Physicist
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{{for|the album by Devin Townsend|Physicist (Devin Townsend album)}}
{{distinguish2|[[physician]], a person who practices medicine}}
[[Image:Usaf-laser.jpg|thumb|right|Physicists working in a government lab]]
A '''physicist''' is a [[scientist]] who studies or practices [[physics]]. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many [[Physics#Major fields of physics|branches of physics]] spanning all length scales: from [[atom|sub-atomic]] particles of which all ordinary matter is made ([[particle physics]]) to the behavior of the material [[Universe]] as a whole ([[physical cosmology|cosmology]]).
==Education==
{{Globalize/North America|section}}
Most material a student encounters in the undergraduate physics curriculum is based on discoveries and insights of a century or more in the past. [[Ibn al-Haytham|Alhazen]]'s intromission theory of [[light]] was formulated in the 11th century; [[Newton's laws of motion]] and [[Newton's law of universal gravitation]] were formulated in the 17th century; [[Maxwell's equations]], 19th century; and [[quantum mechanics]], early 20th century. The undergraduate physics curriculum generally includes the following range of courses: [[chemistry]], [[classical physics]], [[astronomy]], physics laboratory, [[electricity and magnetism]], [[thermodynamics]], [[optics]], [[modern physics]], [[quantum physics]], [[nuclear physics]], [[solid state physics]]. Undergraduate physics students must also take extensive mathematics courses ([[calculus]], [[differential equations]], advanced calculus), and computer science and programming. Undergraduate physics students often perform research with faculty members.
Many positions, especially in research, require a [[doctoral degree]]. At the [[Master's degree|Master's]] level and higher, students tend to specialize in a particular field. Fields of specialization include experimental and theoretical [[astrophysics]], [[atomic physics]], [[molecular physics]], [[biophysics]], [[chemical physics]], [[geophysics]], [[material science]], [[nuclear physics]], [[optics]], [[particle physics]], and [[plasma physics]]<!-- somebody mention GR and special relativity, since you've got einsteins picture, and no mention of the words above -->. [[Post-doctoral]] experience may be required for certain positions.
==Employment==
The three major employers of career physicists are academic institutions, government laboratories, and private industry, with the largest employer being the last.<ref>{{cite web| author=AIP Statistical Research Center | url=http://web.archive.org/web/20070113215906/http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/highlite/emp/figure7.htm | title=Initial Employment Report, Fig. 7 | accessmonthday=21 Aug | accessyear=2006}} Also relevant is: {{cite web | author=Institute of Physics | url=http://www.iop.org/Our_Activities/Science_Policy/Statistics/Education%20Statistics/page_2680.html | title=Education Statistics, Graph 4.11 | accessmonthday=21 Aug | accessyear=2006}}</ref> Many people who are trained as physicists, however, use their skills in other parts of the economy, in particular in [[engineering]], [[computing]], and [[finance]]. Some physicists take up careers where their knowledge of physics can be combined with further training in other disciplines, such as [[patent attorney|patent law]] in industry or private practice. In the United States, a majority of those in the private sector with a physics degree work outside physics, astronomy and engineering altogether.<ref>{{cite web | author=AIP Statistical Research Center | url=http://www.aip.org/statistics/trends/highlite/emp/table1.htm | title=Initial Employment Report, Table 1 | accessmonthday=21 Aug | accessyear=2006}}</ref>
<!--This is where [[chemist]] talks about subdisciplines, but I'm not sure how easy it'd be to limit ourselves here -->
==Honors and Awards==
The highest honor awarded to physicists is the [[Nobel Prize in Physics]], awarded since 1901 by the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]].
{{Nobel Prize in Physics}}
== See also ==
[[Image:Albert Einstein 1947.jpg|thumb|right|[[Albert Einstein]], One of the world's most well-known physicists]]
* [[American Institute of Physics]]
* [[Engineering physics]]
* [[Institute of Physics]] (UK & Ireland)
* [[History of physics]]
* [[List of physicists]]
* [[Nobel Prize in physics]]
* [[Professional physicist]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
== External links ==
* [http://www.bls.gov/oco/home.htm Occupational Outlook Handbook]
* [http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos052.htm Physicists and Astronomers]; US Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics
*[http://www.aip.org/statistics/ Education and employment statistics] from the American Institute of Physics
=== Further reading ===
*{{cite journal| title=What works for women in physics? |journal=[[Physics Today]] |url=http://www.aip.org/pt/vol-56/iss-9/p46.html |volume=56 |issue=9 |pages=46| doi=10.1063/1.1620834| year=2003| author=Whitten, Barbara L.}}
*{{cite journal |title= The Physics Job Market: From Bear to Bull in a Decade |url=http://www.aip.org/pt/vol-54/iss-4/p36.html |journal=Physics Today |volume=54 |issue=4 |pages=36 |doi= 10.1063/1.1372112 |year= 2001 |author= Kirby, Kate}}
[[Category:Physicists| ]]
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