• Question: I want to be an architect when I am older and I need physics for it. How hard is physics and what is the main point of it?

    Asked by Jess Brown to Philip, Kerry on 17 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Philip Ratcliffe

      Philip Ratcliffe answered on 17 Nov 2014:

      Well, I don’t think you need an awful lot of physics so it shouldn’t be that difficult.
      The main point is that buildings are held up by forces that act in all different directions. So, at the very least you have o understand something of forces, also the wind for example has an effect. Then, buildings have to heated in winter and cooled in summer.

    • Photo: Kerry O'Shea

      Kerry O'Shea answered on 17 Nov 2014:

      You may also need to think about the acoustics of a building, for example if you’re designing a concert hall, you want to think about how the music will sound at every point in the room. This will likely involve some knowledge of the physics of sound waves.

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