How long does it take to become a physics expert?

  • Thread starter BillytheBob
  • Start date
In summary, the members of this forum have a wide range of backgrounds and experience in physics and other fields. Many have been studying and working in the field for decades, while others are still in high school or university. It is common to feel intimidated by the level of knowledge and understanding displayed by others, but it is important to remember that everyone has their own areas of expertise and interests. Ultimately, it takes passion and dedication to become knowledgeable in any subject.
  • #1
BillytheBob
I am pretty new to these forums, and although I enjoy physics, I have only 1 year or experience with it in high school (although I will have two more before I graduate).
You people leave me speechless though. Maybe it is just because a lot of GR or quantum stuff is hard to understand without proper background, but nonetheless.. you people all sound like PhD's from Harvard.

I guess the real question is, how long did you study physics before you could really understand most of what is in these forums.
 
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  • #2
We breastfed Physics! :biggrin:

Now, the the real REAL question is, what's your favorite fish?
 
  • #3
I think you're confusing knowledge with intelligence. I'm not saying folks here are not smart, I'm saying that most of us are a LOT older than you and have had time to use whatever brainpower we have to learn stuff. You'll get there. Don't be intimidated.

(P.S. hint --- pick a small fish :smile:)
 
  • #4
BillytheBob said:
I am pretty new to these forums, and although I enjoy physics, I have only 1 year or experience with it in high school (although I will have two more before I graduate).
You people leave me speechless though. Maybe it is just because a lot of GR or quantum stuff is hard to understand without proper background, but nonetheless.. you people all sound like PhD's from Harvard.

I guess the real question is, how long did you study physics before you could really understand most of what is in these forums.
Like phinds said, many of us are older with a couple of decades or more of professional experience with about another decade or so of university experience. Many here are scientists (mathematicians, physicists, etc), engineers or technologists, as well as business folks, as well as students in high school and university. There is an amazing spectrum of scientific and technical experience here, as well as being geographically (internationally) broad.

Stick around, read as much as possible, and ask challenging questions.
 
  • #5
BillytheBob said:
I guess the real question is, how long did you study physics before you could really understand most of what is in these forums.
61 years and counting.
 
  • #6
BillytheBob said:
I guess the real question is, how long did you study physics before you could really understand most of what is in these forums.

I'll tell you when I'm able to. :biggrin:

On a more serious note, I would say a vast majority of what is posted on this forum is understandable with just a year or 2 of real study. Most people outside of the field have effectively 0 knowledge of physics, so it's extremely easy to find things going over your head. I'm sure I'd be dumbfounded if a music major 1 year into his studies started talking to me about music theory simply because I have almost no understanding of it myself.
 
  • #7
IMO You don't notice the "how long" aspect of it all if you really enjoy learning w/e it is you want to whether its QFT, GR etc. at least until pengy comes around and ruins the fun. Oh the horror. But yeah its all gradual and I don't think you can ever understand 100% everything here; there is too much to learn =D.
 
  • #8
It's not even just that we're smart, most of us are world-class athletes as well. Around 60% are models.
 
  • #9
Over the years, as I study and teach more and more physics, I feel stupider and stupider, because I learn about the existence of more and more topics that I don't know anything about, and realize that I'll never have time to learn even a small fraction of them.
 
  • #10
I'm not smart, I just like math :biggrin:

Seriously, it's pretty easy to become good at something if you enjoy it that much.
 
  • #11
KingNothing said:
It's not even just that we're smart, most of us are world-class athletes as well. Around 60% are models.

60% of us make models, not are models.
 
  • #12
micromass said:
Seriously, it's pretty easy to become good at something if you enjoy it that much.

Couldn't have said it better myself. People always get good at the things they like doing. Unfortunately my uncle really likes being lazy.
 
  • #13
You have to realize how "answering questions" on this forum actually works. If somebody reads 100 threads, doesn't understand anything about 80 of them, doesn't post anything to another 15 because there are already some good answers there, and posts to the remaining 5, what YOU see is somebody who posted 5 answers that "look like they came from a Harvard Ph.D". You just see the tip of the iceberg, not the sea of ignorance that it's floating in!
 
