Have you ever been discriminated by physicists?

[Guest Giberelina]

Being a scientist or a studient, have you ever been discriminated by physicists?

 

Why they think they are more intelligent? (I know a lot that aren't )

 

IF we suppose they are smarter, why they have to be so arrogant?

[geoguy]

No. I'm more concerned about folks who typecast whole groups of people like Blacks or Physicists or women.

[GutZ]

Well.....for one I don't have a physics degree, that might be one reason.

 

Besides I find it more interesting when they are, I get to bug them even more.

 

Me - "I heard you can go faster than the speed of light...."

Physicist - *Gives lengthy explaination as to why it's not possible*

Me - "what if I had a bicycle with rockets on them though *gives dumb face*"

Physicist *Walks away mumbling to himself*

 

I win every time that way. Hows that saying go? Don't argue with an idiot he'll take you down to his level and beat you with experience.

 

You seriously have no idea how fun it is to bug scientists.

[Phi for All]

Being a scientist or a studient, have you ever been discriminated by physicists?

 

Why they think they are more intelligent? (I know a lot that aren't )

 

IF we suppose they are smarter, why they have to be so arrogant?

How does this discrimination manifest itself? What exactly are they doing that you feel is discriminatory?

[ecoli]

Well.....for one I don't have a physics degree, that might be one reason.

 

Besides I find it more interesting when they are, I get to bug them even more.

 

Me - "I heard you can go faster than the speed of light...."

Physicist - *Gives lengthy explaination as to why it's not possible*

Me - "what if I had a bicycle with rockets on them though *gives dumb face*"

Physicist *Walks away mumbling to himself*

 

I win every time that way. Hows that saying go? Don't argue with an idiot he'll take you down to his level and beat you with experience.

 

You seriously have no idea how fun it is to bug scientists.

 

Like this one lecture I went to (that was open to the public), this one older guy kept saying he's heard about particles that can go faster than c. The physicist kept saying "no, no... the maybe theoretical particles, but they haven't been observed." This guy kept insisting that they've been observed.. I have no idea why he wanted to debate a physicist like that, when he was obviously wrong. The lecture was actually supposed to be a layman's lecture about the the big bang and the expanding universe, and was over most people's heads anyway.

[insane_alien]

hmm, usually its us(chemical engineers) discriminating against physicists because a lot of them can't hold their alcohol and are surprisingly rubbish at pool even though they should understand the principles behind it(you'd be amazed how many of them hit the ball on the wrong side)

[John Cuthber]

Well, as a chemist I have, from time to time, heard arrogant physicists saying that physics is the only real science; the others are derived from it or are approximations. I usually ask them if they have solved the 3 body problem yet.

BTW, am I the only one who wonders what GutZ will do when he grows up?

[the tree]

Physics discriminates against me, despite all that rubbish about unequal masses falling at equal speeds, fat people still hit the ground harder.

 

Maths is the real science, physics is one small part of it. I'm good at pool and I can handle my drink.

[insane_alien]

math guys can be fun. they usually have some interesting personality traits that only make an apperance when theres alcohol involved. it makes up for the sheer dullness of the subject.

[Pangloss]

This is the "thread of the week".

[Guest Giberelina]

How does this discrimination manifest itself? What exactly are they doing that you feel is discriminatory?

 

I'm studying biology. My teachers in Physics I and II are physicits, and they are making all time commentaries insinuating that we, the students, are stupid (I guess they think that just because we don't study much maths) and talking us ironically like we were 5 year old kids. No, worst.

Well, I'm not crazy if that is what you are thinking, almost all biology students feel the same here . The worst part is...I KNOW that they aren't that superb genius (ok, some of them yes, but in general we are like the same.) Besides, as I said, being intelligent means that you have to be that arrogant?

Is a shame, because I like physics.

What is weird is mathemathicians were always cool towards us.

 

(sorry about my english )

[swansont]

Well, as a chemist I have, from time to time, heard arrogant physicists saying that physics is the only real science; the others are derived from it or are approximations. I usually ask them if they have solved the 3 body problem yet.

BTW, am I the only one who wonders what GutZ will do when he grows up?

 

"All science is either physics or stamp collecting." Ernest Rutherford

 

Your statement, that physics has an insolvable problem, implies chemistry has none. Ergo, chemistry is easier than physics. (Look up Feynman's corollary that all mathematicians can only prove trivial theorems. Scroll down to "A Different Box of Tools")

[swansont]

I'm studying biology. My teachers in Physics I and II are physicits, and they are making all time commentaries insinuating that we, the students, are stupid (I guess they think that just because we don't study much maths) and talking us ironically like we were 5 year old kids. No, worst.

