My initial reaction to this question is that I could interpret it in a few different ways. So let’s see where this goes.
Well, firstly, this questions assumes that physics is scary. And it certainly is. I could argue the inverse, but it would be filled with prevarication and fallacy. What we want to look at is the sheer awesomeness and power of physics. Physics is scary by its inherent qualities—it literally governs everything in the universe. It’s omnipotent. It’s omnipresent. And there are no exceptions.
Physics is responsible for the outcomes of the physical world, our world. It’s terrifying because it’s capable of both creation and destruction, yet our comprehension of it is limited. The darkness that surrounds us is immeasurably vast and its contents are beyond the realm of our understanding. We can’t control physics. We can only attempt to make sense of it.
But perhaps the answer to the above question refers to Physics class, not physics in general. That would explain the capital P. In that case, I think the answer is a bit simpler. Generally, in our society, we view mathematics as a nightmare to learn. And since physics heavily relies on mathematics, the fear carries over.
It’s as basic as that.
Right?
Maybe you want a bit more?
I could go on just a little.
Physics class is intimidating, since physics is so, almost counterintuitively, abstract. It’s hard to imagine why things happen the way they do. We’re so used to things behaving in certain ways that we lose sight of the physics behind it all. And physics, being the terribly awesome thing it is, might be a little hard to look at after such a long time.
Happy now?
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