Why Do We Study Physics?
Unlocking Curiosity, Building Skills, and Growing Closer to God
I’ll never forget my first undergraduate physics class at Purdue University. The professor, a brilliant researcher with a thick Russian accent and a mind that seemed to run miles ahead of the rest of us, stood at the chalkboard, scribbling equations and gesturing excitedly as she dove deep into concepts that left most of us in the dust. I remember sitting in the lecture hall, notebook open, trying desperately to connect the dots between equations. The subject matter seemed daunting and out of reach, and I left each session more confused than when I walked in.
My experience with physics isn’t unique. In fact, it may sound familiar to you. With stories like these, it’s easy to see why physics can get a bad rap. Many parents and students find physics an intimidating subject, filled with complex math and abstract theories taught by professors who speak a different language (sometimes literally). For homeschooling families, especially, these perceptions can be enough to make them wonder, “Why do we study physics? Does my high school student really need to take physics?” You may be thinking that since your student doesn’t need it to graduate, isn’t going to college, or maybe isn’t the most mathematically minded, it’d be best to just skip it. These thoughts are all relatable. I feel for you and get it.
But I want to encourage you with some good news. High school physics can be completely different from my college experience. The subject can be designed to be accessible, engaging, and, most importantly, unrushed. In a homeschooling environment, you have the unique advantage of tailoring the learning experience to your student’s needs. You’re not at the mercy of a teaching style that might not click. Instead, you have the freedom to choose curricula, resources, and methods that make physics approachable and fun.
Why Do We Study Physics In High School? It Is Accessible
One of the greatest benefits of taking physics in high school is the accessibility of the material. Homeschooling physics curricula are typically designed to build foundational understanding rather than overwhelm students with advanced topics. These educational resources are focused on making sure students grasp core concepts like motion, energy, and forces. Unlike the race through dense material that can happen in college, high school physics is paced to allow for questions, exploration, and real comprehension.
As a homeschooling parent, you get to create opportunities that make physics even more accessible to your student. You can slow down when needed, dive deeper into topics that spark curiosity, and connect physics to your student’s everyday experiences. You have the freedom to incorporate additional experiments, use online simulations, go on field trips, and even utilize video games to help your student engage with the material in more exciting ways. Does your student want to learn more about orbital mechanics? Buy a copy of Kerbal Space Program and place a rocket in a geostationary orbit. Curious about electricity? Build simple circuits together at the kitchen table. This flexibility allows you to turn physics into an adventure rather than a chore, and since physics involves so many everyday items, doing so is often as simple as digging through that junk drawer you’ve been meaning to clean out.
Physics Sparks Curiosity and Draws Students Closer to God
Look around you. Physics is at work in everything, from the way your smartphone screen lights up to the reason your coffee stays warm in a thermos. Understanding the principles behind motion, light, sound, and electricity helps students see the world through new eyes. Suddenly, they’re not just passengers in a moving car; they’re thinking about their reference frame, the car’s inertia, the friction between the tires and the road, and the acceleration of both the car and everything inside. They’re no longer just seeing an object across the room; they’re curious about how the light reflects off its surface, travels to their eye, and refracts to form an image.
This sense of curiosity and wonder is at the heart of why an education grounded in science is so important and is something that I’ve fostered within myself for many years. Learning how the world around me functions helps me better understand our Creator, who put these systems and their programming into place. By asking these questions, we learn more about the character of God, which ultimately brings us closer to Him.
Physics Expands How Students Use Math to Think About the World
It’s true that physics sometimes has more in common with the math classes your student has taken than science courses. And if your student has ever struggled with math, this fact could be enough to deter them from even considering taking a physics course! But it might surprise you to learn that physics often unlocks a student’s ability to understand and appreciate math in ways they weren’t able to before. For many, math can feel abstract. But in physics, math becomes the language we use to make sense of the real world. The numbers we use are not just numbers but measurements that have real-world meaning. Math suddenly makes sense when the number you solved is the speed of a car or the energy transfer between a projectile and its target.
Although high school physics requires knowledge of algebra and a little bit of trigonometry, its focus is not on memorizing formulas. Rather, it teaches students how to think critically and develop a problem-solving mindset. Every physics problem is a puzzle to be solved, requiring students to break down a challenge into manageable parts, consider different strategies, and persist until they find a solution. These are skills that go far beyond the classroom. They’re the tools we use every day, whether we’re troubleshooting a computer problem, figuring out the best way to organize a busy schedule, or making financial decisions.
Physics Builds a Strong Foundation for Other Sciences
Physics doesn’t exist in a vacuum (pun intended!). It underpins much of what students learn in chemistry and biology, too. Studying concepts like energy transfer, molecular motion, and forces is essential to fully understand chemical reactions, biological processes, and even genetics and ecology. For example, understanding how heat moves through a substance helps explain everything from how food is cooked to why we shiver when we go outside without a coat on. By mastering the basics of physics, students build a strong foundation for past and future science courses and develop an integrated understanding of how the natural world works.
Final Thoughts
So why do we study physics? Because it opens your high schooler’s heart to God’s mathematical design of the universe, expands their mind to new ways of thinking, grounds their understanding of the world, and prepares them for whatever the future holds. Physics is more than equations and theories; it’s an opportunity to develop problem-solving strategies, practical skills, and a sense of wonder about how things work. As a homeschooling parent, you have the unique opportunity to guide your student on this journey, making science not just accessible but truly inspiring.
