It is not too long ago since generative AI tools, such as ChatGTP, were being discussed within Arts and Humanities for their ability to generate good quality essays with seemingly no easy or reliable method of detecting their use, but quantitative subjects like physics seemed immune. AI tools did not seem to be very good at solving problems, and as problem solving in all its forms is a huge part of a sound physics education, generative AI did not seem to pose much of a threat. Those days are no more. Generative AI can now solve pretty much any problem we might set to an undergraduate and we face the same challenges that beset our colleagues in the Arts and Humanities.
We asked Prof. Dr. Doris Reiter, research group leader in theoretical solid-state physics at the Technical University Dortmund and Organizer of the Outreach Project QuanTour, to tell us something about her choices and her career. Doris Reiter received last year EPS Emmy Noether Distinction in recognition of her ground-breaking contributions to theoretical photonics and quantum technology, her transformative leadership and innovative outreach.
Generative AI can now solve the vast majority of physics problems a typical student will encounter until the end of a master’s course. As the cost of producing correct answers approaches zero, physics education must pivot from valuing the “product” to valuing the “process.” This shift requires a reimagining of how we teach, assess, and verify understanding.
Artificial intelligence is entering physics classrooms as a practical tool that can solve physics problems at the level of high-performing students. We argue that to remain relevant, physics education must refocus on scientific practices. Here we share experiences from two complementary settings: laboratory work and written assessment, and conclude with practical recommendations for educators.
Generative AI offers various opportunities to improve physics education. However, there are also several non-obvious challenges when integrating generative AI into physics classes and lab courses, such as low cognitive activation, unreflected acceptance, and metacognitive laziness. In this overview, we present three examples for physics lab courses, in which generative AI integrated at different points into existing sequence of inquiry-based learning (Pedaste et al., 2012).
Optical imaging methods play a central role in the study of manuscripts, from digitization, digital image processing to multispectral and hyperspectral imaging, the latter extending into the domain of spectroscopy. Their non-invasive nature and strong diagnostic potential make them valuable, especially when integrated into an interdisciplinary workflow that guides the selection of areas to be analyzed and supports the data interpretation.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly becoming part of the educational landscape. With tools such as ChatGPT, DeepSeek, Gemini, Perplexity or Claude, just to mention a few of them, students can get instant explanations, summarise texts, or check solutions with immediate feedback.
Across Europe, physicists and other STEM researchers frequently express concern that major policy decisions on climate, energy, technology and health are made with too little scientific expertise at the table.
Quantum refers to the fundamental principles governing the behavior of matter and energy at the smallest scales. Araceli Venegas-Gomez, former Young Minds (YM) EPS member who was also part of the YM Action Committee from 2016 to 2020, contributes to the public and business awareness of science and quantum technologies, providing a bridge between research and industry.
Plasma-assisted nitrogen fixation is seen as the unconventional candidate for energy storage in the future. It may just prove to be beneficial for global expansion of wind and solar, due to its benefits for remote and isolated households.
Water clocks are among the most ancient time-measuring instruments in human history. They have been found in many shapes and formes, from a simple pair of containers—where water goes from one bowl to the other in a fixed amount of time, while the passing of time is measured via ticks drawn on the walls of each bowl — to the more complex design shown here. In its simplest form, a water clock can be thought as a hourglass where water replaces sand. In the above, a piston is designed following Archimedes’ buoyancy principle so that, taking advantage of the pressure coming from the rising level of water, a rotation is induced in the hand of a Clock.
Quantum mechanics and quantum superpositions govern the microscopic world. However, when systems get bigger and bigger, eventually quantum tunneling becomes more and more elusive, until it becomes unobservable at human scales. Or so it was thought.
Space weather refers to both the dynamic conditions in interplanetary space driven by the Sun and its subsequent impact on the near-Earth environment. Space weather can disrupt or destroy ground- and space-based infrastructure. Although not fully understood, its significance is growing rapidly with our increasing dependence on modern technology.
The ongoing energy transition unfolds within a context of multiple crises - climatic, economic, and social - that might exacerbate pre-existing inequalities since gender, class, and geography critically shape individuals’ capacity to respond to these challenges.
The grid frequency is the power system’s heartbeat, gauging the balance between generation and demand. In this article, we show how frequency dynamics and control can be understood in terms of a paradigmatic model of theoretical physics: the overdamped harmonic oscillator. Using frequency measurements and tools from complex systems, we can see when control steps in, why lower mechanical inertia makes modern grids more jittery, and how the “noise” in the frequency can be used as a clue for better diagnoses and smarter control — especially in renewable resources-dependent systems.
