Welcome To PhysicsPhysics is the study of matter's motion and the causes of that motion. It is the most basic and fundamental physical science. It explains everything from apples falling from trees, to shining light bulbs, to contact lenses, to microwave ovens, and much more.
The word Physics often conjures images of Albert Einstein and nuclear explosions. As a result, some people are intimidated by Physics. Yet, the great challenge to learning Physics is not its complexity, but actually with how ordinary most of what it explains is. With other sciences, a student usually knows little to nothing about the topics of discussion except from what has been learned in school. What is the function of mitochondria? If you know, its probably because your Biology teacher told you mitochondria make energy for the cell. How does electronegativity vary on the periodic table? Unless a Chemistry teacher taught you that it gets bigger going from left to right except for the Noble Gasses which have very little, there is no reason you would even know what electronegativity or the periodic table is. On the other hand, a students thinks he knows a lot about the word acceleration before he studies it in Physics class. Unfortunately, this "knowledge" comes almost entirely from conversations with NON-scientists (or, even worse, action sequences in movies and TV shows). This means that some things that Physics students believe very strongly in are only partly true and sometimes completely false. As a result, the challenge of the Physics student is NOT TO LEARN the correct explanation to Physics concepts, but to UNLEARN more than a decade of partly false information. This is not an easy feat. The reward however is to be part of an elite group of individuals that actually understands the fundamentals of why the universe works the way it does. Welcome To ChemistryChemistry is the study of how the world works on the microscopic scale of atoms, ions, and molecules. It explains why ice floats, acids dissolve, and gasoline burns.
People are much bigger than atoms. As a result, the main challenge of the Chemistry student is to learn to visualize the world at the atomic level and learn the appropriate vocabulary to describe this "hidden" universe. Once this microscopic realm is understood, it is possible to gain new insight into how many to the properties of matter we do perceive directly are in fact control by quadrillions upon quadrillions of miniscule interactions. |
Welcome To Computer Programming
Computer Programming is rapidly becoming a fundamental skill of equal importance to writing and math in any remotely technical field. Obviously this includes: web designers, database administrators, network administrators, computer game developers, tech support, etc. Less obviously, though, most engineers (material science, mechanical engineering, etc.) and scientists (Physics, Chemistry, etc.) either use are benefit from a general work knowledge of computer programming.
The combination of the broad applicability of programming and the relatively small number of people who master it, makes computer programming a lucrative field for those individuals with the proper combination of logical thinking and creative insight. Welcome To Earth ScienceEarth Science is the study of the Earth. It includes several different fields of scientific study.
To answer questions about the Earth's creation, Astronomy is studied. To answer questions about the rocks and minerals that compose the Earth, Mineralogy is studied. To answer questions about how the Earth surface changes over time, Physical-geology is studied. To answer questions about how the atmosphere changes, Meteorology is studied. During the course of the year, topics in Environmental Science, Hydrology and other fields will be touched upon, as well. Earth Science obviously provides students with a deeper appreciation of the world around them. Beyond this, however, a foundation in Earth Science is a jumping off point for careers in many industries, from oil exploration to solar power, from weatherman to environmental impact assessor. Many of these fields are growing, high-employment fields as hiring individuals who understand how to find or conserve Earth limited resources becomes important to more and more corporations and governments. Finally, even for people who do not pursue Earth Science as a career, knowledge of the Environment is becoming more and more important for our daily decisions, especially as part of a country that is governed by the votes of its citizens. If we hope for the U.S.A. to remain strong globally, we have to make good choices about how to manage our environment. |