• Information for Students
• Information for Educators
• Information for Parents
• Physics Employment Facts
• Physicist Profiles
• Physicist Employers
• Educational Institutions
• Fields of Physics

Overview

Physics teachers and professors are likely to be the only physicists your students know! So when they have questions about physics and what physicists do, they may come to you for advice. In this section you will find suggestions for ways in which you can cultivate your students' curiosity for learning more about how and why physicists study the world around them.

Tools and Resources

Why Study Physics Poster

APS and AAPT worked together to create a "Top Ten Reasons Why You Should Take Physics" poster. These posters (along with other educational posters) are available through the APS website at https://www.aps.org/programs/education/posters.cfm.

10. This is actually a joke; there is no way to get out of a black hole! But the APS outreach website PhysicsCentral has an article about this fascinating subject.

9. Many people who have studied physics report it helps them develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

8. Why the sky is blue
Why the world goes round (you might have heard it was love, but Newton knew the real answer)
The physics of climate change.

7. This report shows that physics majors get among the highest MCAT scores, and the highest LSAT scores of all undergraduate majors.

6. For some of those recession-proof jobs, see our physicist profiles or the University of Texas website.

5. Mathematics provide the tools physicists use to understand the world we live in. Nobel Prize winner Eugene Wigner explored this theme in a famous essay called The Unreasonable Effectiveness of Mathematics in the Natural Sciences.

4. Almost a third of all physics bachelor's recipients who go into the private sector take engineering jobs. See more interesting physics employment facts.

3. Keivan Stassun explores the mysteries of the universe.
Marta Dark-McNeese uses lasers to develop new medical techniques.
Kate McAlpine became an international rap sensation with the Large Hadron Rap.
Kenneth Jensen solves the world's energy problems for Makani Power.

2. Without physics there would be no:

• grocery laser scanners
• space rockets
• light bulbs
• digital cameras
• cars
• cell phones
• airplanes
• solar panels
• fiber optics
• DVD players
• computers
• MP3 players
• flatscreen TVs
• ...get the picture?

1. Physics makes you more attractive to university recruiters, future employers, and that cutie you have your eye on. (You'll just have to trust us on that last one).

Michael Volpe - U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer

Michael went into the Peace Corp because he wanted to balance the strong analytical skills he learned in Physics with social and cross-cultural skills.

"I was an education volunteer for two years in rural South Africa,  aiding in the development of primary school teachers, " said Michael.  "Not only did I succeed in strengthening my social skills,  but I gained a new perspective of the world. I witnessed both the educational value of a background in physics and its shortcomings."

"Problem solving is perhaps the most valuable tool a student gains from an education in physics. As physicists,  we are trained to first identify the problem,  generate possible solutions using available information,  test these hypotheses and ultimately reach a conclusion. Working with people is not that easy.  Things like culture,  language,  race,  and personality all must be considered in order to understand relationships and create positive change. Living and working in a developing nation made this clear to me."