The Importance of Physics to Society
The future of any country and its contribution to the global economy is linked to its ability to develop its human capital in the field of science and engineering. Through its scientists and engineers, it is able to develop infrastructure for trade and industry.
In order to pursue a career in science and engineering one needs to have the ability to think analytically. The student, in Physics, studies an array of interesting topics ranging from matter, energy and their interactions. Physics is an international enterprise, which plays a prominent role in the future progress and survival of humanity.
Support for Physics and research is important because:
- Physics is an exciting intellectual adventure that inspires young people and expands the frontiers of our knowledge about Nature.
- Physics generates fundamental knowledge needed for the future technological advances that will continue to drive the economic engines of the world.
- Physics contributes to the technological infrastructure and provides trained personnel needed to take advantage of scientific advances and discoveries.
- Physics is an important element in the education of chemists, engineers and computer scientists, as well as practitioners of the other physical and biomedical sciences.
- Physics extends and enhances our understanding of other disciplines, such as the earth, agricultural, chemical, biological, and environmental sciences, plus astrophysics and cosmology – subjects of substantial importance to all peoples of the world.
- Physics improves our quality of life by providing the basic understanding necessary for developing new instrumentation and techniques for medical applications, such as computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, ultrasonic imaging, and laser surgery.
All educational institutions should thus promote physics as a subject with fervor and commit the necessary resources to create the infrastructure where students will be able to explore and satisfy their quest for scientific knowledge and solutions to everyday challenges.
Patrick Katzen
High School Physics Teacher
Read More
Year 3’s are building bridges!
♫ London Bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My Fair lady! ♫
London Bridge may have been falling down, but the Year 3 bridges are most certainly not! And yes, you guessed it…. We even have a London Bridge of our very own!
This term, the year 3’s planned, designed, collected materials and built their own bridges for Design and Technology. The students studied different types of bridges and learnt what materials makes a bridge strong and stable and which shaped designs work best for real bridges. In pairs, they used the information to decide if they were going to build a wooden bridge, arch bridge, cantilever bridge or a suspension bridge. Once they had agreed on a type of bridge, the students started their planning process by drawing a design and then sourcing the right materials to make their bridge strong and stable.
Finally the day dawned and the students bought all their sourced materials to school. They built, painted, coloured, glittered, glued and even nailed their bridges. Eventually, after much deliberation, hard work and even some tears, the bridges were ready!
Besides the beautiful London Bridge, we even had an awesome draw bridge that worked!
Mandy Goch
Year 3 Teacher
ROBOT RACES
In class this week a few of our Year 6 Students designed and created robot cars. A debate on who they thought could build the fastest car erupted. Eventually we had to settle the debate with a robot race to prove who built the ultimate robot car. The rules were simple, programme your robot car to get from point A to point B as fast as possible and remember to have fun. Excitement and curiosity filled the room as they all got ready to race.
In the end it didn’t matter who won the races, all the students had learned to re-evaluate and improve their designs. Isn’t that the essence of technology? Learning to use your imagination and knowledge to create a better design. Perhaps one day a few of our students will look back at these robot races and say: “That was the moment I knew that I would build the best robot on the planet.”
Here is to the future.
Sonia Terblanche
Junior School ICT & Robotics