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. Q

    Mathematical physicists, where are you

    I remember there being some posts a while back from people who were trying to decide whether to study math or physics at the graduate level. Just wondering, if you were one of these people and are now a grad student (or past grad school), which did you choose and how did it turn out? Any advice...
  2. M

    Biology for Physicists: Books to Learn From

    Does anyone know of any good books (preferably not introductory textbooks, otherwise I'll never get through them) geared towards or recommended for physicists who are learning biology for the first time? Something like the equivalent of Feynman's Lectures would be perfect, but I'm open to any...
  3. D

    Seven Questions for Quantum Physicists

    I am interested in the irrational. I have the usual layman's understanding of the double-slit experiment, which I am told is the cornerstone of quantum irrationality. I have a question to clear up my understanding of this, and a few more questions about irrationality in physics. You will soon...
  4. X

    Physicists Theorize New Method for FTL Travel

    New method would not break Einstein's Theory of Relativity -xCross Source: http://www.dailytech.com"
  5. B

    Feynman's lectures on mathematics for physicists

    In "Surely You're Joking Mr. Feynman" he mentions that he still has the notes from the first lectures he gave at Cornell, which were on math methods for physics. Does anyone know if they still exist, or if they were every published?
  6. W

    LaTeX Is latex uncommon among experimental physicists?

    To put my question in perspective, I'm starting grad school in the fall, and as an undergrad I was pretty sure I wanted to be a theorist so my range of experience with experiment is limited - I like reading papers off arxiv, and it's pretty rare to pull a theory paper that isn't typeset in...
  7. F

    CERN LHC: Risk of "Doomsday" Destruction?

    Great. Just after we finally get both our truck and car paid off, those silly guys at CERN are going to create a black hole and destroy the planet. Just my luck. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080628/ap_on_re_eu/doomsday_collider
  8. samalkhaiat

    Famous Overweight Physicists and Mathematicians

    Can you name a well known physicist or mathematician who was (or is) over weight during his/her productive years,i.e., between the age of 23 and 45? Today a colleague of mine said: there weren't any! I couldn't think of any! Do you know any? regards sam
  9. H

    Physicists Demonstrate How Information Can Escape From Black Holes based in LQG

    Here is the news: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080515092615.htm"
  10. N

    Where do the best physicists work?

    Just curious where the worlds most influential and respected physicists work? Do they work at universities? Private firms? Or Governments?
  11. N

    Physicists and their pet theories

    In quantum mechanics there has been more different interpretations than religions trying to explain the "creation" it seems. I remember when Afshar Experiment was conducted John G Cramer immediately used the results to advocate his own pet theory while saying Copenhagen and MWI was falsified...
  12. T

    Types of physicists at a particle accelerator?

    Sorry for such a general question; but does any know, or know where to find what type of physicists normally work at a particle accelerator? I'm hoping there's something more detailed than just 'particle physicists' and 'theoretical physicists,' but maybe that's all there is. Thanks to whoever...
  13. T

    Physicists and Their Social Interactions: Breaking Stereotypes

    I am asking purely out of interest. Are there any physicists who could talk about their experience? If you state that youre quantum physicist do they go "wow" or do they just take it as something usual (or do they sometimes not understand what the hell are you talking about)? :)
  14. J

    Are there actually any jobs out there for physicists that get paid a good wage?

    Are there actually any jobs out there for physicists that get paid a good wage?? I'd like to think I'm a talented physicist, with a rolling grade of 100% in my A level so far. But it saddens me that a profession I'd would enjoy gets paid so little! Or am I misinformed? Through a little bit of...
  15. F

    Physicists famous for not-physics

    Hi, guys, Just found out that German Chancellor Angela Merkel is a trained physicist. Made me remember that the Bengali film director Satyajit Ray was also one. Which makes me think there are probably hundreds of physicists out there who made their names in some other field...
  16. S

    Physicists Successfully Store and Retrieve Nothing

    By Adrian Cho ScienceNOW Daily News 29 February 2008 It sounds like a headline from the spoof newspaper The Onion, but for physicists, this is actually an achievement: Two teams have stored nothing in a puff of gas and then retrieved it a split second later. Storing a strange form of vacuum...
  17. O

    Films about (fictional) physicists

    Can anybody recommend a movie about physicists or physics students? It seems that math people seem to have gotten most of the limelight in the last few years. However, there's a film coming out in April which I'm curious about: "Dark Matter" Dana Scully had a physics degree, but that...
  18. E

    Mathematica Book about mathematical sloppiness by physicists?

