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Comment is free: A farewell to physics?

That physics education is in decline is beyond doubt; the figures speak for themselves. According to a research study recently published by Professor Alan Smithers and Dr Pamela Robinson, educationalists based at the University of Buckingham, the numbers of students taking A-level physics has fallen by 35% since 1990, at the same time that A-level entries rose overall by over 12%. The decline is claimed to be most noticeable in the state school sector. During the same period, a number of university physics departments have closed, or been merged with others in order to save costs. Between 1994 and 2004, the numbers of home students reading physics at university level fell by nearly 30%, and this has impacted severely on departments' funding, including that devoted to research.
Comment is free: A farewell to physics?


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