People often think of physics as a science.
In many ways, it’s more like an art. While I earned a Bachelor’s of Science in physics, my next degree was a Master’s of Arts in physics.
Solving physics problems requires logic, but it also requires intuition. Studying physics is a passionate endeavor. The questions physicists ask lead to the discovery of beautiful mathematical structures.
Most people are familiar with Leonardo da Vinci’s artwork, but not as many are familiar with his explorations into science and nature. There is a reason for this. Anyone can look at the Mona Lisa and experience an emotional reaction. The beauty of the painting is obvious. The beauty of a catapult or a flying machine is not quite so obvious.
The beauty of a catapult depends on the concepts of gravity, air resistance, inertia, momentum, and more. The beauty of a flying machine is related to how we can generate lift in the opposite direction of the acceleration due to gravity. Understanding the motion of objects is fascinating!
As an aside, I’ve been watching Ken Burns’ excellent documentary about Leonardo da Vinci. It does a great job of showing how he was inspired by nature.
While the concepts of physics can be described without mathematics, this hides some of the beauty of the subject. I love conceptual physics books because they make physics more accessible to a wider audience.
Nevertheless, mathematics is the language of physics.
“To those who do not know mathematics it is difficult to get across a real feeling as to the beauty, the deepest beauty, of nature… If you want to learn about nature, to appreciate nature, it is necessary to understand the language that she speaks in.”
— Richard Feynman
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