IB Prospectus 2025 DIGI Singles - Flipbook - Page 23
Physics (available at HL and SL)
To study physics is to attempt to understand the nature of the
universe itself. It is the search for answers from how the universe
exploded into life in the Big Bang to what is the nature of time itself.
Some of the greatest discoveries in history have been made by
physicists and these discoveries have revolutionised our world—and
physicists are continuing to change the way we think today. Indeed,
when the discipline was 昀椀rst de昀椀ned, it was about observing the
Milky Way, the entire known universe at the time, while wondering
about the existence of the atom.
Look up at the stars and not down at your feet … Be curious.
Stephen Hawking
To put it simply, physicists seek to expand knowledge. They work
to test hypotheses and explain observations. They use the results
to build evidence, which ultimately leads to discoveries. These are
scrutinised by the scienti昀椀c community and, if accepted, become
knowledge.
Facts are not science — as the dictionary is not literature. Martin H.
Fischer
According to Richard Feynmann they, “Write down the problem,
think hard, write down the answer”. This — alongside Albert Einstein’s
famous pronouncement that, “Imagination is more important than
knowledge” — is an excellent summary. Basically, they collect
evidence to reach partial conclusions that eventually might be
accepted as laws or explanatory theories; physicists explore new
frontiers as varied as the existence of gravitational waves, the
path to arti昀椀cial intelligence, sustainable energy sources and the
expansion of travel into space. There are almost no limits to physics!
Equipped with their 昀椀ve senses, physicists explore the universe
around them and call the adventure Science. Edwin Hubble
Previous project titles have explored: mediaeval trebuchets, bridges,
parachutes, photovoltaic cells and the physics of guitars.
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