What is Physicists: Definition and 445 Discussions

A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate causes of phenomena, and usually frame their understanding in mathematical terms.
Physicists work across a wide range of research fields, spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic and particle physics, through biological physics, to cosmological length scales encompassing the universe as a whole.
The field generally includes two types of physicists: experimental physicists who specialize in the observation of physical phenomena and the analysis of experiments, and theoretical physicists who specialize in mathematical modeling of physical systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena.
Physicists can apply their knowledge towards solving practical problems or to developing new technologies (also known as applied physics or engineering physics).

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  1. Hypercube

    What Are the Most Common Stereotypes of Physicists?

    Please take below as a light-hearted topic suitable for the lounge area, I most certainly do not wish that it gets out of hand. Part I How often do you encounter people harbouring various stereotypes of physicists, either good or bad? Is there often a discrepancy between what people think you...
  2. K

    Chemistry Chemistry textbook for Physicists

    Hello Being a professional physicist(Quantum field theory and HS theory) I'd like to learn chemistry for some reasons. I've already tried to find a nice Chemistry textbook but failed to find physicist friendly one. My last class on chemistry was in high school like 11 years ago already, so my...
  3. George Keeling

    News What do theoretical physicists do?

    I took great comfort reading a New Scientist article on the Perimeter Institute, Canada where top theoretical physicists pass the day. They asked four how they get through the day. Two replies gave me great comfort: Asimina Arvanitaki I spend most of my time being confused about things and...
  4. S

    Memorable quotes from mathematicians & physicists

    Hi everyone! I just saw another PF thread requesting quotes from physicists about superposition. This particular thread topic made me curious about memorable quotes attributed to well-known mathematicians and physicists on any topic. Please share any memorable quotes you can find from famous...
  5. W

    B Any quotes from verified physicists about superposition?

    <Moderator's note: Approved. The original thread has been this. The relocation in QM is better suited in case the thread turns into a direction where physical questions are the subject rather than quotations.> I have heard many astounding things about QM. For example, that particles have no...
  6. W

    Outrageous Facts by Academically Validated Physicists

    Can anyone post here quotes from academically validated physicists that state outrageous facts? I realize that Bohr said that if one isn't shocked by QM one doesn't understand it. But I am looking for something more specific. For example a quote about superposition , entanglement etc. The idea...
  7. starstruck_

    CAP (Canadian association of physicists)

    Hey! I was just renewing my CAP membership but I accidentally forgot to change the year of graduation where it asks when you’re graduating (undergrad student). Do you think I should redo another renewal form with the correct date? (If that’s even okay) Or does it not really matter?
  8. astroman707

    Other Any physicists that struggled with intro physics?

    I’m 3 weeks into my first physics class at college; honors physics 1. I really want to major in physics because it’s really interesting, but I’m finding the class very difficult. Trying to solve the textbook problems and follow the professor’s train of thought is very tough, which is frankly...
  9. S

    Physicists who do research on complex systems

    Hi everyone. I have followed with interest in the work of physicists who have conducted research in the area of complex systems and nonlinear dynamics. For example, consider researchers such as Mark Newman from the University of Michigan, Jim Crutchfield of USC, or Doyne Farmer and David Wolpert...
  10. katatosh

    Managing Schizophrenia While Pursuing a Physics Degree: My Personal Experience

    << Mentor Note -- After a Mentor discussion we will try to let this thread proceed in the Academic Guidance forum >> Hi all! I was diagnosed with schizophrenia when I was 17. It has put me behind at school because I had to drop out for 2 semesters to get my mental health back. I was just...
  11. Entr0pic

    Courses Should ALL physicists take a course in general relativity?

    I will be proceeding onto my masters degree in theoretical physics in about two months time. My goal is to learn as much as I can about quantum and statistical physics, as this is the field in which I would like to do my PhD. In my second semester, I have the chance to either study the...
  12. Robin04

    Physics How do theoretical physicists work?

    I always imagine them sitting in their room behind their desks and working on their new theory like Einstein. I suppose most theorists work in groups nowadays to be more efficient but do these lonely workers still exist and are they supported financially or they're working in their free time?
  13. rpthomps

    Daily challenges confronting physicists

    Hi there, My question is more mundane and about your daily work experience. What are the daily challenges you encounter as physicists? What kind of problems prevents you from being as efficient or effective as you want to be? Thank you so much for your time!
  14. F

    Platform for theoretical physicists?

    I’m a young very ambitious student who would like to embrace a project. As a third year undergrad I feel pretty alone. My fellow colleagues are not very forward thinking nor want to do anything besides pass the exams. Are there any platforms/associations for young theoretical physicists...
  15. Giulio Prisco

    A Did nature or physicists invent the renormalization group?

