[Physics FAQ] - [Copyright]

Written by PEG and SIC, but updated occasionally.


An Introduction to the Physics Newsgroups

The physics groups

The USENET hierarchy contains a number of newsgroups dedicated to the discussion of physics and physics-related topics.  These include sci.physics, sci.physics.research, sci.physics.cond-matter, sci.physics.particle and alt.sci.physics.new-theories, to all of which this general physics FAQ is relevant.  Some of the more narrowly focused physics newsgroups have their own FAQs, which can, of course, be found in the appropriate newsgroups.

sci.physics is an unmoderated newsgroup dedicated to the discussion of physics, news from the physics community, and physics-related social issues.

sci.physics.foundations is a moderated group designed to discuss any issue of the foundations of physics or philosophy of physics, and in particular, posts on unresolved or controversial issues.  The charter is held at here.

sci.physics.research is a moderated newsgroup designed to offer an environment with less traffic and more opportunity for discussion of serious topics in physics among experts and beginners alike.  There is an archive copy of the charter for this group and also a regular administrivia posting.

alt.sci.physics.new-theories is an open forum for discussion of any topics related to conventional or unconventional physics.  In this context, "unconventional physics" includes any ideas on physical science, whether or not they are widely accepted by the mainstream physics community.

sci.physics.particle is an unmoderated newsgroup dedicated to the discussion of all aspects of particle physics by people with all levels of expertise.  There is an archive copy of the charter for this group.

sci.physics.accelerators is an unmoderated newsgroup for issues relating to particle accelerators and the physics of beams.  There is an archive copy of the charter for this group.

alt.sci.physics.acoustics is an unmoderated newsgroup for issues relating to sound and acoustics.  It has an FAQ and operates under a set of informal rules.

sci.physics.cond-matter is an unmoderated newsgroup dedicated to the discussion of the physics of condensed matter.  There is an archive copy of the charter for this group.

sci.physics.computational.fluid-dynamics is an unmoderated newsgroup for discussion of computational fluid dynamics.  There is an archive copy of the charter for this group.

sci.physics.electromag is an unmoderated newsgroup with its own FAQ dedicated to the discussion of topics pertaining to electromagnetics.  There is an archive copy of the charter for this group, and an early FAQ.

sci.physics.fusion is an unmoderated newsgroup with its own FAQ dedicated to the discussion of nuclear fusion.  There is a reconstructed charter for this group.

sci.physics.plasma is a moderated newsgroup serving the plasma science and technologies community.  There is an archive copy of the charter for this group.

sci.physics.relativity is an unmoderated newsgroup for discussions about the theory of relativity.  There is an archive copy of the charter for this group.

sci.physics.strings is a moderated newsgroup for discussions on string theory.

alt.sci.physics  We don't know why this exists, but it does.

de.sci.physik is the German language group for physics discussions.

fj.sci.physics is the Japanese language group for physics discussions.



Posting guidelines

People from a wide variety of non-physics backgrounds, as well as students and experts in all areas of physics participate in the ongoing discussions on these newsgroups.  Professors, industrial scientists, graduate students, etc., are all on hand to bring physics expertise to bear on almost any question.  But the only requirement for participation is interest in physics, so feel free to post—but before you do, please do the following:

Thank you for taking the time to read this page.