Well, I'm not crazy if that is what you are thinking, almost all biology students feel the same here . The worst part is...I KNOW that they aren't that superb genius (ok, some of them yes, but in general we are like the same.) Besides, as I said, being intelligent means that you have to be that arrogant?

Is a shame, because I like physics.

What is weird is mathemathicians were always cool towards us.

 

(sorry about my english )

 

 

 

Do you think it is valid to extrapolate the behavior of all physicists based on two data points?

[Guest Giberelina]

Do you think it is valid to extrapolate the behavior of all physicists based on two data points?

NO, that is why I'm asking to you. About my last post, I was talking about the physicists that I know. I apologize if I didn't make myself clear.

[swansont]

NO, that is why I'm asking to you. About my last post, I was talking about the physicists that I know. I apologize if I didn't make myself clear.

 

Well, I'm a physicist, so I have to recuse myself; others would have to say whether I have been arrogant. I'm sure some would say yes, and I certainly have been known to be sarcastic. But generally it's when someone comes on the boards claiming that physics is bunk and that they know the real truth. I feel no need to be gentle in debunking the heck out of them. So I do discriminate on the basis of scientific attitude.

 

As for teachers, it may be their way to motivate students to intimate that they are deficient in order to get them to work harder. I personally don't agree with that methodology, but there may be a cultural influence at play. Or they might just be jerks, and physics doesn't have any kind of monopoly on that.

[Phi for All]

I'm studying biology. My teachers in Physics I and II are physicits, and they are making all time commentaries insinuating that we, the students, are stupid (I guess they think that just because we don't study much maths) and talking us ironically like we were 5 year old kids. No, worst.

As others have mentioned, you make a big mistake saying that two physicists are representative of all physicists. In fact, if you meet another physicist and assume he's insulting and arrogant, *you* will be the one who is discriminating.

Well, I'm not crazy if that is what you are thinking, almost all biology students feel the same here . The worst part is...I KNOW that they aren't that superb genius (ok, some of them yes, but in general we are like the same.)

I'm sure those teachers you mentioned are as bad as you say, but that doesn't make all physicists or even all teachers that way. Many teachers are waiting for those few students who really want to learn and they often get frustrated with the majority who are just there to pass the class.

Besides, as I said, being intelligent means that you have to be that arrogant?

Is a shame, because I like physics.

Never let a teacher dull your interest in any subject. Especially in college, there are always other teachers. Find one you get along with and learn.

What is weird is mathemathicians were always cool towards us.

Well, everyone knows that *all* mathematicians are cool people. They can leave their sunglasses on while people like me need to see their fingers to count past three.

[John Cuthber]

Form swansnot "Your statement, that physics has an insolvable problem, implies chemistry has none"

No; it implies that, unless you are prepared make approximations, you never get anywhere. Belittling chemistry as just an approximation is pointless because approximations are all you get.

 

Also, if you want to argue by authority A la "stamp collecting" comment, pick someone who didn't go on to do things like this."In 1933, four years before his death, Ernest Rutherford said that people who thought his discoveries would lead to nuclear power were talking moonshine." or say "X-rays will prove to be a hoax." or that the earth was only 20 million years old.

 

Having said that, I quite agree with you that a heavy dose of sarcasm does a good job at getting rid of people who simply refuse to accept the laws of physics. That's not prejudice by physicists; that's just prejudice against fools.

[Sepiraph]

I haven't, but I studied physics in University. I do have something to say about biology courses that I took as electives though, I think they do rely too much on rote memorization and not much actual understanding. For example, I took a 3rd year, core biology evolutionary genetics course where they did talk a lot on genetics, but mainly from a historical perspective. One thing that bothered me is that they never even mention the genetic algorithm, which I think is more interesting and important than almost anything else that was said in the entire course. Also there is almost no math at all in any of the biology course that I took.

[Guest Giberelina]

One thing that bothered me is that they never even mention the genetic algorithm, which I think is more interesting and important than almost anything else that was said in the entire course. Also there is almost no math at all in any of the biology course that I took.

It is a little different in my career, we do use maths and pysics concepts in biology classes. Maybe they don't focus in maths in the exams ,(of course, that would be out of place) but the biology teachers always understand deeply all algoritms and maths developments (and physics concepts too) wich makes everything more interesting. And the asignatures are not in general

those memorabizables, thank god, because I would hate it otherwise.

As others have mentioned, you make a big mistake saying that two physicists are representative of all physicists. In fact, if you meet another physicist and assume he's insulting and arrogant, *you* will be the one who is discriminating.

Sorry, again, i didn't mean to extrapolate. (Actually there are more than 2, but is not representative either ) Well, it's a relief seeing that not all of phycisist are like that.

Never let a teacher dull your interest in any subject. Especially in college, there are always other teachers. Find one you get along with and learn.

