New Scientist Magazine for High School Seniors

[DR13]

@admin: Sorry if this is supposed to be in some other forum. If this is in the wrong forum, feel free to move it

I want to get a science magazine that centers around math, physics, and engineering. After looking on a few websites "New Scientist" seems interesting. Does anyone have an opinion on this? Or, is there a better magazine out there?
For some background info: I am a high school senior so I want to make sure that I am not getting anything too technical where it goes over my head (ie you need a physics degree to even understand the article).

 

[xxChrisxx]

New Scientist is pretty good as far as scientific journalism goes. I'm an engineer and tend to read more engineering based magazines, but as far as keeping abreast of new scientific 'stuff' I've found NS to be quite acessible.

If you are enjoy one particular area of science, then a more dedicated magazine may suit your needs better.

 

[DR13]

what kind of engineering stuff do u read (or would that stuff go over my head)?

 

[nicksauce]

I find New Scientist very often over-sensationalizes things, and it's quite annoying.

 

[DR13]

I find New Scientist very often over-sensationalizes things, and it's quite annoying.

Then what would you recommend?

 

[nicksauce]

SciAm, or Discover.

 

[mgb_phys]

For some background info: I am a high school senior so I want to make sure that I am not getting anything too technical where it goes over my head (ie you need a physics degree to even understand the article).

New Scientist is aimed at your level.
As somebody said it can be a bit journalistic-sensationalist but its generally reputable (ie. most university tea rooms will have copies.

Scientific American is a bit more serious, but also a bit humourless. Basically the same level.

 

[D H]

Science News (url: http://www.sciencenews.org/) is also fairly good lay-level science & technology magazine.

 

[Wallace]

I find NS annoyingly sensationalist when it comes to physics, all too often it represents a speculative or marginal idea as a revolution that has or will solve all our remaining problems. On the other hand I find that it is a good read when it comes to chemistry and biology. It's probably a case of ignorance is bliss though, I probably have all kinds of misconceptions about DNA because I got most of my info from NS...

On the whole though, NS is fine and is at least interesting to read if you are at a high school level.

Don't write off blogs and so on as an additional source on info. There are some very good general level blogs written by working scientists out there. From these sources you get a simplified explanation that can be understood without college training, but on the other hand the accuracy is much more gauranteed and is far less sensational.

As a start a reccomend 'cosmic variance' written by Sean Carrol and others (you should be able to find it with Google). But there are many more that I'm sure people here could reccomend.

 

[Freddy_Turnip]

I used to read NS a lot and also the magazine Focus in the UK.

 

[tiny-tim]

I want to get a science magazine that centers around math, physics, and engineering. After looking on a few websites "New Scientist" seems interesting.

New Scientist is good, but you won't get much maths or engineering in it.

But get it anyway … a good background knowledge of all science may come in very useful later.

 

[f95toli]

I find NS annoyingly sensationalist when it comes to physics, all too often it represents a speculative or marginal idea as a revolution that has or will solve all our remaining problems.

Although I am not sure you can always blame NS for that; I suspect they sometimes just use the info in the text the PR department sent them. Anyone with experience of of dealing PR people at universities and research institutes will know that regardless of what you publish it is always described as revolutionary in the press release, and it always solves at least one important problem

 

[DR13]

New Scientist is good, but you won't get much maths or engineering in it.

Lack of maths is fine. But do you know anything that has engineering as well as physics?

 

[Freddy_Turnip]

why don't you subscribe to either the IEEE or the IET. My choice would be the IEEE magazine.

 

[pallidin]

On a related note, I think forums can be of extraordinary value in addition to magazines or other study/reference media.
For example, I'm a computer tech, and after I got certified I found a professional forum which includes some serious experts. Much like here at PF, except exclusively computer related.
Anyway, I can not tell you how many times I get help for difficult situations, as well as continued learning through that forum.

Magazines and such are great, and forums ROCK! PF ROCKS!

 

[Lord Crc]

I used to read New Scientist but got fed up with the sensationalism. These days I subscribe to Scientific American and American Scientist. SciAm is more pop-sci, but there are usually some good articles still.

 

[Galteeth]

I used to read New Scientist but got fed up with the sensationalism. These days I subscribe to Scientific American and American Scientist. SciAm is more pop-sci, but there are usually some good articles still.

Agreed. NS can be frustrating. They also sometimes are a bit political. Sci-am varies. Many issues are very interesting. The past two have been so-so.

"Life in the multiverse?" Must be a slow news day in science. (Also, pretty much the equivalent of a late night "Dude, what if there were like, parrallel universes?" conversation with some math to spice it up.)