For as long as I can remember I have had an interest in physics and the sciences. I recall reading that there are particles so small they can pass straight through you in space in my science encyclopaedia, which I told my friend at the age of 8. Whist working as a snowboard instructor in Canada my interest in physics began to grow and I was reading many books on the subject. I would discuss this with friends around the campfire in British Columbia Canada, one of which is an aerospace engineer .

I remember finding it incredible how the energy contained in a sugar cube is so great because of E=mc squared, and how this relates to the formation of the early universe, and that we can see the evidence for the quantum fluctuations that created the particles that make up everything by viewing the background radiation of the big bang. It is also fascinating how all the energy of the universe including gravity equate to zero which proves everything can spontaneously arise from nothing and how this can be measured to happen in a vacuum as there are quantum fluctuations and the creation of virtual particle and antiparticle pairs in a space void of anything.

Alongside my passion for painting I have continued to research physics, I have researched time dilation and how things gain mass as they near light speed due to the distance light has to travel at this velocity. I find it interesting that there is only so much of the universe we can observe due to hubbles law, and how space and time curve due to mass and how light can not escape event horizons in space and black holes. I have also been looking into electromagnetism and the laws of thermodynamics. By doing the access course in maths and physics I would like to go onto study physics at university, I have been recapping on algebra in preparation for studying. I am a hard worker and put in the effort to achieve my goals, at the age of 15 I was Devon champion for the 800 and 1500m in athletics, during the time I was training to be a snowboard instructor I was given the award for most improved female snowboarder and gained my level 2 instructor certification.

I am a passionate painter and do this along side looking into the subject of physics. I have set up my own business selling my artwork, I have my designs printed on clothing tapestries and other items which I have been selling on an art stall in Totnes. Physics and maths are the fundamentals when it comes to understanding the universe so it grabs my attention as being a very important and fulfilling endeavour to pursue. Physics is the reason for much of the incredible technology we have which allows us to further explore the universe and discover new things, and I am grateful to be around at a time where we have reached our level of understanding and have found things such as the Higgs boson which match the predictions made by scientists.

Even medicine has physicists to answer for things such as MRI machines so I see perusing physics and maths as being subjects which will allow a broad range of opportunities in the future. To understand physics is to understand nature so I think it an incredibly interesting subject. In a weeks time I will be attending an open day at Sidmouth observatory as I would like to gain first hand experience at viewing the stars through a telescope, I also love to view the beautiful images captured by the Hubble telescope and the recording of the earth as viewed from the international space station in which I find interesting how it is in orbit because it is free falling through the curvature of space time around our planet! I am a keen learner and really enjoy group discussion in class. Being able to grasp something new in physics and apply it or use formulas to calculate it is very rewarding. I was listening to Brain Cox only the other day discuss how everything we perceive as solid is actually mainly empty space and how the only reason we don’t fall through it is because of electromagnetic repulsion which made me start to look at things very differently and shows you that physics can completely change the way we view the universe and the world around us. Thank you for taking the time to read my personal statement and I hope to see you on the course.