the Wolfram Activation Key Request Form
- Follow the instructions in the email you receive
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).