    Does anyone know of a book that discusses the ways that physicists are sloppy with mathematics?
  19. S

    Job opportunties for physicists in the UK?

    I've been considering studying physics in the UK but looking at the threads here has me a little worried about job opportunities afterwards. Does the same apply abroad, specifically in the UK? I did a search on employment prospects through http://www.unistats.com and was so depressed at...
  20. S

    Doomsday dec21,2012 - from physicists perspective

    Hi guys, Its been said that dec21,2012 is the end of mayan calendar and the end of world.Let us leave the predictions of some calendars and prophets.but,i heard some astronomical information about dec21,2012.they are 1. winter solstice 2. Sun's pole shift 3. Earth's wobble finishes on...
  21. T

    Periodic Table for solid state physicists

    Does anyone here know of a free periodic table (downloadable/printable) geared towards the needs of solid state? More specifically a table offering Lattice constants/crystallization systems, Mean Debye Temperatures etc. Ideally it would be a perfect copy of the periodic table featured by...
  22. L

    Entropy and information: Do physicists still believe so?

    The entropy of a system is S = k*ln W If we obtain some information about the microstates, e.g. know the location and velocities of some of the molecules, then W is decreased by a amount w, so S1 = k*ln(W-w) That is an decrease in entropy, i.e. S1 < S. Do physicists still "believe" so?
  23. P

    Understanding TOE & QG: A Comparison for Physicists

    Just want to get some terminology right. Is TOE equivalent to QG? If so is QG more frequently used by physicsts as it sounds more professional or simply more logical?
  24. J

    Nobody complains about physicists' math?

    One might think that you can find anything on the internet, but I haven't found any site where somebody would be complaining about physicists' way of using mathematics. I wonder why. Wouldn't physicists math be an easy thing to make fun of?
  25. O

    What did you do today? (a corollary to the thread What do you physicists do? )

    what did you do today? (a corollary to the thread "What do you physicists do?") I thought it might be interesting to take a sociological approach to the question raised by Pivoxa in this thread - https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=186911 So what do physicists actually do on a...
  26. E

    Designing Autos: Physics/Engineering Guide for Beginners

    I am interested in learning about how automobiles are designed from a physics/engineering perspective (i.e. what are the basic components in an auto and how do they work together to make the thing move?). I know embarassingly little about this topic. I can't seem to find a decent place to...
  27. U

    Why is Schouten's book on tensor analysis not recommended for physicists?

    "Introduction to vector analysis" (Harry F. Davis, 1961) page 284 says: "Tensor analysis for physicists by J.A.Schouten 1951" is not intended so much for physicists as for applied mathematicians. This author knows of no book on tensor analysis written in a modern style for pure...
  28. A

    What Personality Traits Indicate Someone Is a Physicist?

    hi'ya all, I have this diturbing question almost funny, what things should be reqiered in someones personalty to tel that he or she is a physicist? :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
  29. I

    Hello, the types of physicists

    hello there, i was just wondering the different types of physicists there also I am a bit confused on what each type would work on and what type of things they would do. Also i was just wondering if you think I am silly or not for trying to aim to become a physicist or try to succeed in it...
  30. C

    Most Genius Physicists on Earth?

    I was wondeing whom you guys think are the most brilliant physicists on Earth? I'm guessing the go-to #1 would be Ed Whitten, but who are a few others you can think of? Please don't say Brian Greene :)
  31. M

    Mathematica A list of mathematical physicists

    In a very recent post, Norman altered me to a mathematical physicist named John Baez @ UC Riverside. I have to say, that he has the most ideal career for me. I've bothered everyone with my questions on how/ or should I do both a pure math and theoretical physics degree before, and indeed it...
  32. C

    Prominent U.S. Physicists Ask Congress

    I love UCSD, I can't wait to go. This made me smile. Prominent U.S. Physicists Ask Congress to Forbid Use of Nuclear Weapons Against Non-Nuclear States http://ucsdnews.ucsd.edu/newsrel/science/22physicists07.asp
  33. N

    How do physicists deal with emergent properties?

    I recently read a couple of books by Paul Davies, in which one of the main themes was that biology is characterized by emergent properties that can not be reduced to mere physics (self organization, consciousness and so on). I would like to hear what physicists have to say about this important...
  34. C

    Linear algebra among physicists

    how many physics majors take formal courses in linear algebra? I got it done this semester and found it to be one of the most applicable mathematical subjects out there, just thinking about doing differential equations without linear algebra gives me the willies, and looking at the physics...
  35. P

    Are physicists looked down upon if

    , I was just curious, do other physics majors with a 3.5 or higher consider physics majors with a GPA between a 2.5 and 3.0 let's intelligent in areas in physics. Do fellow physics majors consider the physics knowledge the physics major with a 2.5 GPA learn outside the classroom? Or are they...
  36. P

    Are Physicists a class of Metaphysicians?

