物理学被定义为对自然的那部分的研究，可以用数学术语来理解。物理学家使用数学来帮助他们理解世界的巨大复杂性：对于伽利略来说，数学对他们来说是自然界的语言。达特茅斯大学的物理学专业旨在为学生提供分析思维，问题解决和物理学基础方面的坚实基础。入门课程是为数不多的坐在树下的学生提供的：即使您以前从未有过物理学，也可以在达特茅斯开始物理专业。还有一些入门序列，专为在数学，数学和物理学方面都处于高级位置的学生而设计。后来，各种各样的高级选修课允许每个学生量身定制物理和天文学专业，以符合自己的兴趣。
Physics has been defined as the study of that part of Nature which can be understood in mathematical terms. Physicists use mathematics to help them comprehend the enormous complexity of the world: to them, as to Galileo, mathematics is the language of Nature. As our knowledge of the physical world becomes deeper, more of it becomes amenable to mathematical formulation, and hence part of physics: for example, atoms used to be regarded as the domain of the chemist alone, while now atomic physics is at the core of the physics curriculum. Mathematics also advances, and becomes able to tackle problems previously thought to be beyond its scope. The great physicist Richard Feynman said in 1963 that he could not conceive of a mathematical description of a cloud, but at that very moment Benoit Mandelbrot was developing the mathematics of fractals, which turned out to provide just that description. As a result, new branches of physics, such as condensed matter physics and non-linear dynamics, are continually coming into being, as are hybrids with other sciences, for example, chemical physics, geophysics, biophysics and psychophysics. Students graduating with a B.A. in physics from Dartmouth go on to careers in business, industry, law, teaching, and medicine, as well as to graduate school in physics, astronomy, history of science, and earth science. The physics major at Dartmouth is designed to provide students with a solid foundation in analytic thinking, problem solving, and the fundamentals of physics. The introductory courses are offered at a number of levels: you can begin a physics major at Dartmouth even if you've never had any physics before. There are also introductory sequences designed for students with advanced placement in just math, or in math and physics both. Later on, a wide variety of upper level electives allow each student to tailor the physics and astronomy major to match their own interests.