Physics fields

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The list of fields in physics

Wikipedia keeps a list of the fields of research in physics: [1] About.com lists the fields currently studied in physics:[2]

  • Acoustics
  • Astronomy
  • Astrophysics
  • Atomic Physics
  • Biophysics
  • Chaos
  • Chemical Physics
  • Computational Physics
  • Cosmology
  • Cryophysics / Cryogenics / Low Temperature Physics
  • Crystallography
  • Electromagnetism
  • Electronics
  • Fluid Dynamics / Fluid Mechanics
  • Geophysics
  • High Energy Physics
  • High Pressure Physics
  • Laser Physics
  • Mathematical Physics
  • Mechanics
  • Meteorology / Weather Physics
  • Molecular Physics
  • Nanotechnology
  • Nuclear Physics
  • Optics / Light Physics
  • Particle Physics
  • Plasma Physics
  • Quantum Electrodynamics
  • Quantum Mechanics / Quantum Physics
  • Quantum Optics
  • Quantum Field Theory
  • Quantum Gravity
  • Relativity
  • Statistical Mechanics
  • String Theory / Superstring Theory
  • Thermodynamics

The immensity and breadth of these lists raises questions about the scope and sequence of content in physics curriculum:

  • Does work in a particular field require a mere subset the content of introductory physics?
  • Do the omissions of traditional canon restrict access to certain fields until late in the students' educational pursuit?
  • When should the curriculum diverge so students can pursue these different fields? Are upper-level undergraduate and mid-level graduate always the right answer?

References