# Engineer -\> Physisist -\> Mathematiction What's next? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 5, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256 "2011-04-05T11:58:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Deflagration](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3ab097/32.png) [@Deflagration](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deflagration)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/1 "2011-04-05T11:58:32Z")
I’m a physics guy. That’s how I think. When I get stuck. I ask a maths dude. What’s next? ---
**Author:** ![willthekittensurvive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/91b2a8/32.png) [@willthekittensurvive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/willthekittensurvive)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/2 "2011-04-05T12:02:42Z")
A philosopher? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/3 "2011-04-05T12:08:18Z")
A spellchecker? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/4 "2011-04-05T12:11:29Z")
The church near me says that “Jesus is the answer.” Although it may have been to a different question. ---
**Author:** ![iamnotbatman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/858c86/32.png) [@iamnotbatman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamnotbatman)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/5 "2011-04-05T12:20:47Z")
Witten. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/6 "2011-04-05T12:27:38Z")
mice ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/7 "2011-04-05T12:28:01Z")
They should have sent… a poet. ---
**Author:** ![Indian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@Indian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indian)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/8 "2011-04-05T12:50:32Z")
Engineer -\> Physisist -\> Mathematician then SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/9 "2011-04-05T13:17:07Z")
accountant ---
**Author:** ![Manlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Manlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manlob)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/10 "2011-04-05T13:26:58Z")
Don’t give up on the engineers so quickly. I don’t know what kind of question you usually get stuck on, but most engineers I know could help you with some math and physics questions, such has how to spell “physicist” or “mathematician”. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/11 "2011-04-05T13:50:41Z")
Well, mathematics is a branch of logic, which is a branch of philosophy, which, ultimately, is a concern of language, so the English department is the highest mucky-muck of the intellectual fields and funding ought to reflect that. 😉 (Alternately, logic is a branch of the formal grammars, which are an element of programming language design, so computer science is the most fundamental of the fundamental truth-seeking academic disciplines, and everything else is philately.) ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/12 "2011-04-05T14:10:25Z")
Huh. I never knew I was supposed to go to physicists for help. > [@Manlob](#): > > most engineers I know could help you with some math and physics questions, such has how to spell “physicist” or “mathematician”. The really funny part about that is that engineers are one of the worst groups for spelling and grammar on the planet. “I usta couldn’t spel injineer now I R one” is a common engineering joke. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/13 "2011-04-05T14:16:37Z")
Sigh. Mathematicians don’t have anywhere to go for help. ---
**Author:** ![sohvan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/96bed5/32.png) [@sohvan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sohvan)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/14 "2011-04-05T14:22:16Z")
A mathematician would ask another mathematician or a computer depending on the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Sparky812](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Sparky812](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sparky812)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/15 "2011-04-05T14:29:09Z")
The ultimate engineering equation is: x=ky, where k equals anything and everything it might take to make x = y ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/16 "2011-04-05T14:57:35Z")
> [@willthekittensurvive](#): > > A philosopher? That would be my answer. I am reminded of the old joke/grafitto: > [@](#): > > GOD is applied POWER > which is applied GOVERNMENT > which is applied POLITICS > which is applied ADVERTISING > which is applied SOCIOLOGY > which is applied PSYCHOLOGY > which is applied BIOLOGY > which is applied CHEMISTRY > which is applied PHYSICS > which is applied MATH > which is applied PHILOSOPHY > which is applied BULLSHIT ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/17 "2011-04-05T14:58:24Z")
[Obligatory](http://xkcd.com/435/) ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/18 "2011-04-05T15:30:51Z")
I thought it was mathematician \> another mathematician \> Paul Erdos (If you’re lucky) Or, alternately, it goes mathematician \> another mathematician \> another mathematician and on around until you need something actually done at which point you ask an engineer. ---
**Author:** ![SeldomSeen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7ba0ec/32.png) [@SeldomSeen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeldomSeen)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/19 "2011-04-05T16:14:58Z")
Engineer -\> Physisist -\> Mathematiction -\> **Janitor** ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 5, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256/20 "2011-04-05T17:36:14Z")
The version I heard was that biology was just applied chemistry, chemistry was just applied physics, physics was just applied mathematics, mathematics was just applied logic, logic was just applied philosophy, philosophy was just applied psychology, and psychology was just applied biology. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/engineer-physisist-mathematiction-whats-next/577256.md?page=2)