Joshua Isaacson's Blog: What Do Physics Majors Write?

What Do Physics Majors Write?

According to physics majors, most of the writing done in physics is in two ways. The major amount of writing that they do is either for the lab reports that they have to write after every lab; and the mathematical equations and notes that they take in order to perform well in the class.

In physics class, all of the physics majors (BS, BA, or mathematical concentration), all of them are required to take notes in class which makes up a majority of their writing, especially for the Physics with a Math Concentration Degree. When I interviewed one of these students, I learned that they do not perform labs, but instead have additional math classes. They therefore have a lot more mathematical equations that they are required to write down and understand. Through all physics majors, there is a lot of writing down in the classroom, whether it is diagrams of problems the students are analyzing, or equations needed to analyze the situation, or even the concepts behind a certain situations.

When interviewing physics majors in either the BS or BA program, the main piece of writing that they were required to do was to write lab reports after every lab (those in the mathematical concentration take additional math classes instead of labs). The students explained how they would have a lab every other week. They then continued with the fact that they would be required to write a report on the lab due the following week. The lab reports consisted of an abstract, an introduction and theory, a procedure, an analysis, and a conclusion section for each report. These reports would range from 3 to 10 pages of writing including the equations and graphs that are required in order to explain to the reader exactly what occurs in the lab. The abstract is a short section where the lab and results are briefly explained. In the introduction and theory section, the students are required to write about the current theories behind their experiment and to explain the equations that they will be using. Included in the procedure are how they performed the experiments. In the analysis section, the students analyze the results of the lab, and determine the error of the experiment. Finally, in the conclusion section, the students are required to explain how well the lab fits with the accepted values of lab, and explain any reason there may be a difference between the two values. (To see an example of a lab report that I have written as a physics major, click here).

Both of these reasons for writing allow the students in these classes to achieve a better understanding of the way the world works around us, and to gather a better understanding of the field of physics in general, whether the writing is based off hands-on experience, or from class lectures.

Without the writing down in the physics major, the students would not be able to continue to practice physics as a professional.