So what exactly has changed in physics in the last 20 years?

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter jack476
  • Start date Start date
  • Tags Tags
    Physics Years
Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion centers around the perception of progress in physics over the last two decades, with participants reflecting on whether significant advancements have occurred compared to the past. The scope includes theoretical developments, experimental discoveries, and the evolution of concepts in physics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant suggests that much of the undergraduate physics curriculum is based on theories developed over 50 years ago, implying a stagnation in groundbreaking advancements.
  • Another participant counters that physics has changed significantly in the last 50 years, citing developments in quantum mechanics, particle physics, and cosmology as evidence of substantial progress.
  • Examples provided include the publication of Bell's theorem, the discovery of quarks, and the detection of the cosmic microwave background radiation, which were all pivotal in advancing the field.
  • A third participant agrees with the second, emphasizing that the initial claim about a lack of change reflects a misunderstanding of the field's evolution.
  • A suggestion is made to explore recent scientific stories to illustrate ongoing developments in physics, indicating that progress continues to be made.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express disagreement regarding the extent of change in physics over the past decades, with some asserting that significant advancements have occurred while others feel that progress has slowed. No consensus is reached on the overall state of change in the field.

Contextual Notes

Participants reference specific historical milestones and discoveries, highlighting the complexity of measuring progress in physics and the subjective nature of perceived advancements.

Who May Find This Useful

This discussion may be of interest to students, educators, and enthusiasts in physics, as well as those curious about the evolution of scientific thought and the ongoing debates within the field.

jack476
Messages
327
Reaction score
124
"So what exactly has changed in physics in the last 20 years?"

So I was at a Christmas party joking around with one of my friends who is in electrical engineering and he said something basically to the effect of "Well physics hasn't changed in like 50 years"

Which is actually not a bad point, much of my undergraduate curriculum is material that is the product of work from 50+ years ago.

And on top of that, it really does (at least at a cursory glance) seem like not much has changed. We have stuff like string theory and the standard model now, theories that are incomplete and not fully tested. And we've got some fancy new lasers and accelerators, and something that's probably the Higgs Boson. But it does really seem like the truly momentous breakthroughs are all in the distant past now and progress has just slowed to a crawl.

I also don't really read a huge amount of popular science or science news, but while the stuff I do hear about seems cool, nothing really seems to point to be anything particularly huge.

So what I'm wondering is, if you were asked this question how would you respond?

PS: I responded by pointing out that at least my education won't be obsolete the week after I graduate ;)
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Which is it -- 50 years per the opening post, or 20 years per the thread title?

That physics hasn't changed in 50 years is a ludicrous proposition. In quantum mechanics, Bell's theorem, now viewed as a cornerstone of quantum mechanics, had not yet been published. In particle physics, protons and neutrons were still viewed as elementary particles because the idea that they were composed of quarks held together by gluons had not yet been developed. In cosmology, quasars were newly observed objects, but nobody knew what they were. The cosmic microwave background radiation hadn't been detected yet. Dark matter, dark energy, supermassive black holes? Those discoveries were even further in the future.

I can't think of a single part of modern physics that hasn't changed immensely in the last 50 years.
 
jack476 said:
... "Well physics hasn't changed in like 50 years"

A statement CLEARLY made by someone who has no idea what he is talking about. DH gave a lot of great examples. There are others.
 
Have a look at the “Top 25 stories of 2013, from microbes to meteorites” from Science News. Just ONE YEAR! See how many are in the field of Physics.
https://www.sciencenews.org/
 

Similar threads

Graduate 25 Years of the End of Science (or at least the end of physics?)
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
3K
Graduate Chen Ning Yang is (almost) 100 years old
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
3K
What has been the greatest discovery in physics in the last 25 years?
  • · Replies 5 ·
Replies
5
Views
4K
Graduate The current state of physics and comparing it with the past
  • · Replies 19 ·
Replies
19
Views
2K
Deciding between Physics or Engineering after a very turbulent year
  • · Replies 23 ·
Replies
23
Views
3K
Undergrad Different conceptions of pop physics
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
Physics PhD 5 years after ME undergrad
  • · Replies 17 ·
Replies
17
Views
3K
Is a Prof Failing 3/4 of the Senior Year Physics Class Normal? (Stat Phy)
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
575
Admissions Is it too late to pursue a career in physics at 32 years old?
  • · Replies 16 ·
Replies
16
Views
3K
Admissions Climbing my way to a Physics PhD 10 years after a Philosophy BA
  • · Replies 21 ·
Replies
21
Views
5K