How important is mathematics in astrophysics?

Recently I've realised how much the topic means to me and how much I'd love to be apart of the endless discoveries. I've been reading and watching a lot on Neil DeGrasse Tyson among others ( Richard Dawkins ) The problem is I'm pretty bad at maths, I know it'll hold me back so I'm wondering if there is any subdivision in astrophysics that doesn't require one to have great mathematical skills.|||Keep in mind there isn't much at all you can do in astrophysics without a PhD in astronomy or physics, and not all that many jobs even if you have one. To get one, you'd major in physics and take classes in math, astronomy, and computer science (and also have to be good at reading, writing, and public speaking). You'd take calculus I and II, math for physicists I and II, linear algebra, discrete math, and differential equations, along with a ton of math in physics. You don't have to love math, but you have to be good at it and be capable of using it every day in your work. No, there's really no field of astronomy you can do anymore that doesn't require doing physics or math at all.|||Eri is spot on as always. Like her I'm also an astrophysicists. Your will need both an undergrad degree in physics, astrophysics or maths and then a phd in astrophysics which you will need maths for. You might be able to become a telescope operator without maths as they tend to come from a wide range of backgrounds but post a rare.|||Don't bother trying to become an astrophysicist. I probably could be one, as I know the math and the physics, and I like the work, but no doors ever opened for me. So I'm not a professional astrophysicist. I'm just a fellow who can do secondary astrophysics (using someone else's data) on an amateur basis.|||%26lt;QUOTE%26gt;How important is mathematics in astrophysics?%26lt;/QUOTE%26gt;



Attempting to do astrophysics without using mathematics would be like attempting to write UNDERSTANDABLE English using only half of the letters of the alphabet.

Let's try it:



"Aeming d ahic ih ing mahemaic ld be like aeming ie ndeandable Englih ing nl half f he lee f he alhabe."



Hmmm...



Physicists in general (and astrophysicists in particular) don't use mathematics because they like to pretend to be very smart. Rather, mathematics is necessary because it's what you use to measure things.





%26lt;QUOTE%26gt;I'm pretty bad at maths%26lt;/QUOTE%26gt;



Having a good mentor is very important. If you're still young, you're in luck because you might still catch up, provided you find some good help. If you're up for it, you can pick a book and if your teachers are not up for it you may want to try visiting a forum and asking questions. Be as specific as possible so people are best able to assist you.



But it all boils down to what exactly you want to do. If you just want to do some observational astronomy, you don't need too complicated mathematics; it all comes down to logarithmic scales, and some trigonometry -- and that's pretty much it. But if you want to go a little beyond that and actually delve into phenomenology, you'll REALLY have to go into math (differential calculus, integral calculus, etc) but usually that's college level stuff. But in one case or another, you learn mathematics by finding specific examples and applying them.



Pick a good astronomy book to see how well you're dealing with it. Usually I suggest something like Zeilik and Gregory's "Introductory Astronomy and Astrophysics" (try googling it or check on an online book store). It doesn't go too deep into math, but has just enough to get a glimpse of things; when you pick the references they provide, many of them do have more maths.