Computational Physics MPhys personal statement example

Why do you want to study this course or subject?

Most weekday mornings, the queue on the road outside my sixth form stops and starts in waves, even when nothing seems to be blocking it. Last summer I wanted to know whether that could happen without a cause, so I wrote a Python version of the Nagel–Schreckenberg model. In this model, cars on a ring of cells speed up, keep their distance and occasionally slow down at random. With only those rules, jams formed and drifted backwards against the flow, which matched what I see from the bus window. What held my attention was less the result than the process. I had to choose the rules, check whether the jams depended on the density I set, and decide what the model could not tell me about real roads. Computational physics appeals to me because it uses physical reasoning to set up a problem and programming to explore systems that are hard to solve by hand. I want a degree where numerical methods are taught as part of physics, and where an integrated master's gives time for a substantial project.

How have your qualifications and studies helped you to prepare?

My four A levels fit together more than I expected. Further Maths introduced me to differential equations, and Computer Science showed me how to turn them into working code. For my Computer Science project I am building a simulator of a planet orbiting a star. My first version used the Euler method, and the orbit slowly spiralled outwards as the total energy crept up. After reading about other integrators, I switched to velocity Verlet. The energy then stayed close to constant over thousands of orbits, and I added a plot to show the difference. It is the part of the project I am proudest of, because I understood why the change worked rather than just copying it. In Physics, I worked with two classmates on a damped spring practical. We filmed the oscillations and I tracked the mass in the free software Tracker. Then I fitted an exponential decay to the peaks while the others repeated runs with different masses. Splitting the work this way meant we finished with more data than other groups. Daniel Shiffman's The Nature of Code showed me how simple rules for forces and particles can be built up into simulations. It also gave me the idea of testing my code against cases with known answers. A visually convincing orbit is not enough to establish that the calculation is sound. Monitoring energy gave me a more useful check, and I want to understand how numerical error changes with the time step and the method rather than relying on appearance.

What else have you done to prepare outside of education, and why are these experiences useful?

Since Year 11 I have worked Saturdays at a garden centre, on the tills and the watering rota for the outdoor plants. On hot weekends the rota has to be rearranged around deliveries and staff breaks. I am now trusted to draft it, and I learned to explain changes clearly to colleagues who have worked there far longer than me. On Thursdays I collect my younger sister from swimming and make her tea while my mum works late. That has taught me to plan homework around fixed commitments rather than leaving it until late. Outside physics, I compete in orienteering with a local club. This year I helped plan a short course for the junior event, choosing control sites and checking each leg was fair for beginners. It was satisfying to watch eight-year-olds find every control. Reading a map at speed while estimating distance and height is not physics, but it has made me comfortable making quick judgements from incomplete information and checking them as I go. I also help at a weekly lunchtime maths drop-in for Year 9 pupils, which has made me better at explaining ideas step by step.