What Makes a Physicist Unique?

[Nuklear]

There are many clues you have to which career path you want to go on. Engineers they say like to take things apart. What do Physicists do? WHat are they like? How are they in their social lives? WHat likenesses do they have? WHat odd things or habits do they like to repeat?

Besides saying physicists are more od,crazy,wild thinkers than smart tell me more details about them. SOmething more in depth. DO we even know about them? Only ones we've really known of is MIchi Kaku, ALbert EInstein, Steven Hawking, and even Dr.Paul Chiu.

 

[Bitter]

Well, I'm not a physicist, but whenever I ask people who are why they are physicist, I tend to get one general reply. They seem to have a certain need/desire to understand how the world works. As to habits they have and quarks, I think you may have some weird fantasy in your head.

 

[neutrino]

What do Physicists do? WHat are they like? How are they in their social lives? WHat likenesses do they have? WHat odd things or habits do they like to repeat?

Check out Clifford Johnsons's blog
http://asymptotia.com/

This is one example out of many which proves that not all physicists are nerds wearing lab coats.

 

[Azael]

My decision to study and become a physicsist was made when I was 10 years old and got a astronomy book as christmas gift. The more I know about how the world works the more fascinating it gets.

 

[ranger]

You know you're a physicist when you write entire books on a single mathematical formula :)

But seriously man, you act like physicist are alien to the rest of us. They are all regular human beings.

 

[desA]

How to know you're a physicist?

You design your first atomic bomb before finishing school.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

Physicist’s have an innate curiosity about the world around them and a passion to explore, discover and understand the architecture and mechanisms, that engineer the physical, tangible reality, that we experience phenomenally. We want to describe how the universe operates with precise, deterministic laws using the visual language of mathematics.

I personally, decided that I would not be happy doing anything other than theoretical physics and mathematics, about a year and a half ago while I was dissociated and trapped in an intense k-hole. Ever since then, I have devoted all of my time to studying and practicing my maths and phyiscs, so that I can hopefully do theoretical physics. I did not do any math in high school, other than Algebra and nearly failed high school. It was about a year after high school, that I made the choice to go to college and do nothing but physics and math (although, I live with my gf so she sort of gets more attention than the my work, but very soon she is going to have to accept that studying will require more time than now). I had to relearn algebra up through calculus II on my own because I was very far behind. If you want to do phyiscs, all it takes is motivation.

Anyways man, I don't think there is anything specific -- I had no idea I was doing physics until I was 19. I had always been interested in physics as a young kid (6-13) until I started doing math. Since I never grasped how well our projections of geometry and mathematics, describes reality -- I absolutely despised math. After constructing a model in my head, connecting all the aspects of physics, mathematics and geometry, I couldn't imagine doing anything else. All it takes is one experience to completely transform your perception of the universe.

Also, we know a lot of information, about a lot of physicists, especially if you follow their work at all. I actually know less about the guys you mentioned, than some of the other theorists working on modern problems that I follow.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

"What do physicists do?"

Physicists do physics.

 

[chroot]

You know you're a physicist when someone offers you a job doing physics.

- Warren

 

[Nuklear]

Physicist’s have an innate curiosity about the world around them and a passion to explore, discover and understand the architecture and mechanisms, that engineer the physical, tangible reality, that we experience phenomenally. We want to describe how the universe operates with precise, deterministic laws using the visual language of mathematics.

I personally, decided that I would not be happy doing anything other than theoretical physics and mathematics, about a year and a half ago while I was dissociated and trapped in an intense k-hole. Ever since then, I have devoted all of my time to studying and practicing my maths and phyiscs, so that I can hopefully do theoretical physics. I did not do any math in high school, other than Algebra and nearly failed high school. It was about a year after high school, that I made the choice to go to college and do nothing but physics and math (although, I live with my gf so she sort of gets more attention than the my work, but very soon she is going to have to accept that studying will require more time than now). I had to relearn algebra up through calculus II on my own because I was very far behind. If you want to do phyiscs, all it takes is motivation.

Anyways man, I don't think there is anything specific -- I had no idea I was doing physics until I was 19. I had always been interested in physics as a young kid (6-13) until I started doing math. Since I never grasped how well our projections of geometry and mathematics, describes reality -- I absolutely despised math. After constructing a model in my head, connecting all the aspects of physics, mathematics and geometry, I couldn't imagine doing anything else. All it takes is one experience to completely transform your perception of the universe.

Also, we know a lot of information, about a lot of physicists, especially if you follow their work at all. I actually know less about the guys you mentioned, than some of the other theorists working on modern problems that I follow.

I've heard this but do physicists hate Math?

 

[unit_circle]

I knew I was a physicist after I was trying to solve a problem w/ the physics professor I work for. We were working through something on the board when we needed to know the approximate value of a term. He says "Lets just do a quick approximation, we are physicists, we can do that."

