Member Avatar for random100

Hi,
I'm currently a 2nd year undergrad computer engineering student and am planning on becoming a hardware design engineer. I'm finishing up with general physics 2 with calculus, and was wondering what topics in general physics that I learn in college are actually use on the job. Also what skills and knowledge should I be focusing on to prepare for the workforce after graduation ? I know programming and logic design are key, but what else?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by pogson
Member Avatar for chiurox

You could study database like mysql/sql with php, unix/linux, since you're doing computer engineering, you'll probably take some electrical engineering courses like circuit...

Member Avatar for mrnutty

Although I am still in college, I can still give my opinion hoping it will
help somehow.

For hardware designer, you will need about half CSE and half EE.

From physics 1, you might using basics law. I would think you will use more physics 2, since it will deal with electromagnetism, and more with
the physics of electricity. You will need higher level of math, presumably,
Although calc 1 might be used more than others.

Member Avatar for pogson

These days, most of the complexity/functionality of a computer is in integrated circuits so I vote for solid-state physics, semiconductors, optics, atoms, particle physics, diffusion, vacuum technology and lots of applied maths.

I can remember buying a bunch of 16 kilobit dynamic ram chips in 16-pin and CPUs in 40-pin dual-inline packages. Now we have chips with quad-core and hundreds of millions of transistors in each core and more than 1000 contacts. A lot of physics goes into those things. Engineers make it happen. I was in accelerator physics. Accelerators are used to make the short-wavelength light to etch stuff in such detail. Accelerators are used to deposit ions in semiconductors. All the neat stuff is done in high-vacuum clean environments on 600mm diameter wafers of silicon.

Where are we now? Those guys are making 22nm details in the chips. My CPU is almost obsolete being a 45 nm fire-breathing quad-core with 3 CPUs idling almost all the time.

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