ABSTRACT
A physicist is in a sporting goods store, looking at bicycles, as an employee approaches: Employee
“Do you have any questions?”
Physicist“No, I already know a lot about bicycles.”
Employee“Well, that one’s on sale this week. Would you like to take a test ride?” Physicist: “Oh, I can’t ride a bike. But I understand the forces that make them work.”
The story of the physicist and the bicycle underscores a fundamental issue in defining the concept of proficiency as it relates to professional practice. While the possession of factual knowledge is required for practice in virtually every profession, this joke illustrates the fact that there are some professional roles that require not only knowledge but also the ability to perform a skill. Indeed, in some professions, factual knowledge may be of limited value compared to the skill. Despite the physicist’s expertise in the physical forces that make bicycles work, it would be a mistake to hire this physicist as a bicycle messenger.