What Is Physics Essay, Research Paper
Physics is an ever changing description of the universe, Physics is the study of the fundamentals of everything in the universe. If you look around you and start asking questions like why does that happen or how does that work, and if you probe into the question to get at the root causes, you will be in physics.You will learn of laws and theories and it is tempting to say that a law is something that has proved to be true and a theory is speculative. Nonsense. The way the terms are used, a law is an old theory, and when it is known to be only an approximation, it is still called a law. (Gas laws, Newton’s law of gravity). Einstein’s “theory” of special relativity is valid to a higher degree of certainty than lots of “laws.”But the truth is, we are absolutely certain of nothing in the real world. There is talk of a “final” theory, a theory of everything. (Right now, we have sort of a patchwork. Quantum mechanics and gravitation are disconnected, for example.) It may happen that we achieve a single theory for all of physics, but we can never be 100% certain that it is exactly correct. It could happen that a final theory will be developed, but we won’t know for certain that it is final. And please understand that when people talk about a final theory, they are not saying that we will know everything. It would in fact be a new beginning in the search for knowledge.When you start learning physics, you will begin with motion. Velocity, acceleration, force, mass, energy, momentum- these are some of the concepts that are typically found in a beginning physics course. The principles developed apply to the motion of anything- planets, electrons, athletes, owls, glaciers. Physics is really the study of everything in the universe. If someone found valid evidence to support one of those loony ideas like clairvoyance, mental telepathy, pyramid power, crystal power, astrology, auras, ghosts, etc. etc. etc., it would be studied by the physics community. When valid evidence is implied, it means it has to be convincing to the skeptic. The “scientific method” is any method of collecting evidence that is convincing to the skeptic. Normally this means it must be repeatable. (There might be a few one-time-only events to study, like the comet hitting Jupiter not long ago, butif they can be repeated, we repeat them– sometimes a flaw in the experiment is discovered this way.) Also, the experiment must be free of possible fraud. If a mind seems to bend spoons, for example, it is fair to ask whether it is possible that the viewers are being duped. Magicians are full of tricks to make the impossible seem to happen, and there is tacit understanding that the magic act is just that– an act. But when an astrologer or a psychic does his or her thing, loads of people believe it is the real thing. I guess they are not aware of the fact that these things do not hold up under thorough scrutiny.Wait a minute, everything? How about poetry? Well, if we ever really understand the brain, we will find that there is a lot of physics involved in reading or creating a poem. Poets, ball players, musicians, garbage collectors… are all applying principles of physics, usually inadvertently.Physics simply, asks the most fundamental questions and attempts to answer them using the scientific method. The Scientific method is a systematic recipe for answering questions about the universe and its components.The fundamental ideas of physics underlie all basic science — astronomy, biology, chemistry, and geology. Physics also is essential to the applied science and engineering that has taken our world from the horse and buggy tothe supersonic jet, from the candle to the laser, from the pony express to the fax,from live smoke signals to live satellite transmission, from the beads of an abacusto the chips of a computer.Today physics is as exciting as ever. The animated conversation between physicists and nature goes on and it shows no sign of stopping. The most basic of the sciences, physics, is all around us every day. If you’ve ever wondered what makes lightning, why a boomerang returns, how ice skaters can spin so fast, how Michael Jordan can “fly,” why waves c
If you’ve ever wondered what makes lightning, why a boomerang returns,how ice skaters can spin so fast, how Michael Jordan can “fly,” whywaves crash on the beach, how that tiny computer can do complicatedproblems, or how long it takes light from a star to reach us, you havebeen thinking about some of the same things physicists study every day.Physicists like to ask questions. They try to find answers for almosteverything_from when the universe began to why soda fizzes. If you liketo explore and figure out why things are the way they are, you might likephysics.If you’ve had a back-row seat at a rock concert, and could still hear, you experienced physics at work! Physicists studying sound contribute to the design of concert halls and the amplification equipment. Knowing more about how things move and interact can be used to manage the flow of traffic and helpcities avoid grid lock.Physics, a branch of science, is traditionally defined as the study of matter, energy, and the relation between them. The interaction between matter and energy is found everywhere. In order for matter to move, it requires some form of energy.Sports show many good examples of the relationship between matter and energy. For instance, a pitcher requires energy to throw a baseball at the incredible speed and accuracy that is needed to keep the batter from using his energy to try and hit theball. The batter exhibits the need for a certain trajectory because he/she needs to hit the ball hard enough and keep it high enough to sail over the outfield wall. On the other hand, the batter must be certain to keep the trajectory low enough so that theball will reach the fence. Trajectory is also seen in basketball, where players must shoot the ball with enough arch to get over the front of the rim, and go through the hoop. The energy required to do this comes from not only the arms, but the legs as well.The medical field has seen enormous breakthroughs because of principles of physics. Doctors are now able to use lasers for surgery. Lasers are based on the physical principle of light, and are devices for the creation and amplification of a narrow, intense beam of coherent light. New laser microsurgery can actually alter the shape of the cornea in the eye so the patient’s eyesight can return to normal, and he/she will no longer need those bothersome glasses. Ultrasound is used in the medical field for destroying various unwanted substances in the body such as kidney stones. Ultrasound uses sound waves to dissolve these foreign bodies. If not for physics, ultrasounds would never have been discovered and utilized. MRI scans, another new discovery, are able to show a complete three dimensional picture of the interior structure of the body, and are extremely valuable in hospitals. These scans are based on the principles of electromagnetism, and the phenomenon that nuclei ! of some atoms line up in the presence of an electromagnetic field. Understanding the dark matter of the universe, which has remained a mystery for quite some time, is based primarily on theories of physics. We have yet to see a black hole, but physics has explained what one is, and why we cannot see it. Otherwise we would have never known that it is an extremely small region of space-time with a gravitational field so intense that nothing can escape, not even light. Physics help to understand the dark matter of the universe, because it applies theories to what the dark matter is. We are also able to look at distant spots in the universe with new telescopes because of the principles of magnification and amplification of light. Not only can physics better your baseball game and explain the dark matter of the universe, but it can save lives. It remains a very important part of us and our world. References:http://www.aip.org/careers/pify/orange.htmlhttp://www.aip.org/careers/pify/red.htmlhttp://www.tri-c.cc.oh.us/METRO/Faculty/Gram/web/whatis.htmhttp://www.unb.ca/physics/1940/whatphys.htmhttp://www.physics.ucla.edu/ cwp/