Physicists famous for not-physics

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around individuals who have a background in physics but are renowned for achievements in other fields. Participants explore various examples, including notable figures from entertainment, literature, and politics, while seeking to identify more such individuals.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants mention Angela Merkel and Satyajit Ray as examples of physicists who became famous in other domains.
  • Brian May is noted for having a Ph.D. in astrophysics, with a discussion about his academic journey and music career.
  • Stephen Fry is mentioned as having a degree in physics, though this claim is contested, with some participants expressing skepticism about his scientific knowledge.
  • Joseph Lagrange, Carl Gauss, and Leonhard Euler are cited as famous mathematicians, with a debate about their relevance to the topic of physicists in non-physics fields.
  • Gregory Benford and Alastair Reynolds are highlighted as sci-fi writers who are also physicists, with a suggestion that there are many such authors.
  • Isaac Asimov is brought up, with some confusion regarding his academic background, leading to a clarification that he was a biochemist.
  • Participants mention various politicians and business leaders in the Netherlands who studied physics, indicating a broader cultural context.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

There is no consensus on the examples provided, with some participants agreeing on certain figures while others challenge the relevance or accuracy of claims. The discussion remains unresolved regarding the criteria for "famous" and the validity of some examples.

Contextual Notes

Some claims about individuals' educational backgrounds and their relevance to the discussion are contested, and there are uncertainties regarding the definitions of fame and the impact of these individuals in their respective fields.

flamenco
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. Physicist-Novelist? Physicist-Cold war spy? Physicist-NBA star?

However 30 minutes with a search engine = zero return. So maybe this is the right place to pose the question: can you name someone with a physics degree who became famous for something else?

Operative word here is "famous," as I'm sure there are just as many obscure physicists laboring in non-physics. And the more distant the area from physics/science/math, the more interesting to me.

If anyone can point me to a website covering this topic, it'd save me the trouble of creating one.
 
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Brian May has a Ph.D. in astrophysics...
 
Bryan May quit his astrophysics doctorate when Queen got successful. He actually went back finished it last year.EDIT: Bah, too late.
 
Stephen Fry has a degree in physics.

EDIT: That could be a load of rubbish but I'm sure I heard he had one on a talk show some years back. i'll try and find out for sure. :smile:
 
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Joseph Lagrange
Carl Gauss
Leonhard EulerAll are famous for their impact in math
 
Kurdt said:
Stephen Fry has a degree in physics.
No way. Fry is quite a dunce when it comes to science. The level of difficulty for the science questions on QI is astonishingly low.
 
Gokul43201 said:
No way. Fry is quite a dunce when it comes to science. The level of difficulty for the science questions on QI is astonishingly low.

Yes sorry about that. His father was apparently a physicist and that's where the confusion probably occurred. For some reason I was under the impression he did a second degree in physics in the late eighties and I was damned sure I'd heard him talking about it on a chat show about 5-10 years ago. Oh well.

*puts on dunce cap and sits in the corner*
 
Hydrargyrum said:
Joseph Lagrange
Carl Gauss
Leonhard EulerAll are famous for their impact in math

Nice try, but that would be like calling the guy who invented MRI a medical doctor because everybody uses them these days.

Moreover, they certainly are well-known for their impact on physics.
 
  • #11
There are -perhaps not surprisingly- quite a few well-known sci-fi writers that also happen to be physicists: Gregory Benford and Alastair Reynolds are two examples (and both are ,as far as I know, still working as physicists)
 
  • #12
f95toli said:
Gregory Benford

Coincidentally, earlier today I chatted with a colleague about Benford's novels; I think I've read three.

Also, Solzhenitsyn.
 
  • #13
Isaac Asimov comes to mind, though he did not just write fiction.
 
  • #14
Helical said:
Isaac Asimov comes to mind, though he did not just write fiction.

I'm pretty sure Asimov was a Biochemist?
 
  • #15
You're right of course...I guess I was thinking of his Understanding Physics textbooks.

But yeah I guess he doesn't apply. :P
 
  • #16
Double post, forum lagged.
 
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  • #17
René Descartes (Cartesian co-ordinates were invented by him) was a mathematician as well as a philosopher. As was Bertrand Russel.
 
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  • #18
The famous theologist, Pascal?
 
  • #19
fuzzyfelt said:
The famous theologist, Pascal?

Famous theologist, Darwin, studied theology at Cambridge with a view to becoming a clergyman.
 
  • #21
In my country, Holland, there are quite some politicians and big-company owners/CEO's who studied physics. I believe the philips CEO studied electronics and Jan Terlouw and Frits Bolkenstein are locally famous politicians who studied physics.
 

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