Physics is generally regarded a difficult subject. However, one seldom examines the basis of this proclaimed difficulty. Beyond making a few superficial statements as to the complexity of the subject, the majority of the students never give a serious thought to the question: ‘Is the subject really difficult?’ The answer is a simple ‘No’. In fact, provided one is unbiased in one’s observation, it is simpler than many other science subjects where, atleast at the elementary level, a lot of burden is placed on the memory. Memory is taxed here also, but to a much lesser extent. As the subject addresses itself to describe the behaviour of the physical aspect of Nature in as completely a qualitative fashion as possible, and therefore uses the most perfect language of Mathematics, one can use the technique of logical deduction most fruitfully to arrive at a great many useful results, starting from a few physical facts.
A great part of the difficulty in our understanding Physics stems from our somewhat cavalier attitude itself, which urges us to degrade this understanding to a purely formal character. No doubt that such an attitude has a certain justification in the case of those working at the theoretical frontiers of the subject, but it is certainly not helpful for the beginners. It, rather, retards them. Unless the students develop the habit of interacting intelligently with the physical environment, what they are tought in the class will not be to their advantage to the desired extent. They must train themselves to be careful observers of the simple phenomena of Nature occuring around them in their day to day life and learn to describe these phenomema, atleast qualitively, in the terminology of physics. This way they will become more and more familiar with the alphabet of physics and the discussions of the various topics in physics, instead of engendering a sense of repulsion, will appear interesting and absorbing.
Ms. Ranjna Bhardwaj
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