7/29/2020 Why Should You Study Physics?

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Why Should You Study Physics?

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By Andrew Zimmerman Jones

Updated April 24, 2019

For the scientist (or aspiring scientist), the question of why to study science
doesn't need to be answered. If you're one of the people who gets science,
then no explanation is required. Chances are that you already have at least
some of the scientific skills necessary to pursue such a career, and the
whole point of study is to gain the skills which you don't yet have.
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7/29/2020 Why Should You Study Physics?

However, for those who are not pursuing a career in the sciences, or in
technology, it can frequently feel as if science courses of any stripe are a
waste of your time. Courses in the physical sciences, especially, tend to be
avoided at all cost, with courses in biology taking their place to fill
necessary science requirements.

The argument in favor of "scientific literacy" is amply made in James

Trefil's 2007 book Why Science?, focusing on arguments from civics,
aesthetics, and culture to explain why a very basic understanding of
scientific concepts is necessary for the non-scientist.

The benefits of a scientific education can be clearly seen in this description

of science by famed quantum physicist Richard Feynman:

Science is a way to teach how something gets to be known, what is not

known, to what extent things are known (for nothing is known
absolutely), how to handle doubt and uncertainty, what the rules of
evidence are, how to think about things so that judgments can be made,
how to distinguish truth from fraud, and from show.

The question then becomes (assuming you agree with the merits of the
above way of thinking) how this form of scientific thinking can be imparted
upon the population. Specifically, Trefil presents a set of grand ideas that
could be used to form the basis of this scientific literacy — many of which
are firmly rooted concepts of physics.

The Case for Physics

Trefil refers to the "physics first" approach presented by 1988 Nobel
Laureate Leon Lederman in his Chicago-based educational reforms.
Trefil's analysis is that this method is especially useful for older (i.e. high
school age) students, while he believes the more traditional biology first
curriculum is appropriate for younger (elementary & middle school)
students.

In short, this approach emphasizes the idea that physics is the most
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7/29/2020
In short, this approach emphasizesWhythe
Should You Study Physics?
idea that physics is the most
fundamental of sciences. Chemistry is applied physics, after all, and

biology (in its modern form, at least) is basically applied chemistry. You
can, of course, extend beyond that into more specific fields: zoology,
ecology, and genetics are all further applications of biology, for example.

But the point is that all of science can, in principle, be reduced down to
fundamental physics concepts such as thermodynamics and nuclear
physics. In fact, this is how physics developed historically: basic principles
of physics were determined by Galileo while biology still consisted of
various theories of spontaneous generation, after all.

Therefore, grounding a scientific education in physics makes perfect sense,

because it is the foundation of science. From physics, you can expand
naturally into the more specialized applications, going from
thermodynamics and nuclear physics into chemistry, for example, and
from mechanics and material physics principles into engineering.

The path cannot be followed smoothly in reverse, going from a knowledge

of ecology into a knowledge of biology into a knowledge of chemistry and so
on. The smaller the sub-category of knowledge you have, the less it can be
generalized. The more general the knowledge, the more it can be applied to
specific situations. As such, the fundamental knowledge of physics would
be the most useful scientific knowledge, if someone had to pick which areas
to study.

And all of this makes sense because physics is the study of matter, energy,
space and time, without which there would be nothing in existence to react
or thrive or live or die. The entire universe is built upon of the principles
revealed by a study of physics.

Why Scientists Need Non-Science Education

While on the subject of well-rounded education, the opposite argument
holds just as strongly: someone who is studying science needs to be able to
f ti i i t d thi i
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7/29/2020 Why Should You Study Physics?
function in society, and this involves understanding the entire culture (not
just the technoculture) involved. The beauty of Euclidean geometry is not

inherently more beautiful than the words of Shakespeare; it's just beautiful
in a different way.

Scientists (and physicists especially) tend to be fairly well rounded in their

interests. The classic example is the violin-playing virtuoso of physics,
Albert Einstein. One of the few exceptions is perhaps medical students,
who lack diversity more due to time constraints than lack of interest.

A firm grasp of science, without any grounding in the rest of the world,
provides little understanding of the world, let alone appreciation for it.
Political or cultural issues do not take case in some sort of scientific
vacuum, where historical & cultural issues need not be taken into account.

While many scientists feel that they can objectively evaluate the world in a
rational, scientific manner, the fact is that important issues in society
never involve purely scientific questions. The Manhattan Project, for
example, was not purely a scientific enterprise, but also clearly triggered
questions that extend far outside of the realm of physics.

This content is provided in partnership with National 4-H

Council. 4-H science programs provide youth the opportunity to
learn about STEM through fun, hands-on activities and
projects. Learn more by visiting their website.

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7/29/2020 Why Should You Study Physics?

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