Apologies to Professor Brian Cox, but I couldn’t resist this! I think it’s hilarious…
A word of warning: it contains colourful language, so please be sure to watch it after the watershed. And if you can’t find water, lava will do just as well.
I was on the panel that gave Brian Cox a PPARC Fellowship (quite a few years ago now). I think, however, he might have turned it down in order to take up a Royal Society University Research Fellowship instead. I’m not sure.
But, talking of a sense of wonder, I wonder if there’s a bit of Mancunian solidarity showing in your comment!
I’m not against Mancunian solidarity! But I no longer regard myself as an active physicist (cf probability theory) and I haven’t bothered with TV for many years, so I had to see who he was from Wikipedia.
Physics is finding out what is going on *materially*. It is great but it is not the only thing. Even though you need a body to have emotions, and even though you can correlate somebody saying “I feel happy/sad/angry” with certain brain activation patterns, emotions are real yet are still not physical things.
I rarely watch TV myself, unless it’s sport (and there’s not much of that you can see without paying extra). I gave up watching science programmes quite a long time ago, as they are usually dreadful. I therefore haven’t watched much of Wonders of the Solar System, but it’s getting a good reaction from the general public – especially the youngsters – and that’s much more important than what an old fart like me thinks.
It is a delicate balance between interesting the young, which often involves whizzbang, and informing them that physics really is hard work, but that the reward is commensurate with the work.
I seem to remember being convinced by my teachers at School that physics was worth doing precisely because it was hard. Or perhaps that’s just false memory syndrome…
“I don’t think it’s properly reflected that doing difficult things is a) good and b) difficult, and it would be to all our benefit if that were more widely understood.”
Prof Cox himself in the Evening Standard recently.
I am a 8th grade teacher in NC and came across your site while researching some information about the solar system for my class this year. I just wanted to thank you for the great information and articles about the solar system.
We would love it if you could write a few articles for us, or link to some of the current articles to help us spread trusted resources to other teachers. I have included a link to the site in hopes you might want link to it.
March 30, 2010 at 9:19 pm
Priceless.
March 30, 2010 at 9:33 pm
I have a feeling the BBC copyright police will have this taken off Youtube pretty quickly…
March 30, 2010 at 9:52 pm
I like him. He has not anaesthetised his sense of wonder.
As a teaser, this isn’t swearing, it is merely foul language….
Anton
March 30, 2010 at 9:56 pm
Anton
I was on the panel that gave Brian Cox a PPARC Fellowship (quite a few years ago now). I think, however, he might have turned it down in order to take up a Royal Society University Research Fellowship instead. I’m not sure.
But, talking of a sense of wonder, I wonder if there’s a bit of Mancunian solidarity showing in your comment!
Peter
March 30, 2010 at 9:57 pm
It’s right though. Physics is about finding out what the fuck is going on.
March 30, 2010 at 10:20 pm
I think I have finally found the opening line for my standard grant case…
March 30, 2010 at 10:42 pm
Tim,
As long as you don’t write “We have now entered an era of precision cosmology…”
Peter
March 30, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Peter,
I’m not against Mancunian solidarity! But I no longer regard myself as an active physicist (cf probability theory) and I haven’t bothered with TV for many years, so I had to see who he was from Wikipedia.
Physics is finding out what is going on *materially*. It is great but it is not the only thing. Even though you need a body to have emotions, and even though you can correlate somebody saying “I feel happy/sad/angry” with certain brain activation patterns, emotions are real yet are still not physical things.
Anton
March 30, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Anton,
I rarely watch TV myself, unless it’s sport (and there’s not much of that you can see without paying extra). I gave up watching science programmes quite a long time ago, as they are usually dreadful. I therefore haven’t watched much of Wonders of the Solar System, but it’s getting a good reaction from the general public – especially the youngsters – and that’s much more important than what an old fart like me thinks.
Peter
March 30, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Peter,
It is a delicate balance between interesting the young, which often involves whizzbang, and informing them that physics really is hard work, but that the reward is commensurate with the work.
Anton
March 30, 2010 at 11:03 pm
I seem to remember being convinced by my teachers at School that physics was worth doing precisely because it was hard. Or perhaps that’s just false memory syndrome…
March 30, 2010 at 11:09 pm
Was one of your teachers JFK?
April 1, 2010 at 1:50 am
“I don’t think it’s properly reflected that doing difficult things is a) good and b) difficult, and it would be to all our benefit if that were more widely understood.”
Prof Cox himself in the Evening Standard recently.
April 1, 2010 at 8:21 am
Good for him!
September 3, 2010 at 2:54 am
I am a 8th grade teacher in NC and came across your site while researching some information about the solar system for my class this year. I just wanted to thank you for the great information and articles about the solar system.
http://www.thefreeresource.com/fun-facts-and-resources-about-the-planets-and-solar-system
We would love it if you could write a few articles for us, or link to some of the current articles to help us spread trusted resources to other teachers. I have included a link to the site in hopes you might want link to it.
Thanks and keep the great resources coming
Bre Matthews
September 3, 2010 at 10:49 am
Let me say that I’m sure your eighth graders will find this particular video highly educational.