My field is theoretical physics. It saddens me to note that students are not taught the deep and powerful ideas of 20th century physics. They are not taught that Einstein in 1905 unified electricity, magnetism, electromagnetism, and light into a single clear framework (see Electricity and magnetism). Students learn Euclidean geometry, which was developed millennia ago, without being told that the geometry near the sun is different because of the sun's mass, causing light from a star to bend if the light beam passes near the sun. They are not taught the powerful ideas of quantum mechanics, developed my many physicists and mathematicians during the 1930's. These ideas are that there are limits to how small we can measure. See the discussion about mass.

 

University faculty focus their efforts only on their students and research into new understandings of the universe, not on how to explain what is well known to young people and high school teachers.

 

In 1986, a paper was written stating that 20th century physics is not taught in high school. Although this was written decades ago, nothing has changed! Is There Any Physics After the End of the Nineteenth Century? Author(s): Aubrecht, Gordon J., II Publication Year: 1986.

 

This is the abstract of the above paper:

 

“The twentieth century has witnessed a burst of discovery in physics unparalleled in human history. Despite the fact that general relativity and quantum mechanics are well over half a century old, introductory physics classes in high schools, colleges, and universities essentially ignore them.”

 

SEE THE BOOK FOR MORE DETAILS.