What do Physicists do?

So, what is physics?

Well the world of physics, is absolutely massive and can be split up into so many different ways. One way we can split physics up is through applied, experimental and theoretical, and these three can branch off into so many different industries some even outside of STEM.

Let's start off with the wildest of the bunch theoretical physics, and you're probably thinking of a chalkboard full of mathematical equations that are beyond anything you've learned in school, this is correct for the most part, they are no ordinary mathematical equations.

They are equations that could theoretically explain how Thor gets from Asgard to Earth. No I'm being serious, this might sound like science fiction, But this is looking at Einstein-Rosen Bridges and wormholes.

In other words tunnels that connect two points in space, in such a way that the trip through the wormhole would be incredibly quicker than traveling there through normal space. This all links to Einstein's discovery on Special and General Relativity, which proposes massive objects like planetary systems and stars warp and curve the universe itself.

This is exactly why time slows down for those approaching the speed of light otherwise known as time dilation, it's exactly what happened in the movie Interstellar.

Theoretical physics is forming and finding equations to describe and explain the universe and it's so important. Our planet will one day become inhabitable because of the expansion of the sun and who we look to to save humanity? Sometimes we need to look behind us to go forward, The Big Bang Theory, where everything started now why is this so important?

Well for one we need to know the fate of the universe, we need incredible amounts of accuracy to measure the expansion of the universe to figure this out. Will there be a Big Bounce, a Big Crunch, a Big Freeze, or something else we haven't discovered yet?

And what about dark energy and dark matter?

The Ying and the Yang of the cosmos? They make up over 95 percent of our universe and are known to hold it together and the only reason we know it exists, is because visible matter just doesn't have enough gravitational force to hold galaxies together.

And the other 4.9% is everything we know from the planets, to the green grass, all the elements in the periodic table, and even the ducklings.

This has allowed Physicists to create the Standard Model which explains all fundamental particles, allow me to explain.

Let's take a droplet of water, you might be thinking oh H2O, I know that, they're made of Hydrogen and Oxygen atoms but there's a lot more to it. If we go smaller and look into an Oxygen atom we start to see some of the particles from the Standard Model.

like the electrons which spin around the nucleus. And then we can look into the nucleus itself and see protons and neutrons. These protons and neutrons are made from particles in the Standard Model like the up and down particles.

You must be thinking they have to be the smallest they are made up from fundamental particles, but wait some Physicists believe these particles are actually made of strings, yes strings.

Just like when a guitar string is plucked it makes little sound. Some believe when these strings vibrate it actually forms these particles.

This is just one small part of quantum physics, just imagine how much more there is. What about NASA and all the space programmes around the world?

Whilst they're busy preparing for mankind to visit Mars you might be thinking what have they given the world?

Well what about laser eye surgery?

That's an entire topic on photonics and electromagnetism that I haven't even touched on. And with space being a place of extreme temperatures, NASA developed special insulation, a radiant barrier which is used in most homes today to keep us warm and cozy. And this is exactly where thermodynamics comes in.

So what is thermodynamics? Well they are laws that govern how thermal energy transfers between objects and mediums. Our understanding of thermodynamics is the reason we have air conditioning units to keep us cool and efficient engines that power planes, cars, trains, and even provide electricity.

this is all down to physicists and their understanding of how thermal energy transfers in our universe. Now enough of theoretical physics, let's look at applying this incredible knowledge. Before we had 50-inch flat screens, most people had huge chunky TVs that took up half of the living room.

These were commonly known as CRTs, now this rather strange name was referring to the technology behind them. It stood for cathode ray tubes, now before these made their way into TVs, Physicists experimented with cathode rays, why?

because that's part of being a Physicist. One physicist in particular Wilhelm Röntgen, not only did he discover a brand new wave during his months of research, but also managed to see a picture of all the bones in his wife's hand, oh did I mention that he won the first Nobel Prize in Physics.

Through experimental physics and an unintended application, little did Röntgen know he had just changed the entire medical industry forever. His sheer love for physics and the unknown led to a way to see all the bones in our body, without cutting it up.

A device that has saved millions and helped billions - The X-Ray machine. And these types of stories are frequent, the story behind the MRI scanner was almost identical and it opens up a whole world into nuclear magnetic resonance and condensed matter physics, but i'll leave Neil deGrasse Tyson to explain that one.

Whilst this is a huge part of physics another part is actively applying these principles. Think about those equations you learnt in school, for instance F = MA or Kinetic Energy = 1/2 MV²