Power cable
Power cable
Prof. Dr Volker Mellert (Institute of Physics)
Flick the light switch! The lamp lights up. Are we satisfied with that? Or do we also need to know that electrons are racing through the power cable and, in some mysterious way, causing the fluorescent tube to glow? Isn’t it enough just to make a call on our mobile phone? Or do we also need to know something about electromagnetic radiation? 
If we’re curious about how the things around us actually work and don’t simply want to accept that they behave as expected, then we need physics in our everyday lives. If we want to know why the loudspeaker chirps when the mobile phone is transmitting, or why making calls might be harmful to our heads, then we need to understand our technological environment a little better. Perhaps we also want to change it, improve it, and make our lives easier and more enjoyable. Physics helps with that.