    Or in other words: The renormalization group is a systematic theoretical framework and a set of elegant (and often effective) mathematical techniques to build effective field theories, valid at large scales, by smoothing out irrelevant fluctuations at smaller scales. But does the...
  16. ohwilleke

    I Why do particle physicists use Gaussian error estimates?

    There is solid empirical evidence that error in particle physics measurements is not actually distributed in a Guassian manner. Why don't particle physicists routinely use student t error distributions with fat tails that fit the reality of errors in experimental measurement more accurately...
  17. Hypercube

    Physics What do theoretical physicists actually do?

    Dear PF community, I was wondering, what do theoretical physicists actually do? Putting teaching and marking responsibilities aside, would you be able to describe to me your day-to-day activities when you do research? It is something that has been on my mind for a while. I suspect PF members...
  18. P

    Are Physicists better math puzzle solvers than mathematicans?

    This might appear absurd but concidering that math students are so preoccupied with acquring a deeper understanding of mathematics, most of the undergraduate exams are actually not problem solving math per se, but actually "proof of concept" type of excercises (quite different from solving...
  19. R

    Courses The math level of computer scientists and physicists

    I am wondering, what is the math level of your average CS or physics major? Like how much math do these two take beyond stuff like the Calculus sequence, differential equations and linear algebra? I was having a discussion with one of my old math professors from my community college (I'm in a...
  20. K

    A Are String Theory physicists violating the Scientific Method

    The Scientific Method says that if a theory disagrees with observations, it has been falsified (according to Karl Popper). String theory predicts that spacetime is 10-D, but it is observed to be 4-D. This is a wrong prediction by the theory. So string theory is falsified. String theorists then...
  21. J

    Physics Physicists (Theorists) who started from Liberal Arts College

    How rare is it that some physics student from a random liberal arts college go on to the likes of Harvard and Princeton for grad school and postdoc and now is a renowned physicist in the field? Do you know anyone like that?
  22. Gjmdp

    I If AI could replace physicists why should we still research?

    I mean, probably in the future an Artificial Intelligence may solve every problem of Physics and even create a theory of everything. I feel like all the progress physicist have done in 100 years could be done in the future by a machine like in 1 second. So why should we keep on doing research at...
  23. C

    Is modern physics as a course necessary for all future physicists?

    So I'm about to start my second year of college soon, I'm majoring in physics. I've noticed that some universities (places like Princeton, MIT, etc) don't have a course on modern physics, where a more superficial treatment is given to things like special relativity, quantum mechanics...
  24. PrathameshR

    Mathematical methods for physicists by Arfken and Weber

    I'm searching for a good online lecture series to go with the book Mathematical methods for physicists by arfken and Weber . Tell me If you know about such series . Other general tips on starting rigourous mathematical physics are also welcome.
  25. PrathameshR

    Mathematical methods for physicists

    I'm currently doing mechanical engineering undergraduate degree but I don't want to continue with this field for further education. I'm more interested in physics. That's why I have started studying on my own. I'm really confused how to start. I have purchased several classic textbooks on...
  26. .Scott

    B Physicists measure complementary properties using quantum cloning

    The title of this thread is the title to this Phys.org article posted today: https://phys.org/news/2017-08-physicists-complementary-properties-quantum-clones.html First, correct me if I'm wrong, but the problem is not that complementary states cannot be both measured, but that the there is a...
  27. Telemachus

    A workstation for physicists, and programming in GPUs

    Probably everyone is aware of the new cpu's by intel and amd, which will have many cores. The threadripper will be launched on August 10, and it will have up to 16 cores. I am making plans to build a workstation, the idea is to code in parallel, so the more cores is obviously the better. Also, I...
  28. rfranceschetti

    Engineering Job market for engineer physicists

    Hi all, Could you guys tell me how's the job market* for engineer physicists and engineer scientists? These majors seem very nice in terms of the range of the coursework, seeing many different parts of physics and chemistry. However, I'm quite skeptic about their career prospects. I see...
  29. Christopher Bauer

    Physics Any physicists willing to do a quick interview?

    I have a research paper on communication in the workplace for my technical communications class. I need to find two or more physicists that can answer about 12 questions on things like how much writing is done and things along those lines. This interview can be done over email or the phone. If...
  30. Jess Karakov

    Physics Physicists and physics majors, was it worth it?

    Hello PF. I'm a current sophomore in college studying aerospace engineering, but I was a physics major for most of last year. I am curious what would have become of that, since a lack of desire for low-paying employment opportunities trumped my aspirations in the field. I am curious, how many of...
  31. Greg Bernhardt

    Physicists create 'negative mass'?

    Now this sounds interesting! Is this really "negative mass" or is that marketing spin? Thoughts? Paper: https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.155301
  32. E

    I Do most physicists believe time flows?

    I am not asking the question as to whether or not time is real, I am asking the question as to whether or not time flows as in does physics favor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternalism_(philosophy_of_time) OR https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosophical_presentism OR...
  33. Goatman

    I How do physicists know when they’ve found a Higgs boson?