  • #14
KingNothing said:
Couldn't have said it better myself. People always get good at the things they like doing. Unfortunately my uncle really likes being lazy.

HEY ... don't knock lazy. It's one of my best things.:smile:
 
  • #15
jtbell said:
Over the years, as I study and teach more and more physics, I feel stupider and stupider, because I learn about the existence of more and more topics that I don't know anything about, and realize that I'll never have time to learn even a small fraction of them.

And isn't it wonderful ... we'll never get bored !
 
  • #16
AlephZero said:
You have to realize how "answering questions" on this forum actually works. If somebody reads 100 threads, doesn't understand anything about 80 of them, doesn't post anything to another 15 because there are already some good answers there, and posts to the remaining 5, what YOU see is somebody who posted 5 answers that "look like they came from a Harvard Ph.D". You just see the tip of the iceberg, not the sea of ignorance that it's floating in!

Aw come on here ... you're giving away our secrets.:smile:
 
  • #17
Oh wow, I thought it was only me who didn't understand 95% of what is posted here.
 
  • #18
first year students always ask me this question, normally I just point out the things they can do better than I do and say we are all good at something :)
 
  • #19
QuarkCharmer said:
Oh wow, I thought it was only me who didn't understand 95% of what is posted here.

That applies only to regular posts; we don't understand 99.93% of what the penguin comes up with.
 
  • #20
I usually just point out that what I'm good at, I've been LEARNING for about 8 years now.
Physics is quite repetitive when you're learning it (in a GOOD way), it really helps strengthen the basics.
In physics 2 you study basic EM waves.
In DiffEq+PDE you study the solutions to the wave equation.
In optics you study light waves.
Then you study sound waves in acoustics.
You take a solid state course, where you learn about phonon vibrations in a lattice(waves).
Then you do Mechanics and learn about SH oscillators (waves of a box on a spring).
Then you take ElectroMagnetism and study more EM waves.
Then you finally get to Quantum Mechanics and study particle waves.
Luckily in Thermo+Stat Mech you don't study any waves really... but its thermo and stat mech...
Then you get to graduate school and take a Jackson EM course, and learn about much much harder waves, same in grad QM, same in Quantum Field Theory.
And so on and so forth...

Now, of course in some of these courses wave mechanics only plays a small portion, but EVERY YEAR you use the stuff you learned prior only with an increase in difficulty, and a change in application. While that might almost sound boring, it almost forces you to master the mathematics from the ground up to a very technical level.

Its never a new course where the math is new, the topic is new, and you're completely lost. Everything builds on what you learn previously, and constantly adds new tools and techniques to your repertoire.
 
  • #21
Google's smart, I'm just a conduit.
 
  • #22
I don't know about anyone else here but I mostly just make it up as I go along. ;-)

Welcome to PF.
 
  • #23
TheStatutoryApe said:
I don't know about anyone else here but I mostly just make it up as I go along. ;-)
And I steal from you, so I don't have to make it up.
 
  • #24
KingNothing said:
It's not even just that we're smart, most of us are world-class athletes as well. Around 60% are models.
I think that the percentage of models might be higher if most of us didn't like beer as much as we do. I don't see how Monique and MIH manage.

I am a world-class athlete, however. I hope to see darts included in the 2016 Olympics. Training is a grind, but I'll make the sacrifice.
 
  • #25
phinds said:
I think you're confusing knowledge with intelligence.
Yep :D
I find that focusing on intelligence prevents me from gaining knowledge. I'm in my first year of physics and am still pretty unfamiliar with a lot of what is said here. I may read a bit, but I prefer to avoid posting about things until I learn more (unless I am asking for help of course). There's not much I can contribute now...but maybe 10 yrs down the line I'll be a force to reckon with :devil:

For now I've also given up on trying to keep Peng Peng in line ...but I've become pretty skilled with a whip in the process
[URL]http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs38/f/2008/319/8/8/Emoticon_Whip_by_Ace0fredspades.gif[/URL]
 
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  • #26
BillytheBob said:
I guess the real question is, how long did you study physics before you could really understand most of what is in these forums.

