What next?

Those of you who were in my last Y11 classes have now finished your GCSE Physics course but I hope this won’t be the end of your physics learning.

I’ve previously given some ideas about ways to extend your physics knowledge (see the Just for Fun category) and I’m going to give a few more suggestions here. They are all available free of charge.

1. Listen to podcasts from Physics World at https://physicsworld.com/l/audio/
2. Subscribe to the Science X newsletter, which covers physics, medical and technology topics, by registering at https://sciencex.com/
3. Sample the content on brilliant.org, such as the introduction to quantum behaviour at https://brilliant.org/practice/classical-expectations-spin/?chapter=spin&pane=3806 (There is masses of paid-for content but you can learn a lot from the free samples.)

Personally, light, optics and photography have always fascinated me and I’ve never been happy with the idea of light (and electrons) being both waves and particles. Like many physicists, I’m willing to say that light travels as a wave and arrives as a particle but I’m not happy about that explanation. I first met this problem when I was studying at school and it still occupies my thoughts. Maybe some aspect of physics will stay with you in the years ahead!

(If you want to find out more about the wave-particle duality then I highly recommend Six Impossible Things by John Gribbin. This is a short and really easy-to-read book that I’ve written about before: see https://physbang.wordpress.com/2020/05/31/six-impossible-things/ for more about this great book.)

Whatever you do in the weeks, months and years ahead, I hope you will always have an interest in physics. But even if physics isn’t your thing, focus on what interests you and never stop learning!