Science In School

Reading "Physics of the Impossible" by Dr. Michio Kaku got me thinking about science. I always loved science. It's usually my best subject in school.

I used to dream of being an astronaut or to be an astronomer. Sadly, there wasn't much opportunity for being any of those in the Philippines. Up until my first year in high school, I had dreamed of being an astronomer or even just owning an astronomical telescope.

My dream of being an astronomer was dashed when I told my Uncle about it and he told me there was no money in it. That's true in a way, since there is no money to be made in being an astronomer in the Philippines. That plus the fact the chicks dig jocks more than geeks.

Anyway, my interest in astronomy waned and got interested in basketball more than planets. They're both round anyway, but with basketball, you get to enjoy it with friends while astronomy is a lonely hobby. That plus the fact that chicks dig basketball players more than geeks.

Second year high school was the worst year for science for me. We were studying biology. Man, I really hated biology. I could never differentiate between families, phylum, phyla or whatever scientific name they had for something. I like dissecting earthworms though.

Third year chemistry was were I fell in love with science again. By then, it was my best subject along with geometry. I owe that to having two great professors in those subject. My chemistry professor made chemistry interesting and funny. He made it easy to memorize stuff by putting in nuances and jokes that you can't help but remember them. I remember his lessons so well that time that I never studied for an exam and always got high marks.

My geometry professor was just as good. She wasn't as funny, but she wasn't boring either. It's just pure logic. She made it easy to remember statements and proving stuff. Quite interesting really. I do remember on the first day of class, she was telling us that geometry was invented by the Egyptians, so if we have a problem with it, don't blame her, blame the Egyptians.

Physics during my senior year was a mix of high and low. Low at the beginning as I was getting my mind around it, but it got better as the school year progressed. We started with the laws of motion, you know, like the second low of motion, F=MA. No? That's Force = Mass x Acceleration. No? Anyway, it was interesting to learn that, but I still had chemistry in the brain, plus I just got off summer vacation so I wasn't really ready to dig into my studies. Plus it's the last year of high school and I wanted it to end already.

By mid year, I was hitting my stride. We were learning electricity, light, sound, heat, etc. Basically, it got more interesting for me and I was actually sorry it had to end by the time I graduated. I thought I found my niche. I wanted to be a physicist. But the word of my uncle loomed back in my head "there's no money in it". Stupid money.

So I ended up doing something entirely different, but my love for science is still here. I'm glad to see there are shows like Mythbusters and Nova. Magazines like Discovery, National Geographic and Popular Science.

My favorite were science shows geared for kids like Bill Nye the science guy. I even remember shows like The Edison Twins.



It's actually more fun to learn things now than before just because we have the Internet. We now have websites about astronomy like Galaxy Zoo where you can help astronomers explore the universe. There's also a ton of cool astronomy related websites. The Hubble Space Telescope website alone has an endless array of astronomical information.

For every branch of learning you want, the Internet is a great equalizer. No longer are certain information limited to a few, but pretty much any information you want you can get with a few clicks. Whether it is quantum physics, biology, chemistry or making an atom bomb. Heck, I didn't even know non-dairy creamer was flammable.



I don't use non-dairy creamer anymore.