Program Description
How is the material world structured, from subatomic particles to galaxies? How do objects act under the influence of forces, and what are the origins of those forces? As a discipline, physics uses mathematical techniques to study matter and energy. Physics majors learn to tackle complex problems by collecting and analyzing quantitative data, applying mathematical reasoning to model the physical world, expressing their scientific thought processes orally and in writing, and using technology to explore and understand physical phenomena.
The Physics Department at Puget Sound embodies scientific inquiry and discovery on the part of both students and faculty. Students can work directly with faculty members who are engaged in research in fields such as particle physics, musical acoustics, optical materials science, and biophysics.
Who You Could Be
- System Engineer
- Research Physicist
- Data Scientist
- Physician
- Physics Professor, Teacher
- Database Specialist
- Quantitative Analyst
- Software Engineer
- Astronomer
"Learning physics as part of a liberal arts curriculum allowed me to place physics in the context of other academic endeavors and hone my verbal and written communication skills, too."
What You'll Learn
- Problem-solving skills in a variety of subfields including classical mechanics, waves and optics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and relativity
- Laboratory skills, including data gathering, data analysis, and writing lab reports
- To use computers to solve problems related to the physical world that lack simple analytical solution
