Where can physicists be found?

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In summary, physicists are not actually mysterious creatures to be found in the wild. They can be found at conventions, departmental colloquiums, and specialized colloquiums. They also enjoy social activities like camping, drinking absinthe and Stroh 80%, and going to events like Comic-Con. They may be difficult to spot in a crowd as they often think about things in a different way than others. And sometimes, they may even get their ideas for groundbreaking discoveries while staring at a glowstick through a beer bottle."
  • #1
nucleargirl
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hm... maybe I have too much time on my hands... maybe I am just taking a leap into the unknown... maybe... maybe not... anyway, to get to the point, I want to ask the good people of PF: where can physicists (nuclear physicists and astrophysicists in particular) be found in the wild? where do they aggregate? what do they partake in when not in the pursuit of knowledge? there is an absurd lack of information on these mysterious creatures...
 
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  • #2
Gonna say: conventions. Otherwise, outside of a university, they probably try to keep a low profile.

Not sure that there is such a thing as a Physicist bar.
 
  • #3
ooooh! there should be one! that would be so cool! it could defy gravity, have a black hole where people could hide in... have worm holes to crawl through, have nuclear stuff to make people excited... giant magnets to stick people to... we could drink weird stuff... whatever physicists like to drink... lol the possibilities are endless! a cosmic room to watch the stars... anti-matter room... where things doesn't matter! etc.etc
 
  • #4
nucleargirl said:
ooooh! there should be one! that would be so cool! it could defy gravity, have a black hole where people could hide in... have worm holes to crawl through, have nuclear stuff to make people excited... giant magnets to stick people to... we could drink weird stuff... whatever physicists like to drink... lol the possibilities are endless! a cosmic room to watch the stars... anti-matter room... where things doesn't matter! etc.etc

Reminds me of funny scenes from the Elegant Universe...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7NWoxdJ1sIk&feature=related

Sorry, I can't pinpoint it actually; but there's a funny scene in a theoretical bar. It's well worth the watch anyway.
 
  • #5
These sort of stereotypes are ridiculous. Why are physicists thought to be mysterious creatures waiting to be "found" somewhere?
 
  • #6
When I was in grad school, the nearest thing to a "physicists' happy hour" was at 3:30 PM every weekday, when the department secretaries put out coffee and cookies on a table near the preprint racks. This was long before the advent of arXiv.org, when physicists still communicated breaking news and ideas via paper preprints sent out to physics departments worldwide.

One day per week this was followed by the weekly departmental colloquium, which usually had a visiting speaker from some other university. Other days, there were specialized colloquia, e.g. for nuclear physics.

I think most departments still have a weekly colloquium with refreshments. Otherwise, I can't think of any remotely social venue (outside of APS conferences of course) where you might find enriched concentrations of physicists.
 
  • #7
cristo said:
. Why are physicists thought to be mysterious creatures waiting to be "found" somewhere?

Someone gave me one for Christmas once. It was very hard to take care of, though. I ended up driving it down to JPL and setting it free.
 
  • #8
Math Is Hard said:
Someone gave me one for Christmas once. It was very hard to take care of, though. I ended up driving it down to JPL and setting it free.

:rofl:
 
  • #9
Math Is Hard said:
Someone gave me one for Christmas once. It was very hard to take care of, though. I ended up driving it down to JPL and setting it free.

S'what I would've done.:approve:
 
  • #10
They are found in areas of high gravity.
 
  • #11
Physicists drink Absinthe & Stroh 80% that is blacker than a black hole when out congregatedly camping lighting fires via Boltzmann's equations
while lighting up the sky with derivations of Maxwell's equations, or so I'm led to believe :biggrin:
 
  • #12
I'll bet a bunch went to Comic-Con. They'd definitely go to the Trekkie conventions.
 
  • #13
A better question might be how to spot a physicist. See, we participate in the same activities that everyone else does, but don't always look at things the same way. If you notice someone at a party staring at a glowstick through a beer bottle, for instance, they may be a physicist thinking about why the beer bottle seems to block blue light but not red light. Or they may just be drunk and trying not to vomit.

Or both.
 
  • #14
FrancisZ said:
I'll bet a bunch went to Comic-Con. They'd definitely go to the Trekkie conventions.

I don't konw a single physicist that does that, yet countless other normal, or "normies", people who went to that stupidity.
 
  • #15
If you find one physicist somewhere then that would be classified as a high concentration of physicists.
 
  • #16
They can be found racing go-karts.
 
  • #17
lol... these responses are funny!
 
  • #18
Math Is Hard said:
Someone gave me one for Christmas once. It was very hard to take care of, though. I ended up driving it down to JPL and setting it free.
They are quite difficult to care for. You never know if you are over or under watering them.
 
  • #19
FrancisZ said:
I'll bet a bunch went to Comic-Con. They'd definitely go to the Trekkie conventions.

yeah! I do a know a physicist who went to Comic-Con! but he was researching lazers... not what I am interested in sadly...
 
  • #20
JaWiB said:
A better question might be how to spot a physicist. See, we participate in the same activities that everyone else does, but don't always look at things the same way. If you notice someone at a party staring at a glowstick through a beer bottle, for instance, they may be a physicist thinking about why the beer bottle seems to block blue light but not red light. Or they may just be drunk and trying not to vomit.

Or both.

yeah it IS difficult to spot a physicist in a crowd! they look pretty much like another human! makes my life so difficult...
 
  • #21
JaWiB said:
If you notice someone at a party staring at a glowstick through a beer bottle, for instance, they may be a physicist thinking about why the beer bottle seems to block blue light but not red light.

And he might be getting the idea for his Nobel Prize, like Donald Glaser who got the idea for the bubble chamber while watching bubbles form in his beer in a bar in Ann Arbor (the Village Bell, if I remember correctly).
 
  • #22
You'll find them at the h bar
 

1. Where do physicists typically work?

Physicists can be found working in a variety of settings, including universities, research laboratories, government agencies, and private companies. Some may also work in non-traditional roles, such as science communication or policy.

2. What specific fields do physicists work in?

Physicists can specialize in a wide range of fields, including astrophysics, particle physics, condensed matter physics, and many others. They may also work in interdisciplinary areas such as biophysics or materials science.

3. Are there any specific countries or regions where physicists are primarily located?

While there are certainly concentrations of physicists in certain countries or regions, the field of physics is global and physicists can be found in many different parts of the world. Some countries with a strong presence in physics include the United States, Germany, Japan, and China.

4. Do physicists work alone or in teams?

Both! Some physicists may work independently on their own research projects, while others may collaborate with colleagues in their field or in interdisciplinary teams. Teamwork is often necessary for larger projects and can also lead to more diverse perspectives and innovative ideas.

5. Can physicists also be found in non-scientific roles?

Yes, physicists can apply their analytical and problem-solving skills to a wide range of industries and careers. Some may work in finance, data science, or even in the entertainment industry. The critical thinking skills developed in physics can be valuable in many different fields.

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