What is Physics?

What is Physics? In case you are wondering?

Physics is a branch of science which studies physical and natural phenomena around us.

Examples of natural phenomena are solar eclipse, formation of rainbow, refraction of light, formation of shadow and many more.

Physics mostly answers whys rather than what and it gives scientific, systematic and consistent explanation based on the concepts of physics to all the natural phenomena in the universe.

Physics knowledge will increase as the flow of time; new concepts will replace old concepts if proven to be accurate.

Do take into consideration though, that Physics is intricately connected with Mathematics and its quite impossible to know and apply physics without calculation.

The word physics evolved from ‘physikos’ a Greek word for nature.

There are two main divisions of physics which are:

a. Classical physics: motion and energy, mechanics, force and motion, heat, sound, electricity, magnetism and light.

b. Modern physics: atomic, molecular and electron physics, nuclear physics, relativity, origin of universe, astrophysics.

Topics learnt in form 4 are:

1. Introduction to physics
2. Forces and motion
3. Forces and pressure
4. Heat
5. Light

Topics in form 5 would be:

1. Waves
2. Electricity
3. Electromagnetism
4. Electronics
5. Radioactivity

Several discoveries and contributions based on the knowledge of physics:

1911 –New Zealand-born British physicist Ernest Rutherford (UK, New Zealand), proposed that an atom has a positively charged nucleus called Proton.
1957 –Sputnik I, first satellite to orbit the earth (Soviet Union).
1969 –Man landed on the moon – Neil Armstrong became the first human being to set foot on the moon (US).
1989 –www was launched by British Engineer Tim Berners-Lee and his colleague (UK).
1990 –The Hubble Space Telescope was built and launched into orbit by NASA (US).

Among the important figures in Physics:
Galileo Galilei
Isaac Newton
Charles Augustin de Coulomb
Albert Einstein
Stephen William Hawking

Study of Physics

1. As the other branches of science, scientific skills is necessary in the process of undertaking research and analysis in physics.

2. Research or Experiments are done systematically and step by step based on scientific method.

3. Scientific method

Identifying Problem ---- Making Hypothesis -----Planning investigation ------Identifying and controlling variables ----conducting experiment ----collecting data ----recording data----making conclusions---writing reports.

Careers in Physics included (examples)
1. Engineering
2. Computer Science
3. Industry
4. Communication
5. Electronics
6. Medicine – X ray
7. Environmental Science
8. Basic Research