physicist: Definition and Much More from Answers.com

Not to be confused with physician, a person who practices medicine.

Physicists working in a government lab

A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena spanning all length scales: from the sub-atomic particles from which all ordinary matter is made (particle physics) to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole (cosmology). There are numerous branches of physics and each has its corresponding specialists.

Education

Nearly all the material a student encounters in the undergraduate physics curriculum is based on discoveries and insights of a century or more in the past. Newton’s laws of motion were formulated in the 17th century; Maxwell's equations, 19th century; and quantum mechanics, early 20th century. The undergraduate physics curriculum generally includes the following range of courses: chemistry, classical physics, astronomy, physics laboratory, electricity and magnetism,thermodynamics, optics, modern physics, quantum physics, nuclear physics, solid state physics. Undergraduate physics students must also take extensive mathematics courses (calculus, differential equations, advanced calculus), and computer science and programming. Undergraduate physics students often perform research with faculty members.

Many positions, especially in research, require a doctoral degree. At the Master's level and higher, students tend to specialize in a particular field. Fields of specialization include experimental and theoretical astrophysics, atomic physics, molecular physics, biophysics, chemical physics, geophysics, material science, nuclear physics, optics, particle physics, and plasma physics. Post-doctorate experience may be required for certain positions.

Employment

The three major employers of career physicists are academic institutions, government laboratories, and private industry, with the largest employer being the last.^[1] Many people who are trained as physicists, however, use their skills in other parts of the economy, in particular in engineering, computing, and finance. Some physicists take up careers where their knowledge of physics can be combined with further training in other disciplines, such as patent law in industry or private practice. In the United States, a majority of those in the private sector with a physics degree work outside physics, astronomy and engineering altogether.^[2]

Honors and Awards

The highest honor awarded to physicists is the Nobel Prize in Physics, awarded since 1901 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

See also

• American Institute of Physics
• Engineering physics
• Institute of Physics (UK & Ireland)
• History of physics
• List of physicists
• Nobel Prize in physics
• Professional physicist

References

1. ^ AIP Statistical Research Center. Initial Employment Report, Fig. 7. Retrieved on 21 Aug, 2006. Also relevant is: Institute of Physics. Education Statistics, Graph 4.11. Retrieved on 21 Aug, 2006.
2. ^ AIP Statistical Research Center. Initial Employment Report, Table 1. Retrieved on 21 Aug, 2006.

External links

• Occupational Outlook Handbook
• Physicists and Astronomers; US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Education and employment statistics from the American Institute of Physics

Further reading

• "What works for women in physics?". Physics Today 56 (9). 
• "The Physics Job Market: From Bear to Bull in a Decade". Physics Today 54 (4).