    I know the Higgs field and the capabilities of the Higgs Boson, but I could never understand how physicists concluded the finding of a Higgs Boson
  34. S

    For physicists, what area do you specialize in (revamped)

    Hi everyone! I had previously posted this poll question before, but I realized (after much feedback from you) that I had not appropriately asked the various research areas/divisions of physics, so I decided to post this new poll question, asking what area of research you specialize in. Please...
  35. Gort

    A Are many physicists not fluent in the language of physics?

    Most physicists would agree, I believe, that mathematics is the language of physics. Mathematical models are used to describe the physical world. I therefore found it somewhat amusing but disconcerting that a recent paper found a statistically significant negative correlation between...
  36. aOe

    Engineering What Kind of jobs are Engineering Physicists currently in?

    Hello All, I'ma recently graduated physicist engineer (or physical engineer, I'm not sure how to say it in English) from Colombia, right now I'm looking for a job in order to save some money for my master degree and I would like to know the experiences of more experimented physicist engineers...
  37. EnumaElish

    Physicists set to revolutionize big data, AI

    When I opened up the article https://www.wired.com/2017/01/move-coders-physicists-will-soon-rule-silicon-valley/ I expected to see quantum computing as the next field physicists are to revolutionize. I was surprised to see it was data management and machine learning. I am happy for physicists...
  38. M

    Physics Physicists vs Medical Doctors: Bridging the Gap in Social Dimension

    What are the differences and the similarities in your opinion? Pros and cons .. go go goo
  39. wolram

    B Physicists study the quantum vacuum

    https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/01/170118132244.htm I read this with a degree of skepticism, can we manipulate the quantum back ground? An important step towards a completely new experimental access to quantum physics has been made by researchers in Germany. The team of scientists...
  40. S

    Wired article: Physicists will soon rule Silicon Valley

    Hi everyone. I came across the following article on Wired about physicists (or I should say, physics graduates) playing an increasingly prominent role in Silicon Valley, specifically in the field of machine learning/data science...
  41. Pyrus

    I Quantum Physicists Examine Orch Theory and Consciousness

    Orch theory explains consiousness of human brain as a quantum related phenomenon. These quantum processes occur in microtubules. But at this temperature quantum computation is not possible. So what is the perspective of quantum physicists on this theory.
  42. P

    Engineering Where Can Physicists Begin Learning Advanced Engineering Principles?

    Hello, I have a very strong background in math and physics (completed most of undergraduate degrees). I want to learn mechanical and electrical engineering principles and believe that I can start learning at an advanced level. Can you recommend some sources?
  43. R

    Physics What Drives Physicists? Insights from a Student Questionnaire

    Hi, I have an aspiration to become a physicist and as part of a school project I had to come up with 20 questions and I would greatly appreciate it if I could get a few physicists to complete the questionnaire. I don't expect long answers, short ones will do fine. Thank you. 1. When did your...
  44. P

    I Why do physicists show the magnetic field perpendicular to F

    I mean physicists when they have to create a field they draw it with the same direction of the force, (gravitational, electric for example) i know that the magnetic field acts only on moving charges and i also know that the force is a relativistic effect of lorentz contraction, but why creating...
  45. M

    Physicists' knowledge of differential equations

    <<Moderator's note: this is a spin-off of https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/how-long-to-learn-physics.891250/>> To Zapper. Some differential equations have no analytical solutions but some do. I remember a case where a co worker was using a computer to find the solution to x dot = 1 /...
  46. rfranceschetti

    Physicists working with engineering

    Hey everyone, This is my very first post here on PF. I haven't been in a forum for ages, so excuse me if I make any gaffe. I'm also not very sure if this is the correct section to post this question, so I apologise in advance for any inconvenience. I like physics and engineering a lot. I'm...
  47. T

    Is it true that physicists have their best ideas in 20s?

    Which theoretical physicists win nobel prize based on their works in 30s or 40s?
  48. Mikaelochi

    Other Do theoretical physicists use significant figures?

    I know the phrase ''theoretical physicist'' may be a general term, do they or ''mathematical physicists'' use significant figures? I know it's kind of a silly question, but it stems from what I learned in chemistry class. Our chemistry teacher talked about the importance of such things and I...
  49. nmsurobert

    Good Books on Physicists: Biographies of Famous Scientists

    One of my instructors likes to talk about little aspects of the lives of famous physicists and it has made me really interested in these people. Does anyone have any recommendations on any books that give a good little run down of of the life and times of famous physicists? I'm sure there are...
  50. C

    Physics Becoming a Physicist at 60+: Exploring the Hierarchy Problem

    First. To become physicist with Ph.D. Do you have to be connected with institutions? Do you have to teach? I will be 50 years in a few years. If I will go back to school. I will become full fledge physicist 60+ years old.. Would I be too old? Haven't you heard of 60+ year old newly graduate...
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