1/2 of all state schools have no girls sitting physics A level

Where is the scope??????

ENGINEERING!!! what more scope do you need? from building bridges and designing roads to designing silent aircraft, new power controllers to reduce energy waste in power packs for devices and lap tops, inverters to allow plug-and-play solar panels, greener refrigeration....

I could go on and on and on.....

True, true, quantum mechanics and particles are hugely in at the moment since everyone has heard of the large Hadron collider. Cern is in and Astrophysics is in. But not everyone works on the collider and not everyone can work in NASA on the Mars mission so where is the scope?

I always thought it was fascinating to learn how light acted like a wave. Which is relevant to watching stones drop in ponds. Or ducks swimming.

Both My dds have done /doing physics dd1 has it at standard grade and Higher (scotland) dd2 is doing her standard grade next year, in dd2s class there is 2 girls in her class and 2 in the other class, In dd1s higher class there was 2 girls ,

DD1 is doing a degree in sound engineering she needed her physics to get into the course.so it isn't all to do with being a phsyics teacher, My dds loves science and space etc and It shouldn't be perhaps girls are still being discouraged at home hopefully it will get better though

"Is there any point taking physics though if you don't want to do a physics degree/become a physics teacher?

Maybe we need to change tact and value 'feminine' subjects and encourage boys to take them rather than pushing girls into highly valued 'masculine' subjects?"

Slightly less economic value - to either country or individual - from baking and sewing though than from physics - don't you think? If we are looking to rebuild the economy on the back of growing high tech companies we need women in this area, so we then get female managers, CEOs and board members.

I studied Physics at A-Level and then went on to study it at degree level. I went to an all girls' secondary school, had great teachers etc etc but I don't think that's what made physics interesting for me.

I got a great start in life from a grandfather who was a massive advocate of science. I still have some of the books he bought me about the universe, science experiments you can do at home, dinosaurs... You name it, I probably had an encyclopaedia on it! I was interested in science from pretty much when I could talk and that naturally developed into a love of physics as the most underpinning science of all. I think it's massively important to spark that interest early and to have the subject taught well at primary level.

I know! They don't have the staff/rooms/space in the timetable, apparently. I have been up there and been all vociferous on their ass, but no dice

I'll just have to find the money for extra tuition somehow. I can't tell you how pissed off I am.

Bof why won't they split it? That's huge!

I wish there were fewer people (not just girls) studying it at my daughter's school sixth form. Thirty-bloody-five, I tell you. And they can't or won't split the classes .

Thanks, Kate.

Can I vote for Pauline Gagnon instead of Brian Cox though?
www.quantumdiaries.org/2012/09/28/how-is-new-physics-discovered/

YY that is a great book. He wrote another one called Structures, I think.

Funnyperson -I loved that book, remember reading it around A level time. Wonder if it's still at my parent's house.

I'm going to stick some science / electronic kits on my Christmas shopping lists for the DCs and our DNs/ God-DCs.

A lot of this thread has been about physics and engineering, circuit boards and electronics. I have to say that if that had been how physics was sold to me I'd have been completely turned off. Obviously it might work for some people but there's so much more to physics than circuits!

When I did physics A-level the parts that I found fascinating where the modules on quantum mechanics (the very small) and astrophysics (the very big). It should be really easy to make these engaging to young people - space and the wonders of the universe, along with the big bang and projects like the LHC. Brian Cox has done a brilliant job of engaging people at both these levels, we need to capitalise on this.

ohGood thanks for that link, I'm going to get that book. I'm a medical physicist, I have a PhD in physics. Off the top of my head I can name about 30 female friends with physics degrees. Some of them wear sweatshirts, but most of the them wear normal female clothes, even high heels. Some of them are physics teachers (mostly in Scotland), some of them work in hospitals as medical physicists, some are in research or industry/government in alternative energy, nuclear power, radiation protection, patents. I did physics because it was challenging and interesting, and I have had a career as a physics teacher, then a medical physicist, now I'm in medical research.

A huge problem with the teaching of physics in England and Wales is that they allow non-specialists to teach physics, and they don't regard science subjects as practical so you have 30+ kids and it's really difficult to do practical work. In Scotland, maximum class sizes for science (from first year at secondary school upwards) are 20, and you must have at least two years of university education to teach any subject - except for 1st and 2nd years who do general science. That means it's not allowed to have biology teachers teaching physics and vice versa from Standard Grade (GCSE equivalent) onwards. When I taught in Scotland, we did loads of practical work and the kids respected you because they knew that you knew your stuff. In England it was a nightmare, there was never enough equipment to go round the huge classes, and I had to teach biology to some classes. Everyone was bored and frustrated because I hardly know anything about biology and I just couldn't be less enthusiastic about it because I find it quite dull. I have sat in the staff room teaching a biology or a chemistry teacher the content of the physics lesson that they are about to go and teach to their class because they don't understand it themselves. And they hate physics. How can you expect anyone to encourage girls to do something if they hate it themselves?

No MrsBaffled, you have a scientific brain, not a male brain!

I would LOVE to see home ec dropped, in fact I have asked for it to be made non-compulsory at dds school (independent). I'd like to see electronics or even woodwork offered as an alternative. She can cook well enough already and has no interest in taking it any further, I can cook so she'll learn from me as it is.

cookery and textiles lessons at my dds school just irritate her and me

I was the only girl in my Physics class. The same pupils (me included) that were in that class were also the Advanced Maths group.

I know some of my female classmates didn't want to study Physics because they deemed it boring and once the majority of the females didn't want to do it, the rest seemed to follow suit!

I'm an oddball though and was a total geek, so it didn't bother me being the only girl. Although the Physics teacher always said he felt sorry for me!

I have a daughter and although she is only 2, I will be encouraging her to study all the sciences when she is older.

for goodness sake, don't tell dd. her favourite videos on the intenet are physics based.

I was not allowed to do physics at school. 3 sciences was too restrictive, apparently.

I did Maths, Physics and French at ALevel (at a grils' school). Physics was my favourite subject, though went on to do a Maths degree. I wouldn't have minded studying with boys at a mixed school (that's what happened on my degree anyway, I was very much in the minority), but I have a very male brain!

Am indebted to blue Peter for papier mache. Spent a very happy summer making puppets with papier mache heads and sewing the hand glove things once.

Forgot to say that I have a sewing machine which I love and make curtains and clothes. Physics and sewing are perfectly compatible. I did medicine anyway.

Also want to say that studying colloids which were physics and chemistry combined made me understand so much about cooking.

I did Physics and maths A levels way back when (amongst others). Loved it. I think that the female brain is well able to be fantastic at physics. The UK culture (maths and physics are 'hard') is to blame for lack of interest. Have an Aunt who did engineering in the 50's.

Think not enough light reflection, rainbows, prisms, circuits, radio building, diffraction, magnetism, coefficient of expansion, pendula done in primary schools. The old experiments are the more exciting at first hand and good for basic principles. The Roald Dahl museum in Buckingham shire is great for physics. The science museum in London is terrible. I hear the Cavendish lab in Cambridge is worth a visit but have never been as it is not open to the public only to schools.

Loved ' The New Science of Strong Materials' one summer. A very important book to understand buildings and bridges.

I agree re a basics of life course. In textiles, which I did before I could choose not to, I made papier mâché. I think I learnt about sewing on buttons at Brownies.