CC Skills Physics

Physics is the natural science that seeks to understand how the universe behaves. In order to do so, it studies matter, its motion, and behavior through space and time, as well as the related entities of energy and force.

The principles and nature of physics affect every other science, some more than others. Knowledge of basic physics includes the history of physics, as well as some level of classical physics. In order to truly understand physics, some level of math is required – as in Ontology (the philosophical study of being).

Building on physics, then, comes some level of chemistry (unlike math, physics is all about the real, concrete world). Building on the chemistry comes skills and knowledge bases of geology, astronomy and so on.

Branches of Physics
Pure classical physics (above) would be rare, but not impossible, in a campaign. Most likely, it would be a stepping stone to a sub-skill for mission or payload specialist.

More likely, a character would have some flavor of applied physics, essentially the bridge between physics and engineering.

Likewise, theoretical physics data is more likely the target rather the skill set of a character. Unlike the concrete subject matter of most physics, this is heavy into the mind-melting abstractions, generally with mind-melting math to go with it.

Closely related is experimental physics, also the purview of billion-dollar projects that are seeking to give real answers to big questions, which may include how to blow something up with a colossal boom.

Fields of Physics Research and specific sub-skills
Like many fields, Speculation can't hope to catalog them all so instead, we provide a guidepost of skill levels and effective operational capacity and let Refs and Players work out what would be most appropriate for a given character.

Physics skill is often an adjunct or support to another skill.

If it's a primary skill, the lab work is usually in a research context. Each of these have potentially dozens of subfields, each focused on different major theories, and different underlying precepts and concepts. Skill ratings follow the general curve for all skills.
 * Nuclear and particle physics
 * Atomic, molecular, and optical physics
 * Condensed matter physics
 * Astrophysics
 * Applied physics
 * 15: B.S. Graduate
 * 20: Lab assistant
 * 25: Masters
 * 30: Corporate lab, working on PhD
 * 35: Doctorate
 * 50: Post-doctorate, well-published and recognized
 * 60: Has been on the cover of science journals
 * 75: Has been featured in mainstream media