Why do we study physics?

Some physicists study the motion of the earth and other planets and form the calendar. They predict the occurrence of tides and other events that would take place in our surroundings, of which we are interested, as we are involved.

The physical limitation of our ancestors made them dependent on a super natural spirit, the GOD. They worshipped the forces of nature, the wind, and the storm with elements of their daily experience, they mixed their imagination to produce myths, which guided and ordered the society. Religious superstition and prejudices reigned over the society and limited the man. During the last few centuries the situation has changed. Physical sciences specially and science in general advanced at a rapid pace. This forced us to give up our old order and yield place to the new scientific world and create new myths, which consciously orders our unconscious drive. The new synthesis helped to find substitutes for our age-old religion and thus direct the path of human history and nature.

The rationality in human beings separates him from his ancestors and other biological species. It helped him to produce for himself new psychic, mental, emotional characteristics. He is inquisitive to know his surroundings, as he is involved. His "intellectual curiosity" brought forth the philosophy and his " practical curiosity" developed to science. Physics is a division of science having a theoretical and practical side. Sir James Jeans¹ put it in the following way –"what were mere association of ideas in the brains of animals readily became translated into natural laws in the minds of thinking men, and led to the discovery of the principle of the uniformity of nature-what happened once –will in similar circumstances happen again; the events of nature do not occur at random but after an unvarying pattern. Once this discovery had been made, physical sciences became possible. Its primary aim is to discover the pattern of events in so far as it governs the happenings of the inanimate world." The illustrations given below will complete the argument I so long tried to pursue.

By the rejection of the Geo-Centric view prevailing in the middle ages and acceptance of the Helio-Centric viewpoint of Copernicus and Galileo –people found that their planet was not the majestic fixed center of the universe but was moving round the Sun like other planets. How this view shocked the contemporary society and led to the imprisonment of Galileo is well known. But still Galileo prophesied –" E pur Si Muove".

The second devastating effect was brought about by the Newton’s formulation of the Laws of motion and of universal Gravitation. People again found their traditional belief rocked -" The heavenly bodies were no longer to be feared or even consulted as influences in human affair, they were only chunks of inert matter moving as they were driven by universal laws"².

The third rearrangement of ideas was brought about by the Einstein’s theory of Relativity at the dawn of our present century. These advances in Physics helped to shatter our traditional superstitions and prejudices, and thus made us "free" and " progressive". Does these not convince us of the utility of studying Physics? Does this not place us in a world " where mind is without fear "?

Now let us explore the applied aspects of physics. Development of Physics is nothing but an "extension of man". It is not only to answer questions like – " Is the world we perceive in space and time the world of ultimate reality, or is it only a curtain veiling a deeper reality beyond?"³ –but also to predict the occurrence of an earthquake or put into the TV screens our matinee idols and move the locomotive efficiently. Its success lies in putting into a formula or to have an experimental generalisation of the whole phenomenon.

The primitive man like animals depended upon his muscles to do work and fulfil his requirements. But with increase of knowledge he was able to have more command over the forces of nature and find substitute for his muscle power with passage of time the method of substitution became ingenious and more effective. Oxen driven carts were replaced by electric locomotive. As Russell finds – " Electricity, like a djinn in Arabian Nights is a patient servant to any one who knows the right formula: the discovery of the formulae is difficult, but the rest is easy"⁴. As he humorously remarks – " It must have been more difficult job to tame the ox and the horse than it has proved to tame electricity"⁵. This is where the physicist is required – to find the right formula be it electricity or in seismology or anything like that. " Scientific discoveries have been made for their own sake and not for their utilisation and a race of men without a disinterested love of knowledge never have achieved our present scientific technique"⁵. The instance of discovery of the wireless clears the point.

Faraday experimentally formulated the laws of Electro-magnetic induction. But it was Maxwell who mathematically formulated the laws of electromagnetic radiation, purely from the theoretical consideration. Hertz first produced artificially the electromagnetic waves. But Marconi sent the letter ‘s’ across the Atlantic – thus directing the experimental and theoretical efforts of Faraday, Maxwell and Hertz to commercial profit. The Radio is the object, which startles the common man. However the essence is in formulation of the laws of electromagnetic radiation and the necessary experimentation. Until research is complete it is impossible for even the most farsighted scientist to foresee more than a few paces of subsequent advancement and application which is still then foggy.

I am a student of Physics. I am studying Physics to know the language of the community of physicist in which I am supposed to lead my life. From the physicist point of view, the necessity of studying physics is to produce more sophisticated and perfect physics by firstly finding out the flaws existing in our present theories; secondly to remedy this defects and thirdly to replace by a new theory more effective than the old ones (which proves to be inadequate in answering to problems, thus solving the crisis of theory in science). This is the formal structure of scientific revolution. ^**

To examine the necessity of studying physics more critically let us see some of its applications made presently and likely to be made in future. Today we are suffering from oil crisis. The limited resource of oil would not last long. A substitution must be made to keep the pace of progress unhindered. The physicists are making ceaseless effort (more applicable in the case of India) to harness Geo-thermal and solar energy. They had succeeded in a limited scale but we are sure that they would be successful in near future. The recent examination of the glacial project to the change the landscape of Sahara, the changed faces of the barren land of California, and of Soviet Siberia gives hints of the massive application of physics.