I was thinking "Wow, he didn't say 'I am a physicist', he said 'we are physicists', so I guess I can call myself a physicist!" It really made my day (yeah I am hardcore nerd).

Now when someone asks me what I do, I don't say "physics student" or "physics major." I say (w/ great pride) "I am a physicist."

 

[ranger]

I've heard this but do physicists hate Math?

Mathematics is the language of physics. They go hand in had with each other. Physics without math is like bread without peanut butter and jelly. So if you're going to get into physics, then you should develop a liking for the math.

 

[dontdisturbmycircles]

Since a physicist uses math very very extensively, if you hate math, you would hate being a physicist, wouldn't you?

 

[r4nd0m]

You know you're a physicist when you write entire books on a single mathematical formula :)

I must say, that I completely agree with that.

I find many of the physics books so wordy and obscure. For me it is paradoxically much easier to read a math book than a physics book, because in the latter I am sometimes totally lost in what is an assumption, approximation, experimental fact or a theorem resulting from the preceeding.

Math is maybe in the beginning a bit hard to read, but once you learn the language (with all the $$\epsilon$$ and $$\delta$$ stuff) you see how many advantages it has - it is clear, brief and very powerful in describing various phenomena.

I like books like Goldstein, which involve enough math, and you can also get the physical feeling from it.

Anyway, do you think, that this more mathematical approach is helpful in (theoretical) physics or is it not very welcomed?

 

[Ki Man]

You know you're a physicist when someone offers you a job doing physics.

You're a physicist when you have an urge to explore the world, not as we see it, but as all of its true inner workings

 

[neutrino]

Physics without math is like bread without peanut butter and jelly.

I can imagine eating bread without peanut butter or jelly, but I can't imagine doing physics without maths.

 

[tim_lou]

what?? I eat bread without anything all the time... In fact, I don't even think I have a jar of jelly or peanut butter at my house...

 

[ranger]

OK, Ok. I get the point, its a weak analogy :) I thought everyone was like me when it comes to PP&J, but I see you people arent normal

 

[Moridin]

You know you're a physicist when someone offers you a job doing physics.

- Warren

Spot on. Even if one can debate the entire 'curiosity for understanding the Universe' area, one needs some perspective on reality. Compare with other professions: is a person a lawyer if he never have had a job as one even if one have a dream and an urge to protect the innocents or something similar? Hardly.

 

[complexPHILOSOPHY]

Spot on. Even if one can debate the entire 'curiosity for understanding the Universe' area, one needs some perspective on reality. Compare with other professions: is a person a lawyer if he never have had a job as one even if one have a dream and an urge to protect the innocents or something similar? Hardly.

Lawyers can do pro-bono work just as physicists can work indepenently on research without receiving monetary compensation. In my opinion, as long as someone is working through higher level physics and understands it, then they are physicists.

I digress, however and will concede your point for the purpose of practicality.

 

[Ki Man]

You know you're a physicist when that's what it says on your name tag under your name

 

[leright]

OK, Ok. I get the point, its a weak analogy :) I thought everyone was like me when it comes to PP&J, but I see you people arent normal

when you eat bread at a restaurant do you eat it with pb&j?

many people will just eat bread (even sliced bread) with just butter...or even plain.

 

[sas3]

You know you will Be a Physicist if...


the water in your kettle is boiling at 373 Kelvin.

you know that the speed of light is 299,792.5 km/sec.

you know the direction the water swirls when you flush.

you've already calculated how much you earn per second.

you are sure that differential equations are a very useful tool.

you are at an air show and know how fast the skydivers are falling.

you know the size of the elctron, but don't know your own shirt size.

when you break a vase you blame the second law of thermodynamics.

you try to explain entropy to strangers at your table during casual dinner conversation.

you avoid stirring your coffee because you don't want to increase the entropy of the universe.

your three year old son asks why the sky is blue and you try to explain atmospheric absorption theory.

you're at a wine tasting event and find yourself paying more attention to the cork screws than the Chardonnay.

you carry on a one-hour debate over the expected results of an experiment that actually takes five minutes to run.

Do all Physicists like pb&j?

I got this from the link below.
http://www.workjoke.com/projoke25.htm

 

[tim_lou]

you know the direction the water swirls when you flush

hmm... As far as I know, the Coriolis force is sooo weak at low velocity that it hardly affects the direction the water swirls when one flushes.

 

[ranger]

you know the size of the elctron, but don't know your own shirt size.

Thats funny

 

[Mororvia]

hmm... As far as I know, the Coriolis force is sooo weak at low velocity that it hardly affects the direction the water swirls when one flushes.

That could be part of the joke ;) Many think it changes

 

[Ki Man]

you know the size of the elctron, but don't know your own shirt size.

i can't even remember what i had for breakfast

 

[QuantumPion]

A physicists asks, "Why does it work?"
An engineer asks "How does it work?"
A business major asks "How much will it cost?"
An arts major asks "Do you want fries with that?"