Of course, my interest in physics won't change!

[NeonBlack]

There are 2 big things about biology students, I think, that bother physics professors.

First, "I don't need physics."

Most biology students are required to take 2 semesters of physics to graduate. For some reason, a lot of them adopt the attitude that physics is not important and give the professors a hard time.

Two, "I need a 3.9 to get into med school!"

Many biology students are pre-med majors and will complain to the professor about a bad test or just about anything in the class which upsets them.

I know a professor (my physics for engineering professor) who is one of the top bio-physics researchers in the US, but he simply refuses to teach physics for biology mainly for the two reasons stated above.

If you are really interested in physics, I suggest taking a few problems to your professor's office hours. Show him that you are interested in physics and willing to work to learn the material.

[ajb]

My Ex-girlfriend did a degree in genetics, her maths and physics training as almost non-existent. She had to do a maths course in her first year and that was it!

 

I don't know how you can say you understand a biological system/process with out some basic physics. The ideas of conservation of mass, energy or anything like that were not stressed at all.

 

 

Maybe things are different elsewhere...

[abskebabs]

Being a scientist or a studient, have you ever been discriminated by physicists?

 

Why they think they are more intelligent? (I know a lot that aren't )

 

IF we suppose they are smarter, why they have to be so arrogant?

I know this is a bit of late reply but I think I can understand where you're coming from on this. I can only tell you what I know anecdotally, but I think collectively from what I have seen from being a student of theoretical physics is that we can become a little big headed(I do not exempt myself from this), due to the fact we consider ourselves to studying a "hard" subject. The important thing is to not accept this and to kind of arrogance, and always try to convey a kind of openmindedness and entusiasm.

 

Similiar types of feelings I gauged when at chemical engineering, and from attending introduction courses to it that SOME engineers deem themselves to be highly practical compared to scientists(for example). Certainly the phenomenon is not isolated to ppl on certain types of courses, or ppl in general.

 

The other bad thing this does is it reinforces stereotypes, and ppl start thinking about themselves in a kind of "set" way, and even believing themselves or theri personalities to be stereotpyes. That is why it erks me when ppl call themselves nerds, or call me a nerd(not as an insult), in fact I know ppl who think it is quite a positive thing. That itself is open to interpretation, but I think above all, ppl should not allow themselves to accept steretypes, as I feel it is damaging as it kind of discludes you from realising more things about yourself and kind of makes you close minded towards other ppl.

 

Everybody is different and do things for different reasons, and have different aspirations, goals, passions etc in life. In fact this is what makes life and ppl interesting and ppl shouldn't dismiss it.

 

I think it is unfortunate that your physics professors are acting the way they are, but I guess it is what happens if you let preconceived notions get to your head. It is also unfortunate that certain publications I have recently read like articles in the last few physics world magazines have only contributed to these stereotypical notions, by giving them a broader reach.

[GutZ]

Like this one lecture I went to (that was open to the public), this one older guy kept saying he's heard about particles that can go faster than c. The physicist kept saying "no, no... the maybe theoretical particles, but they haven't been observed." This guy kept insisting that they've been observed.. I have no idea why he wanted to debate a physicist like that, when he was obviously wrong. The lecture was actually supposed to be a layman's lecture about the the big bang and the expanding universe, and was over most people's heads anyway.

 

I know I lack knowledge, others seemed to not see the very obivious aspect to what they are doing, essentially they are debating a topic with person who is an expert, these experts make the facts and information that you are using to debate with them, they seem to accept the field or study exists give the arguement yet.....

[Diana]

I have found that physicists or men of science who have become experts in any field can be perceived as arrogant. I do believe that what is considered arrogance is really their lack of interest in anyone's opinion that might be something they've heard before, they've argued before, or that their knowledge has surpassed eons ago.

 

Maybe they just get a lot of crap from people when they find out what they do for a living, and they're tired of it.

 

Just a thought based on what I've seen.

[swansont]

I have found that physicists or men of science who have become experts in any field can be perceived as arrogant. I do believe that what is considered arrogance is really their lack of interest in anyone's opinion that might be something they've heard before, they've argued before, or that their knowledge has surpassed eons ago.

 

Maybe they just get a lot of crap from people when they find out what they do for a living, and they're tired of it.

 

Just a thought based on what I've seen.

 

 

I can see how arrogance might be perceived in general conversation with a physicist. The response I get when I tell someone I'm a physicist is often either "Wow, you must be smart" or "I hated physics when I took it." If it's the former, either agreeing or disagreeing is going to make you look bad ("Why yes, I'm smart" is arrogant, and "No, not particularly" implies "I'm not that smart, so if you don't understand physics, you must be really dumb"). The latter is just a conversation-stopper.