Physics
Physics
is the science of matter and its motion. It is an interesting science that
deals with concepts like force, mass, energy, and charge. Its goal is to
understand the natural world by finding quantitative physical laws for
everything from the atoms to the planets, solar systems, and galaxies that
occupy the cosmos. Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines and due to
its study of astronomy it may be the oldest of all. The basic laws in physics
are universal. Many of the technological inventions that we now see are the
result of discoveries in physics. Physics today is such a vast field that many
subfields are almost separate sciences.
The
early Greeks established the first quantitative physical laws like the
Archimedes principle of levers and the buoyancy of bodies in the water.
However, they were just bits and pieces of knowledge of physics because they
were not organised experiments and documents. Physics started progressing
properly only in the 17th century when scientists like Galileo and later Issac
Newton helped pioneer the use of mathematics as a fundamental tool in physics.
This led to rapid advances in describing the motion of heavenly bodies, the
laws of gravity, and the three laws of motion. Later, the laws of electricity,
magnetism, and electromechanical waves were developed in the 1800s by Faraday
and Maxwell. And soon many others contributed to our understanding of optics
and thermodynamics.
Modern
physics is said to have started around the turn of the 20th century, with the
discovery of X-rays by Roentgen, radioactivity by Becquerel, quantum hypothesis
by Planck, relativity theory by Einstein, and atomic theory by Bohr. Quantum
mechanics by Heisenberg and Schrödinger in the early 1900s also gave scientists
a better understanding of chemistry and solid-state physics, which led to new
materials and better electronic and optical components. Nuclear and elementary
particle physics have now become important fields, and particle physics is now
the basis for astrophysics and cosmology. Advances in electromagnetism have led
to the widespread use of electrically driven devices like televisions,
computers, home appliances, etc. Advances in thermodynamics have led to the
development of motorized transport. Advances in mechanics led to the development
of calculus, quantum chemistry, and the use of instruments like the electron
microscope in microbiology.
Physics
and Mathematics - Physics is closely related to mathematics as it provides the
logical structure in which physical laws may be formulated and quantified. Many
physics definitions, models, and theories are expressed using mathematical
symbols and formulas.
The
main difference between physics and mathematics is that physics is primarily
concerned with descriptions of the material world, whereas mathematics is
focused on abstract logical patterns that may extend beyond the real world.
Since physics concentrates on the material world, it always tests its theories
through the process known as observation or experimentation. However, without mathematics
the physics of the modern world is impossible.
Now let us look at the wide array of subdivisions or branches of physics where one can make a lifelong career in each of them.
Acoustics
– This is the study of sound and sound waves.
Astronomy
– This is the study of space.
Astrophysics
– This is the study of the physical properties of objects in space.
Atomic
Physics – This studies atom, specifically the electron properties of the atom.
Biophysics
– This is the study of physics in living systems.
Chemical
Physics – This is the study of physics in chemical systems.
Computational
Physics – This is the application of numerical methods to solve physical
problems for which a quantitative theory already exists.
Cosmology
– This is the study of the universe, including its origins and evolution.
Cryophysics
and Cryogenics – This is the study of physical properties in low temperatures
far below the freezing point of water.
Electromagnetism
– This is the study of electrical and magnetic fields.
Electronics
– This is the study of the flow of electrons in a circuit.
Crystallography
– This is the study of crystals and crystalline structures.
Fluid
Dynamics and Fluid Mechanics – This is the study of the physical properties of
fluids, which comprises both liquids and gases.
Geophysics
– This is the study of the physical properties of the Earth.
Laser
Physics – This is the study of the physical properties of lasers.
High
Energy Physics – This is the study of physics in extremely high energy systems,
generally within particle physics.
Molecular
Physics – This is the study of the physical properties of molecules.
Mechanics
– This is the study of the motion of bodies in a frame of reference.
Nanotechnology
– This is the science of building circuits and machines from single molecules
and atoms.
Nuclear
Physics – This is the study of the physical properties of the atomic nucleus.
Optics
and Light Physics – This studies the physical properties of light.
Quantum
Mechanics and Quantum Physics – This is the study of science where the smallest
discrete values, or quanta, of matter and energy.
Relativity
– This is 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.
Thermodynamics
– This is the study of heat.