The revolution in communication system, which created the radio, television, is magnificent. The enhancement of Biophysics and application of laser in medical treatment is amazing. The launching of satellites and exploration of space, and progress in climatology and weather forecasting helps the modern man to remove the fears of ‘rain god’ and ‘storm’ from him. The development nuclear physics and its application in oil exploration, power generation etc. – solved many problems that were thought of as impossible to be solved. " To modern man his physical environment is merely a raw material an opportunity for manipulation"⁶. All these achievements only necessitate more study of Physics. Thus we study physics for our quest of knowledge – ‘practical curiosity’ – and in this aspect we are neo-Brahmins. We study physics to make life easier. It is a part of our struggle for existence.

Physics today is not a separate branch of science. It is very much in connection with other fundamental branches. For the development of other faculties of knowledge physics must grow. Thus a chemist is not in full command of his subject if he has no knowledge in Physics.

Physics and science in general never gets old. It is always ‘newer’. There is always something unseen and undiscovered in what we have seen, known and discovered. The more we know, the more unknown the world seems. Thus to the physicists who is always inquiring, inquisitive, who is pursuing for a long time his inquisitiveness who is free from superstition, who is trying to explain –and in the process of being and becoming, gaining more hold of this world-to him the world is always newer; so Newton engaging his life in quest of knowledge, finally came to the conclusion that he had been only a few pebbles from the shore while infinite ocean of knowledge lay before him. But what does fascinates these ‘mad people so much? Nothing more than this wonderful world with its ‘orderliness of nature’ and its ‘intelligibility’, ‘pervasiveness of beauty’ and the last ‘evolution’. These according to Sir Arthur Thomson and Patrick Geddes are the rational basis of wonder, which fascinate the physical scientists⁷.

To have a further insight into our topic let us consider the social aspects of studying physics. As everyone knows studying physics is something more than intellectual or philosophical reasoning or building up the theory of an engineering gadget. It also has a political, social and practical aspect. The last had been focussed often in this essay. The former two somewhat has an effect of guiding the course of human history. Today a nation advanced in physics is very much powerful. One possessing the potential of producing N-Bomb (hence exhibiting maturity of development) has more effect on international conferences, be it social, political or economic. Of course all are correlated. Again for countries like India, radio, television can play a pivotal role in having mass-education and generating public opinion. This can be directed towards the destruction or revival of the nation. Thus we find phrases like ‘nuclear blackmailing’ hitting the headlines of our newspapers.

Physics has a social responsibility, true, but in the present situation it rests upon the politicians, ministers of states to apply it to guide it. It can be ‘stained’ or ‘worshipped’ as the famous intellectual saying goes ‘ equations do not explode".

Before proceeding any further we must evaluate the position of the physicist. They should be free to give their opinion and be free of all political stresses. The fact that at most of the times a physicist have little to do with the results of their invention or their application has a big impact on modern society. The benefit of their researches are shared and utilised mostly by the heads of states politicians and businessman. They being in the intermediate position between the research worker and the mass derive the maximum profit out of it. More often a research worker turns a puppet of these people in authority. As for example " if a scientist suspects that radioactive substance in a reactor are not safely under control, he has few possibilities of sounding an alarm. The academics are afraid to express opinions that might annoy the authorities, their grants may be cut". As Hannnes Alfven remarks –" when the most competent scientists are forbidden by their contracts of employment to express criticism and when others who cannot be prevented by legal means are liable to constant harassment, something is very seriously wrong with society "⁸.

But let us not be afraid, as pages of history are the record of man’s good sense and his progress. Rarely do the black faces of Chenghiz Khan or Nero appear who misused the power bestowed upon them.

To conclude my essay, I quote from the poet – " The world concealed the very small in her, made the very big, great appear small or hid them behind the curtain. She dressed herself, in such a manner that man can easily get her with his simple and little power. But man, whatever he may be is not simple. Man is the only creature who suspected his simplicity, protested against it and became happy if he won over it. In these untiring efforts to go beyond the limit of his ‘simple…he had made the far nearer, made the invisible visible, inexpressible expressed…. By entering into the world of unknown…. insensible, invisible, man is only bringing to light the underlying mysteries of this universe…. In big forest dry leaves shed all by itself under the trees. The soil gets more fertilised by it. In the world of scientific activity, pieces of knowledge are continually shedding and scattering. By it our mind and soul gets fertilised and awakened."⁹

Reference:

1. Sir James Jeans – Physics and Philosophy, -Cambridge University Press 1948
2. same
3. same
4. Bertrand Russell – The Scientific Outlook, - George Allen and Unwin,

London

5. Same

** Thomas Kuhn gave a somewhat similar line of argument in his book: The Structure of Scientific Revolution, ( pp 52 – 91, Vol. II, No. II), The University of Chicago Press

6. same
7. The New Treasury of Science –edit by Shapely, Rapport & Wright Harper and Row publisher, New York. Chapter – The wonder of the world by J. Arthur Thomson and Patrick Geddes.
8. Hannes Alfven – science, Technology & Politics –Economic Power, Science Today , January , 1973
9. Introduction to ‘ Visva Parichay " – Rabindranath Tagore- ViswaBharati ( translated by myself )