The Triple Alpha Process for Helium Fusion
Cambridge is renowned for the excellence of its Mathematics course. Equally challenging and rewarding, it offers the opportunity to study a wide range of subjects: everything from black holes to the most abstruse logic problems.
The University Mathematics course covers pure and applied mathematics and statistics, including applications of mathematics to physics, to decision-making processes, to financial modelling and to numerical techniques for computation. It is the course for prospective academic mathematicians but it is by no means only for them. Its graduates go into both academic and industrial research, into the computing industry and the financial world, into teaching, into management, administration and many other careers.
The course is among the most demanding undergraduate mathematics courses in the world. If you want to learn as much as possible of mathematics and all its applications and are prepared to work hard to do so, then Churchill is the place for you. If you enjoy mathematics, we hope you will apply to us. Our undergraduates span the full range of abilities within the University and we endeavour to teach inclusively at all levels. Our mathematics students tend to form a congenial social group who are very willing to support each other's studies. We look forward to teaching you in due course.
This course provides an excellent start for those who believe they will specialise in theoretical physics by combining the first year of the Mathematics Tripos with the Physics course from the Natural Sciences Tripos. It is a distinct course only in the first year. After that students may transfer into the Natural Sciences course to specialise in physics with an experimental bias or continue in Mathematics as a theoretical physicist or indeed as a pure mathematician. Applications to Churchill College are considered alongside all mathematics applications.
| Essential | Highly desirable/useful |
| A Level/IB Higher Level Mathematics and AS Level Further Mathematics | A Level/IB Further Mathematics and Physics, Mechanics modules are highly desirable |
| Essential | Highly desirable/useful |
| A Level/IB Higher Level Mathematics and Physics and AS Level Further Mathematics | A Level/IB Further Mathematics, Mechanics modules are highly desirable |
For entry from October 2019 Further Mathematics will be treated as essential for those taking A-levels. This is to reflect the fact that almost all those entering by this route do have a Further Mathematics A-level and that those who do not must do extra work during the first year to make up. We shall however continue to look kindly on special cases where Further Mathematics is truly not an option and we consider the candidate capable of the extra work. Physics and mathematics mechanics modules are highly desirable as an introduction to applied courses. They are not essential and a remedial course is offered during the first term and this can be accommodated within the normal workload of able students.
Applicants are not required to submit any examples of written work.
Applicants will have a single interview with an academic Fellow of the College and an assistant.
Applicants will be required to sit a one-hour non-calculator pre-interview test in mathematical skills during their interview visit. The tests will not be based on any particular syllabus and no past papers are available.
If you are looking to extend your knowledge of Mathematics, you might enjoy exploring the following websites:
For more information and for all admissions enquiries, please contact the Admissions Office.
The Triple Alpha Process for Helium Fusion © Christopher Tout