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What does a typical day look like as a physicist ?
I am interested in what exactly physicists do on a day-to-day basis and what it really looks like doing what they do and how they do exactly what they do it because their career fascinates me.
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Joseph’s Answer
As Fred suggests, it absolutely depends on the type of physicist. I'm an experimental nuclear physicist working in radiation measurement in industry, and I'll tell you a few things about my day-to-day, but things can be quite different for other physicists - some of the main divisions being different fields of physics, academia vs industry, and experimental vs theoretical approaches to physics.
Personally, I have a very varied role, so my "day-to-day" activities can be quite different one day to the next. Often I'm on site with radiation detector instrumentation, making measurements; typically this involves setting up a measurement and leaving it running for a while to gather data. I like to have a quick look over the data as it comes in, so I can spot anything that looks unusual, but usually there's also further desk-based analysis afterwards, which might be done in specialist commercial software, in spreadsheets, or maybe needs some code developing to do custom analysis - many physicists are also programmers. Communicating our work is another big activity, whether that's by writing technical reports, scientific papers and journal articles, or more verbally in meetings, presentations, or at conferences. I work at a large publicly funded research facility, so I'm even involved in outreach - giving tours of some of the facility to school groups and other members of the public. Tinkering and troubleshooting is another big part of my day-to-day; configuring and testing our instruments to ensure we're getting the most efficient and accurate measurements we can - sometimes I'm as much an engineer as I am a physicist.
Personally, I have a very varied role, so my "day-to-day" activities can be quite different one day to the next. Often I'm on site with radiation detector instrumentation, making measurements; typically this involves setting up a measurement and leaving it running for a while to gather data. I like to have a quick look over the data as it comes in, so I can spot anything that looks unusual, but usually there's also further desk-based analysis afterwards, which might be done in specialist commercial software, in spreadsheets, or maybe needs some code developing to do custom analysis - many physicists are also programmers. Communicating our work is another big activity, whether that's by writing technical reports, scientific papers and journal articles, or more verbally in meetings, presentations, or at conferences. I work at a large publicly funded research facility, so I'm even involved in outreach - giving tours of some of the facility to school groups and other members of the public. Tinkering and troubleshooting is another big part of my day-to-day; configuring and testing our instruments to ensure we're getting the most efficient and accurate measurements we can - sometimes I'm as much an engineer as I am a physicist.
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Emma’s Answer
A typical day for a physicist involves a dynamic mix of research, experimentation, data analysis, collaboration, and administrative tasks. Physicists conduct experiments, collect data, and analyze results to test hypotheses and advance scientific knowledge. They collaborate with colleagues, write research papers, and may teach courses or mentor students in academia. Administrative responsibilities include managing budgets, overseeing equipment maintenance, and coordinating research projects. Physicists also attend conferences and seminars to stay updated on the latest developments in their field and dedicate time to continued learning and problem-solving. The specific tasks can vary widely based on the physicist's specialization, whether in theoretical, experimental, or applied physics, but all physicists share a passion for scientific exploration and discovery.
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Fred’s Answer
I am not a physicist, so take my advice how you will.
I think the answer is "it depends on what kind of physicist you are." If you are a college professor, your day-to-day will be very different than if you work at CERN. Or for a government. Or at a manufacturing plant.
I think the answer is "it depends on what kind of physicist you are." If you are a college professor, your day-to-day will be very different than if you work at CERN. Or for a government. Or at a manufacturing plant.