    Could physicists be considered as metaphysicians who attempt to get to the nature of reality with the help of mathematics? We notice a lot of conflict with the physical intepretation of different theories and even different interpretations about the same theory. I know some physicists might be...
  37. S

    What Do Condensed Matter Physicists Study?

    Hi y'all, I have always heard of the word "condensed matter physicsts" here and there. Unitil recently, however, I realized that I have no idea what it means! What do condensed matter physicists do? What kind of things do they study? How is condensed matter physics different from QM or GR?
  38. vincentm

    Physicists observe subatomic quick-change artist

    Deborah Halber, News Office Correspondent September 27, 2006 It's taken 19 long years of painstaking, high-precision experiments, but it's finally official: Physicists have announced the observation of a subatomic particle known as the Bs (pronounced "B sub s") meson switching between matter...
  39. S

    What computer skills are required for physicists working in the field?

    I thought this might be a well-used thread if I asked the following: What computer skills do physicists use in their work? Please tell me what technology you have learned for whatever job you do. This questions mostly geared toward those of you guys out in the field, not fellow undergrads...
  40. Math Is Hard

    Caltech Physicists Successfully Split The Bill

    Good for them! We've been grappling with this problem for years at UCLA . http://www.theonion.com/content/node/52324
  41. D

    Fast track medicine for physicists

    I'm about to start my third year of an MPhys degree at Oxford. I'm a very serious student and am predicted to get a good first, but I've recently become more interested in becoming a doctor (and possibly doing medical research) than just pursuing a purely scientific career in physics. I'm...
  42. R

    Finding Talent for Lockheed Martin: Mathematicians and Physicists

    My name is Ryan Crain, and I am a corporate recruiter for Lockheed Martin. It seems we have a shortage of talented mathematicians and physicists in the defense industry at the moment. Many of the research positions we need help with include algorithm development in Matlab, and guidance...
  43. T

    How and what does it take to be a theoretical physicists?

    how many years of colleges should be good enough for a physicists active in researches and stuffs? mostly ph.D right? but usually, when does the "real" research begin? i love physics... but I am not all that smart. Do theoretical physicists scratch their brains all the time to figure out...
  44. S

    Why are Physicists Important in Understanding the Concept of Democracy?

    Of course, this isn't a place for such issues (that topic of mine ('Physicists')); but, here, I just want to point-out that a chance to reply was refused to me (the topic is locked without my constructive answer).
  45. A

    Question for physicists and mathematicians

    How many of you were math contest or physics contest champions (or atleast highly ranked) at the national level in secondary school?
  46. N

    Site with leading physicists' quotes on QM?

    Several of the pioneers of quantum theory wrote of its incomprehensibility, in terms of 'common sense' and understanding beyond 'the math'. Other leading physicists have also commented on how hard it is to get your mind round it (e.g. Einstein, Feynman). Does anyone know of a website/page...
  47. Amith2006

    What Types of Jobs for Physicists are Available at NASA?

    Sir, I am a B.Sc.Physics 3rd year student. I am a bright student and it is my long cherished dream to work in NASA. Could you please tell me about the jobs prospects for physicists there? Are all the jobs in NASA for engineers? If not, a specialization in which branch of physics will...
  48. T

    Who are the Greatest Physicists in this century?

    :bugeye: Last century we have Max Plank, Einstein, Heisenberg, Bohr, Schrodingers, de Broglie, Fermi and so on (so many!) great physicisys. So, who do we have in this century? Stephen Hawking?
  49. C

    Are Physicists Motivated by Real-World Applications of Their Research?

    "I just formulated Bernoulli's principle! What are some applications?" Do physicists ask/answer these kind of questions? Moreover, are physicists paid to answer these kind of questions or am I thinking too much like an engineer? I'm thinking along the lines on John Bardeen et al. with their...
  50. T

    Are professorships guaranteed to those very excellent theoretical physicists?

    I want to be a professor in theoretical physics, but, people said that this position is limited. My question is, would a University recruit a excellent theoretical professor, even when there has been SO MANY theoretical physicist? I worry that, because theoretical physicists bring NO...
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