Hi, I am Dr. Ken. I have a PhD in Physics and I have been teaching Physics in college for over five years. During these years, I have come to the realization that many students are not prepared to learn physics at college level. Many of them never took physics before college and some of them struggle with math. As a matter of fact, many high schools in this country do not even offer physics courses and those that do often do not have qualified teachers to teach physics. I think this is really a serious problem that would need to be addressed at national scale. But I would like t to do my part to help by teaching physics to high school students.
What is Physics? Physics is the theory of everything. Well, that is a little bit exaggerating, but it has a lot of truth to it. Physics is the study of fundamental interactions between matters or materials, ranging from colossal extraterrestrial planets and galaxies at cosmological scale, as well as teeny-tiny particles that make up everything that we know of. It is probably the most inclusive and most fundamental natural science discipline.
Why do we need to learn Physics? Physics is the most fundamental natural science discipline that builds the basis for other natural sciences, such as chemistry, biology, engineering, etc. Physics answers many important questions from how to produce energy efficiently without harming the environment, to our understanding of our own very existence. If you have a curious mind toward life, or if you want to challenge yourself intellectually, or if you think there’s something in life that is beyond what you see, something eternal that is behind and above all the appearances, then perhaps Physics is the subject for you. Have you wondered why sky looks blue on a sunny day? Why is it hard to walk on icy surface? Why do you feel your heart popping out when you ride a roller-coaster? Or why is that the bolt is always ahead of the thunder? Physics can answer all these questions. Physics is not an easy subject to learn. It requires the mastery of math and logic for the applications of Physical laws and principles. And it takes hard work to be good at it. Do not be intimidated by the stereotype that physics or science is for nerd. It’s this kind of thinking that undermines the foundations of the leading role of US in the continuous innovations in the playfield of the science and technology with other countries. Physics can be fun and cool. But as it takes a lot of sweating to be good at any sport, it takes a lot of practices in your brain to be good at Physics. I hope you would be all ready for it. And I hope you would understand one day the real fun isn’t in answering the questions itself, but in looking for the answers.
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