• Question: why do people say (my teacher) that physics is the most important out of biology, chem and physics?

    Asked by theo to Adam, Chris, Eleanor, Jessamyn, Sinead on 11 Nov 2013.
    • Photo: Sinead Cullen

      Sinead Cullen answered on 11 Nov 2013:

      As a biologist I am a little unsure how to answer this question because I love Biology! I studied Neuroscience in college and we learned so much about the brain and the body. It really is a very detailed subject, but really cool because we got to dissect human brains and bodies! Sounds gross, but it’s actually amazing! There are no two people on this earth exactly the same, even identical twins. They may look the same but there are differences between them. We are all individuals and this is because of how amazing Biology is.

      I think you can tell which is my favorite subject, but since I started my PhD, I work with other biologist, physicists and chemists and honestly all three subjects are as equally important to helping Science and Technology better!
      So you may have a favorite subject like me but they are all as important as each other!

    • Photo: Eleanor Holmes

      Eleanor Holmes answered on 11 Nov 2013:

      Controversial question!

      I think what your teacher (and other people who hold that opinion) mean is that physics is the most Fundamental of the three primary sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Physics)

      Physics deals with forces and interactions and the smallest particles of matter (quarks, electrons, etc.).

      Chemistry deals with atoms and reactions between them. The exchange of electrons between atoms.

      Biology deals with molecules and large structures/systems much more complicated than a physicist could deal with!

      A general rule of understanding anything (even something as vast as our universe) is to look at the most fundamental bits. So that is why Physics is important for understanding our universe. That doesn’t mean Chemistry and Biology should be under-rated.

    • Photo: Christian Wirtz

      Christian Wirtz answered on 11 Nov 2013:

      I think Eleanor answered this very well. To understand something, we always look for the smallest unit that makes sense and try to work from there upwards. So we go to physics to understand atoms and forces, chemistry for how the atoms react and biology for how the molecules make life.
      However, if you talk to a mathematician, he will tell you that physics is only applied mathematics and would be nothing without math.
      Then the philosopher will come along and tell you that math comes out of philosophy (which was originally nothing but trying to find rules for the universe that were then put into numbers and resulted in math).
      Then the biologist can come along again and tell you that you need a brain and hence biology to do philosophy and the circle is closed…

    • Photo: Jessamyn Fairfield

      Jessamyn Fairfield answered on 11 Nov 2013:

      I think that’s usually said because physics deals with the smallest pieces of the universe and the most fundamental forces, compared to biology and chemistry. But two things to keep in mind:

      1. Chemistry isn’t just applied physics, and biology isn’t just applied chemistry. There are emergent parts of those fields that don’t just fall out of knowing enough physics!

      2. Physics relies really heavily on math, so if you’re going to make an argument that physics is more fundamental than chemistry, that would mean that math is more fundamental than physics. But the whole thing is silly, because all the sciences (and math!) are interesting and important in different ways, and they rely on each other to make sense of the universe.

    • Photo: Adam Murphy

      Adam Murphy answered on 11 Nov 2013:

      It tends to be the one you’re in is the one you think is the most important!

      I don’t think one is more important. I used to until I started working with biologists, those people are crazy smart about stuff I don’t have a clue about.

      I think the really important stuff goes on where the subjects meet, so how physics can help biology and vice-versa. That’s where I work, halfway between the two. My group actually needs a physicist, a chemist and a biologist, and we all need each other!

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