Chapter 1 : Introduction to Physics
Topics covered in this snack-sized chapter:
Physics is the scientific study of matter and energy and how they interact with each other.
The energy can take the form of:
- Gravity . . . just about anything.
Physics deals with matter on scales ranging from:
- Sub-atomic particles: The particles that form an atom and the particles that makes up those particles.
As an experimental science, physics utilizes the scientific methods to:
- Formulate and test hypothesis that are based on observations of the natural world.
The goal of physics is to use the results of these experiments to formulate results:
- Usually expressed in the language of mathematics,
- Which can then be used to predict other phenomena.
Physics can be seen as the most fundamental of all the natural sciences.
Chemistry can be viewed as a complex application of physics as it focuses on the interaction of energy and matter in chemical systems.
Acoustics- the study of sound & sound waves.
Astronomy - the study of everything in outer space.
Astrophysics - the study of the physical properties of objects in space.
Atomic Physics - the study of atoms, specifically the electron properties of the atom.
Biophysics - the study of physics in living systems.
Chaos - the study of systems with strong sensitivity to initial conditions, so slight changes at the beginning quickly become major changes in the system.
Chemical Physics - the study of physics in chemical systems.
Computational Physics - the application of numerical methods to solve physical problems for which a quantitative theory already exists.
Cosmology - the study of the universe as a whole, including its origin and evolution.
Cryophysics / Cryogenics / Low Temperature Physics - the study of physical properties in low temperature situations, far below the freezing point of water.
Crystallography - the study of crystals and crystalline structures.
Electromagnetism - the study of electrical and magnetic fields, which are two aspects of the same phenomenon.
Electronics - the study of the flow of electrons, generally in a circuit.
Fluid Dynamics/Fluid Mechanics - the study of the physical properties of "fluids" specifically defined in this case to be liquids and gases.
Geophysics - the study of the physical properties of the Earth.
High Energy Physics - the study of physics in extremely high energy systems.
High Pressure Physics - the study of physics in extremely high pressure systems, generally related to fluid dynamics.
Laser Physics - the study of the physical properties of lasers.
Mathematical Physics - applying mathematically rigorous methods to solve problems within physics.
Mechanics - the study of the motion of bodies in a frame of reference.
Meteorology/ Weather Physics - the physics of the weather.
Molecular Physics - the study of physical properties of molecules.
Nanotechnology - the science of building circuits and machines from single molecules and atoms.
Nuclear Physics - the study of the physical properties of the atomic nucleus.
Optics/Light Physics - the study of the physical properties of light.
Particle Physics - the study of fundamental particles and the forces of their interaction.
Plasma Physics - the study of matter in the plasma phase.
Quantum Electrodynamics - the study of how electrons and photons interact at the quantum mechanical level.
Quantum Mechanics/Quantum Physics - the study of science where the smallest discrete values or quanta of matter and energy become relevant.
Quantum Optics - the application of quantum physics to light.
Quantum Field Theory - the application of quantum physics to fields, including the fundamental forces of the universe.
Quantum Gravity - the application of quantum physics to gravity and unification of gravity with the other fundamental particle interactions.
Relativity - the study of systems displaying the properties of Einstein’s theory of relativity, which generally involves moving at speeds very close to the speed of light.
Statistical Mechanics - the study of large systems by statistically expanding the knowledge of smaller systems.
String Theory/ Superstring Theory - the study of the theory that all fundamental particles are vibrations of one-dimensional strings of energy, in a higher-dimensional universe.
Thermodynamics - the physics of heat.