How to promote good physics

• Inclusive: Information that reflects the true nature of doing physics. For example, this video from Dr Becky encourages the viewer to investigate physics more and is more accurate in portraying the subject as a community effort, building on the work of others. 
• Exclusive: Stereotypes and myths about physics that create barriers to engagement. An example might be a video that refers to physics being hard, even if it’s done in the nature of clickbait or a joke. It might, for example, suggest physics is hard because it is maths heavy. 

• Inclusive: From being terrible at maths to a quantum physicist – my journey. Here, Dr Mithuna Yoganathan talks about her path toward studying physics, explaining that she wasn’t good at maths in her high school years (16-19) but because she loved it, she was determined to study it and now has a doctorate from the University of Cambridge.
• Exclusive: Videos in which the only representation of physicists is the stereotypical “lone genius”. Read more about how to avoid this in the Challenging Stereotypes section. 

Try to ensure content comes from a trusted source. Consider consulting a physics educator who works with a similar age group to your audience.

• Good: Content that is accurate within the accepted and well-established theories and ideas of physics. 
• Bad: Incorrect information about the laws of physics and the misappropriation of them to prove a point. 

• Good: Explanations that illuminate and invite discussion and further thought. 
• Bad: Statements of “this is just how it is” that present physics as being based on fixed facts.
• Good: Persuades the listener and creates understanding or insight into a phenomenon or behaviour.
• Bad: Simply stating that a phenomenon occurs because of a law in physics or implying physics is magic. 

Try to take time to explain what a law means, elaborate, then give more contextual examples. 

Determine the purpose of the content first, tailor your explanations to this purpose and use demonstrations, simulations, and graphics to enhance them. Where possible, ensure it relates to the experiences of the audience and refer to the impact of science on society.

If jargon is unavoidable, try to ensure that you only introduce technical language or equations once the foundations are understood. For example, the terms kinematics or SUVAT can be confusing if the audience has no prior knowledge. This depends on the audience of your content, but generally, remember to explain your jargon.

Audience plays an important role in delivering content; how you portray your content for younger students is very different from university students or parents. A good example of this is the IOP’s Do Try This at Home content compared to the Marvin and Milo content. The Do Try This at Home episodes are aimed at parents who may not have a physics background, so they include in-depth explanations and diagrams to aid the parents. In contrast, the Marvin and Milo episodes are aimed at teachers as fun, quick, enrichment activities they can use as part of a lesson, so they are short and to the point.