Can Individuals with Average or Below Average IQs Achieve Success in Physics?

[Muppetmaster]

I'm going to preface this post by stating that I have an above average IQ. I'm curious about those with average and below average IQ's, especially in relation to academic pursuits.

Is it possible for someone with an average IQ to be successful in physics (successful means whatever you want it to mean- within reason)? I don't quite know what challenges an average person would face when studying physics. Is it outrageous to think that an above average IQ is unnecessary when studying physics? Would it even be possible to succeed in physics with a below than average IQ?

If you, or if you know of anyone who has an average or below average IQ please let me know what they have struggled with throughout their studies.

I heard somewhere that Richard Feynmans IQ was only a little above average perhaps by a couple of standard deviations ie in the region of the 120s. So considering that yes you can, but it is up to you to improve yourself.

Attitude and motivation is far more important than an arbitrary score.

Turn your question around an average IQ is the minimum but a higher one might help. But there's no reason it will if you are lazy or can't be bothered to use whatever intelligence you have.

 

[Tobias Funke]

Ask a thousand people whether their IQ is above or below average. Unlike some of the honest people in this thread, a significant majority will answer "above," and most of them don't know what an IQ is.

People exaggerating their intelligence?! Get outta here! There's just this one guy somewhere in Montana I think with an IQ of -10^50.