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Physics is the most basic of the sciences, dealing with the structure
of matter, energy in all its forms, and the interrelationships between
matter and energy. It is the study of the fundamentals of everything
in the universe. If you look around you and start asking questions such
as why does that happen or how does that work, and if you probe into those
questions to get to the root causes, you will be studying physics.
 Obviously, there is a difference between a human being and a stone.
Humans, endowed with constant, immanent movement, possess consciousness,
are aware of the world around them, can love and feel pain, and, most significantly,
can communicate
these qualities to others. A stone, of course, cannot. Still, both are
part of a vast natural universe governed by the same set of physical laws.
It is the study of these physical laws, the attempt to understand what
animate and inanimate objects have in common, what and how we share, that
is the field of physics. The physical universe is a vast domain, but the
underlying principles governing its behavior are not numerous. As you study
physics at Gettysburg College, you will begin to understand that all the
changes we observe in nature are ultimately driven by just a few fundamental
forces, forces which act in comprehensible and predictable fashion.
The details of what these forces are and how they act cannot be understood
at once, even in a concentrated four-year course of study. It is, indeed,
a lifetime pursuit. The basic ideas of physics, however, are all contained
in some of the first courses you will take at Gettysburg. Mechanics, the
study of how bodies move, is the starting point; electricity and magnetism
examine one of the strongest and most important forces of nature; the study
of vibrations and waves will investigate the behavior of sound and light
and fundamental forms of energy; and the studies of atomic and nuclear
physics and relativity will examine the universe at the scale of the very
small and the very large. You may also want to take courses that apply
fundamental physical principles to the understanding of complex technology,
such as microprocessor electronics, lasers, and fiber optics.
Physics is not learned just in the classroom: careful observation
of and insight into nature, experience and experimentation, are as much
a part of a physicist's training as are class attendance and reading. Laboratories
associated with physics courses will give "hands-on" experience with the
phenomena physicists study and with the tools we use.
Finally, a firm understanding of the physical universe cannot be
obtained without an ability to speak the language of physics - mathematics.
While there have been a few great physicists, the genius Michael Faraday
to note one, who did not have or need formal training in mathematics, few
of us would be able to function without it. Training in and understanding
of mathematics makes it possible to comprehend the workings of nature.
Believe it or not, as you proceed through the curriculum at Gettysburg
College, you will see that the courses in the "higher", more complex fields
of mathematics actually simplify things.
While there is no doubt that physics is a
demanding major, it is a very intriguing, invaluable one, as well. If
the satisfaction of meeting intellectual challenges appeals to you, if
you are excited by the possibilities in opening up new areas of
experience and knowledge, then you will surely appreciate having made
physics your major
field of study.  |
