One of the odd things about physics is that once in a while the tools created to attack one problem turn out to be useful in studying what might seem very different problems. Elementary particle theory, for instance, owes a fair amount to techniques developed in condensed matter physics.
It gets odder than that, though, because some physicists have taken methods used in studying material systems and applied them to other systems not normally considered within the realm of physics — things like epidemiology, sociology, or ecology. At which point you wonder: is this physics? Is physics defined by what is being studied… or by the way in which it is being studied? It seems to get harder and harder these days to come up with a good definition for what physics is.
Anyway, here we have physicists muscling in on linguistics. Trying to explain New Zealanders.
From the last paragraph, it seems Dr Seldon’s influence is at work. Are the Kiwis working on an encyclopedia, by any chance?
2 Comments
10 February 2008 at 5:53 am
Legions of Russian physicists long ago invaded Wall Street (I’ve worked with several of them), revolutionizing the mathematical modeling of financial risk. Even more like psychohistory, I would say. As to long-term success prospects, however, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_term_capital_management
10 February 2008 at 8:58 am
Not just Russians; I knew a physicist at Jefferson Lab, Eddy Offermann, who made the move to Wall Street years ago.