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Kyle Oris

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Is biology required?

i am in high school and i want to become a theoretical physicist. i was wondering if i need biology to become a theoretical physicist. i hate biology. it is hard and i don't think a theoretical physicist would need it and i don't want to waste a year of my life in a class i don't need.
please post you opinions and reasons why or why not this class is useful to theoretical physicists.

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  • Entropy Driven 10+

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    Jan 7 2013: I don't know. There's a lot of interesting stuff in biology, but my daughter tells me that her biology class in high-school is crap. There's a huge gap between the actual science and what it seen in class I guess. I don't think that biology would be required for you to continue in theoretical physics. (Biology is not hard at all.)
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    Fritzie Reisner 100+

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    Jan 2 2013: Biology is useful for scientific literacy though not specifically essential in the way mathematics and physical science are for theoretical physics. A university would not typically require college-level bio of its physics majors, and graduate education in physics with an emphasis on theory would not either.
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    Krisztián Pintér 200+

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    Jan 2 2013: our education systems are crap, no doubt about that. however, if you want to be a theoretical physicist, i trust you can show us the calculation how biology class takes "a year of your life".
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    Gail . 50+

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    Jan 2 2013: People in the USA (and it appears around the westernized world) are functionally uneducated. We live in the age of specialization. Each person knows a lot about a very little. This leaves them unable to solve even simple problems in life, and is, in my opinion, a large part of why we face as many problems as we do.

    A well rounded education is essential for a well-lived life. Biology may require a lot of rote learning, but if you make a concerted effort to find the curiosity within YOU, you will find the reason to study it.

    You say you want to become a theoretical physicist, but theoretical physicists are concluding that reality is more organic in nature than mechanical. For this reason alone, an understanding of biology will serve you well.

  • george lockwood 30+

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    Jan 2 2013: Watson and Crick - one was a physicist - Also, taking biology is something a curious and educated person does. I do know something about graduate work in physics - many of us do not finish our PhD's or even get close.
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    Iksung Kang

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    Jan 2 2013: Before we talk about the reason why Biology is now existing and being researched by lots of scientists and engineers, it is quite understandable that Biology classes in high school maybe quite annoying for you. It has lots of things to memorize and needs a different way to approach comparing to Physics.

    If you want to be a theoretical physicist, you might not need the specific, complicated knowledge of Biology. However, what I want to say is that you should find the broader meaning of Biology. As other people below my comment already said, because human is one of biological organisms, and we everyday affect the biological environment around us with our actions, it is true that we cannot live without Biology, which can give us the understanding of human and the living environment around us.

    Yes, you can be a theoretical physicist totally without the knowledge and understanding of Biology, but if you have any interest in Biology, as a broader meaning, you can be the physicist who can carefully consider the interaction of Physics and the human society or the vast, biological environment of the Earth which we live in.

    • Kyle Oris

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      Jan 2 2013: i like your answer and i agree that a broad understanding of biology is a good thing to learn because we are all human and even though biology and physics are different, they still fall under the main science category.

      my problem is that i either don't take biology at all, or i have to understand everything, and get down into the very fine details. there is no broad understanding. the schools don't look at each person and say "oh, you want to be a theoretical physicist. we will put you in the "broad understanding of biology class".
      sadly it doesn't get that detailed for what each person wants to do because most people don't know what they want to do. And that sucks for people like me who know what they want to do and are more advanced than other people.

      under these circumstances, should i take the detailed biology class, or no biology at all.

      i just don't want the detailed biology to bring my grade down because it is kind of hard for me. the schools make a HUGE deal about grades. i don't think we need grades, we need to learn and be happy:)
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    W. Ying 10+

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    Jan 2 2013: I think:
    Biology is required because you are a human.
    Any human is run by biology, and thus you have to understand your self to run your self consciously right.
    Particularly, avoiding the invalid happiness.

  • Barry Palmer 50+

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    Jan 2 2013: One reason why biology is required for all HUMAN theoretical physicists is because humans happen to be biological organisms.

    Knowledge of biology is necessary for everyone because a huge portion of the environment is biological, including humans. Similarly, students intending a career in biology need to study physics, because they live in a physical world.

    Suppose one day you make a discovery in theoretical physics that could have a huge impact in the biological sciences. It would be very convenient if you understood this.

    Learn all of the basics, and learn them well. The world is more interconnected that you imagine.

  • John Smith 30+

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    Jan 2 2013: "Is biology required?

    please post you opinions and reasons why or why not this class is useful to theoretical physicists."

    It is not required per se to be a theoretical physicist, however universities may still require it for admission and taking biology will help you be a more rounded scientist, though biology is obviously less relevant to you than chemistry. If the biology class gets in the way of a physics, math or chemistry class and the university you want to go to doesn't require you to have taken biology then don't take it, in all other circumstances you should take it.

    P.S. if you really find biology hard then you might want to look at other career options than theoretical physicist.
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