A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but a scientific society might be easier to identify if it adopts a simpler moniker. At least that's what physicists in the United States are hoping. Tired of being mistaken for gym teachers and physicians, leaders of the American Physical Society (APS) have proposed changing the organization's name to the American Physics Society.
Few people equate the word "physical" with physicists, explains Marvin Cohen, president of the 106-year-old society. "Many of us have stories of being confused with physical therapists and people involved with athletics," he says. "The simple change to American Physics Society would suffice to show people what we do and that we're an organization of physicists." APS is currently polling its more than 43,000 members to see if they agree.
Early feedback shows that most members welcome the change, Cohen says. But some say it's unnecessary. "I don't quite see how anyone who's literate can misinterpret" the current name, says physicist and writer David Mermin of Cornell University. Mermin also notes that a "physic" is a purgative, so "American Physics Society could be interpreted as an organization for the promotion of laxatives."
