Phy.1 - Introduction to Physics

Physics

• science that deals with the structure of matter and the interactions between the fundamental constituents of the observable universe

• concerned with all aspects of nature on both the macroscopic and submicroscopic levels

Physikos

• where the word physics came from

• Greek word

Classical Physics

• 1600-1900

Mechanics

• study of motion particles and fluids

Thermodynamics

• study of temperature, heat transfer, and the properties of aggregations of many particlesElec

Electromagnetism

• electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic waves, and optics

Modern Physics

• 1900-now

Special Relativity

• theory of the behavior of particles moving at high speeds

• led to a radical revision of our ideas of space, time, and energy

Quantum Mechanics

• theory of submicroscopic world of atoms

  • requires a profound upheaval of our vision of how nature operates