I had to study physics for hundreds... literally hundreds... of minutes before I understood everything about the universe.

So, don't get discouraged.
 
  • #27
KingNothing said:
Around 60% are models.

Modeling is a little bit like knowing a whole lot about a little bit. Everyone is good at something.

I'm an ear model.

[PLAIN]http://img150.imageshack.us/img150/1271/bobshatro5.jpg [Broken]
 
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  • #28
HeLiXe said:
For now I've also given up on trying to keep Peng Peng in line ...but I've become pretty skilled with a whip in the process
[PLAIN]http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs38/f/2008/319/8/8/Emoticon_Whip_by_Ace0fredspades.gif[/QUOTE] [Broken]

Helixe is mean! :(

Or kinky, I'm not sure.
 
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  • #29
Can't resist the hat BobG! :biggrin:
 
  • #30
DRIZZLE!

hai.
 
  • #31
drizzle said:
Can't resist the hat BobG! :biggrin:

Knock it off with the puns or you'll be incapacitated.
 
  • #32
I used to be a model for the Half Off Clothing Company just before they went out of business.
 
  • #33
Jimmy Snyder said:
I used to be a model for the Half Off Clothing Company just before they went out of business.

I was a model for dark matter distribution in the universe before I was determined to be incomplete.
 
  • #34
FlexGunship said:
Knock it off with the puns or you'll be incapacitated.

There are capacitors too! :biggrin:
 
  • #35
drizzle said:
There are capacitors too! :biggrin:

facepalm_bear.jpg

(Source: http://fail.brm.sk/)
 
<h2>1. How long does it take to become a physics expert?</h2><p>The amount of time it takes to become a physics expert varies depending on individual factors such as prior knowledge and dedication to studying. However, on average, it can take anywhere from 8-10 years of education and training to become a physics expert.</p><h2>2. What education is required to become a physics expert?</h2><p>To become a physics expert, a strong foundation in mathematics and science is essential. This typically includes a bachelor's degree in physics or a related field, followed by a master's degree and a Ph.D. in physics.</p><h2>3. Can someone become a physics expert without a formal education?</h2><p>While a formal education is highly recommended, it is possible to become a physics expert without one. This would require a significant amount of self-study and dedication to learning the necessary concepts and theories.</p><h2>4. Are there any specific skills or qualities required to become a physics expert?</h2><p>To become a physics expert, one must have a strong aptitude for problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning. Additionally, excellent mathematical skills and the ability to think abstractly are also essential.</p><h2>5. What are some common career paths for physics experts?</h2><p>Physics experts have a wide range of career options, including research and development, teaching, and various roles in the technology and engineering industries. They may also work in fields such as astronomy, aerospace, or energy production.</p>

1. How long does it take to become a physics expert?

The amount of time it takes to become a physics expert varies depending on individual factors such as prior knowledge and dedication to studying. However, on average, it can take anywhere from 8-10 years of education and training to become a physics expert.

2. What education is required to become a physics expert?

To become a physics expert, a strong foundation in mathematics and science is essential. This typically includes a bachelor's degree in physics or a related field, followed by a master's degree and a Ph.D. in physics.

3. Can someone become a physics expert without a formal education?

While a formal education is highly recommended, it is possible to become a physics expert without one. This would require a significant amount of self-study and dedication to learning the necessary concepts and theories.

4. Are there any specific skills or qualities required to become a physics expert?

To become a physics expert, one must have a strong aptitude for problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning. Additionally, excellent mathematical skills and the ability to think abstractly are also essential.

5. What are some common career paths for physics experts?

Physics experts have a wide range of career options, including research and development, teaching, and various roles in the technology and engineering industries. They may also work in fields such as astronomy, aerospace, or energy production.

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