The most misleading stereotypes about physics

[Astronuc]

It's been my experience that the ignorance of physics by the average person leads them to live in a frightening world of action movie physics, where ridiculous and nonsensical things can happen all the time or are not accounted for - especially when operating a motor vehicle.

The image of physics needs to be dealt with but I don't know how to deal with it though. Math is seen is so difficult when it's really just spelling with numbers.

That's very much my experience.

For the vast majority of the public, who do not participate in science or engineering, their principal understanding of science is that its something that scientists do. The principal understanding of technology is push a button (telephone, electrical appliance), flip a switch (as in electricity), turn a key (car, door) and it works.

On the other hand, I am sometimes surprised by understanding of some people in science and technology, usually in areas outside of their usual experience.

 

[Beeza]

Good luck spending 14 hours a day doing research while you're lifting weights for 14 hours a day.

4-5 hours a week at the most is all that is required, and I know that I can manage this throughout my undergrad. If I manage to make it to graduate school, I'm still fairly certain that I will have a few hours a week to spare-- as a close friend of mine is in his 3rd year as a PhD student in nutritional biochemistry just recently attained professional status in two natural bodybuilding organizations. If he can do it, I'd like to think that I can.

 

[Beeza]

Oh boy, too much stereotype and movies. Almost everyone does some kind of sports no matter whether you study physics or mathematics or are a geek, a nerd or whatever. I play soccer and do biking everyday, some other people do basketball or weightlifting, after all, healthy life style is important. Being healthy lowers the risk of experiencing pain, something that everyone should rather avoid. If you're healthy, you possibly live longer, and if you live longer you can devote yourself more to reasearch and further studies. It's good to do sports, but I wouldn't rather make them the way of one's life. There's so much to discover, learn and experience here in the world, that indifference to science, may prevent you from getting them all, just my 7 cents.

//edit

wow, how long have you been practicing/doing weighlifting?

I might have come off wrong, but I wasn't assuming that no other physicists (or aspiring students) were active in sports. However, I do believe that a part of the stereotype is that most are sedative.

I've been an athlete for a long time, but when I turned 17, I decided that I had to give up boxing if I wanted to avoid having mush for brains. I then took up consistent, dedicated weighlifting. So, right now, I've been weightlifting for 3.5 years.

 

[Pengwuino]

4-5 hours a week at the most is all that is required, and I know that I can manage this throughout my undergrad. If I manage to make it to graduate school, I'm still fairly certain that I will have a few hours a week to spare-- as a close friend of mine is in his 3rd year as a PhD student in nutritional biochemistry just recently attained professional status in two natural bodybuilding organizations. If he can do it, I'd like to think that I can.

but nutrtional biochemistry... come on

 

[Beeza]

but nutrtional biochemistry... come on

I give up But, I think that biochemistry is a difficult major, and The University of Illinois is a good school.

 

[Pengwuino]

Yah I am sure it is. Its chemistry.

 

[Moonbear]

I give up But, I think that biochemistry is a difficult major, and The University of Illinois is a good school.

If you throw the penguin a fish, he goes away for a while.

4-5 hours a week isn't that hard to find. I didn't realize you could reach your level of bodybuilding with that few of hours working out. You might find it more challenging to get time away from the lab to travel to competitions, but taking time out for a workout, no matter whether it's competition level body building or some much "wimpier" level of exercise, is a good way to manage the stress of grad school and give yourself a daily mental break, which you'll find you'll need.

 

[Pengwuino]

I was having fun teasing him

*goes and chews on the fish*

 

[neutrino]

When I was working last summer, one of my coworkers asked me what I was studying. When I said I planned to go into astrophysics the first thing out of their mouth was "Oh, is that like astrology?" I wanted to slap 'em so hard...

I've heard such stories from the amateur community. They felt the same way as you did.

 

[rcgldr]

I've been weightlifting for 3.5 years

Weightlifting or body-building? Getting ready for a contest, dehydrating by not drinking and sometimes taking diuretics, never seemed very healthty to me. It took a few days to a week or so for the bodybuilders I saw to recover from a contest. Then again, running a marathon probably does more harm than good, and the 100 mile super marathons are even worse.

A gym I used to work out at was taken over by the Gold's gym chain. We had a few current and ex-body builders. For the most part they were in descent shape, except most of them had back problems from doing squats. They now recommend using the hack squat machine instead of traditional squats. Front squats don't put as much strain on your back, but it seemed only the power lifters were doing front squats. Still the hack squat machine seems the least likely to cause back strain.

 

[Loren Booda]

At Yale for many years was a physics professor named Peter Parker! He seemed your average Ivy League overachiever. There were rumors, however, that he originated the Web.

 

[keinve]

um, i doubt many even know a small bit of physics. of course, not many of us are physics experts, so your really asking the general public.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

um, i doubt many even know a small bit of physics. of course, not many of us are physics experts, so your really asking the general public.

Actually, we have many physics experts here.

I had posted this in the joke thread as an engineer joke [as told by an engineer] but thought it worked well here.

How can you tell if a physicist is an extravert?

He looks at your shoes when he talks to you.

 

[Loren Booda]

No need to make a physicist look like a heel.

 

[gallifreyboun]

Whenever people ask what I did my undergrad in (I'm in a master's of education program...gonna teach high school) they're always shocked and the general reply is "...but you're a girl." Who knew? It really explains a lot about my life since, well, puberty.