Spyke
lemmy.ml

physics majors when they're asked to apply their knowledge (they've never been outside of the lab)

110
wizzorreply
sopuli.xyz

They can design the chicken coop, but only for spherical chickens in a vacuum.

101
nillocreply
discuss.tchncs.de

Just like the Tesla Truck!

Though lack of both physics and engineering is on display there.

10
sh.itjust.works

If you ask a scientist what pi is, they will tell you it equals 3.14159. If you ask a mathematician, they will tell you pi equals the circumference of a circle divided by its diameter. If you ask an engineer, they will say “about 3, but let's round it up to 5 to be safe.”

78
oce 🐆reply
jlai.lu

I'd replace scientist to something more precise like physicist because usually people consider mathematicians as scientists even if it depends on definitions.

15
lemm.ee

usually people consider mathematicians as scientists

Yikes!

... Wait, does this mean I can call a historian an artist? Then I'm game.

7
oce 🐆reply
jlai.lu

Historians are scientists imo. Is that a reference I don't have?

1
lemm.ee

Usually (in my experience?) history is one of the 'humanities', which are more lumped with arts than sciences.

0

Yes it usually is, but I think the methodologies for modern history research is very much scientific.

1
Peppycitoreply
sh.itjust.works

Feel free! I actually just googled it because I couldn't exactly remember it. I'd use contractions too and make it less formal sounding.

4

Thank you, I feel free now. Go get those other hostages now!

2
lemmy.world

As someone with a degree in physics who ended up in an engineering role, I approve of this meme.

74
beneeneyreply
lemm.ee

Fr, what can you do with a physics degree except teach people physics

11
Troyreply
lemmy.ca

Applied physics is a thing. Lots of jobs there. Geophysics, biophysics, engineering physics (yes, that's a thing...)

13
lemm.ee

I used my particle physics and knowledge of quantum topology to hybridise a new species of drought-resistant pineapple just the other day. It's that easy!

-2

Well, we did have plenty of engineered items before having the proper physics theory to explain what was happening. Physics does a whole lot more than simply enabling engineering to do more. It's the basis of our understanding of the universe.

3
lemm.ee

Oh, I do my plumbing based on political science. But that's not especially modern. The real genius is using music theory to run my email server. I'm setting self-hosted jazz on a saxophone next weekend.

-1
kbin.social

Is the date a perfect sphere in a vacuum with no friction?

44
reddthat.com

Her: "No I meant I'm a software engineer."

Him: "Oh. I also hate myself and want to die."

38

What's the first indicator a scientist tried to build their own experiment using the soldering station ?

The smell of burnt fingers.

What's the scientist waiting for sitting in front of their own experiment ?

Waiting for the infinite loop they coded to finish after they claimed they didn't need the engineer's help to write the code in their experiment.

How many scientists do you need to change a light bulb ?

Theoretically just one, but it can take several until one of them can call an engineer and admit they only know how to change light bulbs theoretically.

What does a scientist call an electrolytic capacitor ?

Acid distribution subsystem.

37
slrpnk.net

Ask a physician physicist to build a bridge, it collapse but he knows exactly how and why it collapsed.

Ask an engineer to do it, it holds but he has no idea how it's holding together.

32
Hoboreply
lemmy.world

I think the word you're looking for is physicist. A physician is a medical doctor (as in a person that treats sick people). A physicist is a person that studies physics (as in a person that knows how to solve word problems involving pool tables).

28
oce 🐆reply
jlai.lu

It's a classic French speaker mistake because physicist is "physicien" and physician is "médecin", very different.

11
SolarMechreply
slrpnk.net

IIRC they all learn some physics at engineering school. Even the software engineers.

5

In my engineering school, the major difference between software engineers and real engineers is that software engineers don't study physics.

1

Depends on the specific engineering branch. Sometimes more, sometimes less. Sometimes nothing at all. But all engineering branches share one thing with physics: math.

16
lemmy.ca

I think the joke is you don't understand enough physics to make that your gig, so you go engineering as the backup plan. Source: am IT, we're everyone's backup plan when their initial goals fall through

25
Foresterreply
yiffit.net

As a former engineering student who now works in IT.... I resent your comment.

15
lemmy.world

About to graduate in physics and I've definitely scrolled through IT job postings when anxious about not getting a PhD position

11
lemmy.ca

Don't worry, when IT students get those moments they look at construction ads. It's turtles all the way down.

8

And when us constructing workers get those moments we say fuck!, but at least we don't have student loans to pay off.

2
Waraughreply
lemmy.dbzer0.com

i didn’t get a degree until I was almost thirty, from an online college at that. I’m a complete idiot and somehow earning a bit over $200k a year in the Midwest at forty years old. Sometimes I have to meet with people and I’m like man, just let me back in my hole, wtf am I doing here, I can barely understand what these people are talking about let alone process any of the shit they are saying. I talk, ask questions, sometimes get answers I can understand but always make an idiot out of myself but I keep talking. Everyone says it’s better to keep your mouth shut and be assumed to be an idiot instead of opening your mouth and removing all doubt but I swear I’ve made a career out of being an idiot. If it wasn’t for IT I would be cleaning shit off guys dicks in a brothel somewhere to feed myself.

4

In my experience so far asking the question instead of just fucking everything up by guessing is a huge reason why you get paid what you get paid.

3

Just graduated from college in IT, I know a thing or two because I've seen a thing or two. I originally wanted to do creative communications but couldn't get past the entrance exam.

3
pigupreply
lemmy.world

I have worked with guys who got physics undergrad and mech E masters. They are both awful engineers who don't really get it. I take this joke too personally because I know it's bs from experience.

8

The absolute worst is when those kinds of engineers graduate but are incapable of thinking about the problems they are designing solutions for.

4

Engineering is just the economical application of applied physics, without Physicists Engineers work off faulty knowledge, without Engineers nothing gets designed.

The level of understanding an Engineer needs, however, is purely within the practical and economical, while Physicists understandably have more in-depth knowledge.

3
kbin.social

Engineering is more like accounting, but for objects instead of money. Tables, rule books, and lobbyists.

12
lemm.ee

Hey we understand plenty! Well the parts we have to to make the thing not go boom anyways....

9

Where's the kaboom? There should have been an earth-shattering kaboom!

2
Owlreply
mander.xyz

Wait, things aren't supposed to go boom ?

1

Excellent, excellent. One thought, though. Maybe it should be boom, boom, and then kaboom. Sort of a hoo-ah grand finale!

1