Oh no, I wasn't cussing! :)
Throughout history, there have been many situations where the off-springs followed in the footsteps of their parents. The world of physics isn't an exception. There have been many notable parent-offspring physicists - the Bohrs, the Braggs, the Thomsons, etc.
Strangely enough, in my circle of physicist friends at work, I know of no one whose offspring is following in his/her footsteps. Zilch! None of the kids want to go into physics. Granted, majoring in physics is not one of the more popular line of study in college, so the odds are already stacked against it. But I would think that if there's demographic that would be more amenable to wanting to do physics, it would be from this group of people, since at least one of their parents is a physicist.
So I wonder why don't I see more of their kids going into physics? Is it because the parents are trying to get the kids to carve out their own destiny? Is it because the kids have seen the nature of the work and decided that this isn't something they want to do? Or is it due to something else?
What about you? Are you a physicist with a child/children? Any of your kids are inclined to go into physics?
Zz.
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