What is Physics?

Question

Physics is Science but what exactly is it?

Answer 1

Physics is the study of matter and energy. Matter is the basic substance of which everything is made; energy is what makes matter move and change.

Physics is the science that studies the structure of matter. Physicists study all aspects of nature. They want to know what forces hold atoms together, how gases change into liqids, why metals conduct electricity, and how stars evolve. Physics can be loosely divided into two categories: classic physics and modern physics. Classic physics deals with fields of study that was well developed before the 1900's. It includes mechanics, heat, sound, light, and electromagnetism which is the relationship between electricity and magnetism.

Answer 2

Definition-
Physics is the branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy.
Examples-
Speed,Velocity,Acceleration etc

Explanation-
Physics is the scientific study of matter and energy and how they interact with each other.

This energy can take the form of motion, light, electricity, radiation, gravity . . . just about anything, honestly. Physics deals with matter on scales ranging from sub-atomic particles (i.e. the particles that make up the atom and the particles that make up those particles) to stars and even entire galaxies.

How Physics Works-

As an experimental science, physics utilizes the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses that are based on observation of the natural world. The goal of physics is to use the results of these experiments to formulate scientific laws , usually expressed in the language of mathematics, which can then be used to predict other phenomena..

Answer 3

WHAT IS PHYSICS ?Humans have always been curious about the world aroundthem. The night sky with its bright celestial objects hasfascinated humans since time immemorial. The regularrepetitions of the day and night, the annual cycle of seasons,the eclipses, the tides, the volcanoes, the rainbow have alwaysbeen a source of wonder. The world has an astonishing varietyof materials and a bewildering diversity of life and behaviour.The inquiring and imaginative human mind has respondedto the wonder and awe of nature in different ways. One kindof response from the earliest times has been to observe thephysical environment carefully, look for any meaningfulpatterns and relations in natural phenomena, and build anduse new tools to interact with nature. This human endeavourled, in course of time, to modern science and technology.
The word Science originates from the Latin verb Scientiameaning ‘to know’. The Sanskrit word Vijnan and the Arabicword Ilm convey similar meaning, namely ‘knowledge’.Science, in a broad sense, is as old as human species. Theearly civilisations of Egypt, India, China, Greece, Mesopotamiaand many others made vital contributions to its progress.From the sixteenth century onwards, great strides were madein science in Europe. By the middle of the twentieth century,science had become a truly international enterprise, withmany cultures and countries contributing to its rapid growth
What is Science and what is the so-called ScientificMethod? Science is a systematic attempt to understandnatural phenomena in as much detail and depth as possible,and use the knowledge so gained to predict, modify andcontrol phenomena. Science is exploring, experimenting andpredicting from what we see around us. The curiosity to learnabout the world, unravelling the secrets of nature is the firststep towards the discovery of science. The scientific methodinvolves several interconnected steps : Systematicobservations, controlled experiments, qualitative andquantitative reasoning, mathematicalmodelling, prediction and verification orfalsification of theories. Speculation andconjecture also have a place in science; butultimately, a scientific theory, to be acceptable,must be verified by relevant observations orexperiments. There is much philosophicaldebate about the nature and method of sciencethat we need not discuss here.
The interplay of theory and observation (orexperiment) is basic to the progress of science.Science is ever dynamic. There is no ‘final’theory in science and no unquestionedauthority among scientists. As observationsimprove in detail and precision or experimentsyield new results, theories must account forthem, if necessary, by introducing modifications.Sometimes the modifications may not be drasticand may lie within the framework of existingtheory. For example, when Johannes Kepler(1571-1630) examined the extensive data onplanetary motion collected by Tycho Brahe(1546-1601), the planetary circular orbits inheliocentric theory (sun at the centre of thesolar system) imagined by Nicolas Copernicus(1473–1543) had to be replaced by ellipticalorbits to fit the data better. Occasionally,however, the existing theory is simply unableto explain new observations. This causes amajor upheaval in science. In the beginning ofthe twentieth century, it was realised thatNewtonian mechanics, till then a verysuccessful theory, could not explain some of themost basic features of atomic phenomena.Similarly, the then accepted wave picture of lightfailed to explain the photoelectric effect properly.This led to the development of a radically newtheory (Quantum Mechanics) to deal with atomicand molecular phenomena.
Just as a new experiment may suggest analternative theoretical model, a theoreticaladvance may suggest what to look for in someexperiments. The result of experiment ofscattering of alpha particles by gold foil, in 1911by Ernest Rutherford (1871–1937) establishedthe nuclear model of the atom, which thenbecame the basis of the quantum theory ofhydrogen atom given in 1913 by Niels Bohr(1885–1962). On the other hand, the concept ofantiparticle was first introduced theoretically byPaul Dirac (1902–1984) in 1930 and confirmedtwo years later by the experimental discovery ofpositron (antielectron) by Carl Anderson.
Physics is a basic discipline in the categoryof Natural Sciences, which also includes otherdisciplines like Chemistry and Biology. The wordPhysics comes from a Greek word meaningnature. Its Sanskrit equivalent is Bhautiki thatis used to refer to the study of the physical world.A precise definition of this discipline is neitherpossible nor necessary. We can broadly describephysics as a study of the basic laws of natureand their manifestation in different naturalphenomena. The scope of physics is describedbriefly in the next section. Here we remark ontwo principal thrusts in physics : unificationand reduction.
In Physics, we attempt to explain diversephysical phenomena in terms of a few conceptsand laws. The effort is to see the physical worldas manifestation of some universal laws indifferent domains and conditions. For example,the same law of gravitation (given by Newton)describes the fall of an apple to the ground, themotion of the moon around the earth and themotion of planets around the sun. Similarly, thebasic laws of electromagnetism (Maxwell’sequations) govern all electric and magneticphenomena. The attempts to unify fundamentalforces of nature (section 1.4) reflect this samequest for unification.
A related effort is to derive the properties of abigger, more complex, system from the propertiesand interactions of its constituent simpler parts.This approach is called reductionism and isat the heart of physics. For example, the subjectof thermodynamics, developed in the nineteenthcentury, deals with bulk systems in terms ofmacroscopic quantities such as temperature,internal energy, entropy, etc. Subsequently, thesubjects of kinetic theory and statisticalmechanics interpreted these quantities in termsof the properties of the molecular constituentsof the bulk system. In particular, thetemperature was seen to be related to the averagekinetic energy of molecules of the system.

Answer 4

It is the study of all kinds of matter that we encounter. At any given time matter can assume one of the four states - solid, liquid, gas or plasma. Thus, every matter that human beings ever encounter is found in one of these four states. This means if you are studying about quark, photon, electron, galaxy, star, wood, water, plastic, cloth, paper, or anything that you can physically touch, see, or analyze, then you are probably studying physics.

Answer 5

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physics

Physics (from the Greek, φύσις (phýsis), "nature" and φυσικός (physikós), "natural") is the science of Nature, from the quarks to the cosmos. Physics deals with the elementary constituents of the universe and their interactions, as well as the analysis of systems which are best understood in terms of these fundamental principles.

Answer 6

Physics is the science of matter and energy and how they interact with each other.

Answer 7

physics is a natural philosophy. here, nature doesn't mean character.nature means the matters that is happening around us . it may be related about sun-moon,day-night or about people around us.newton's first law describes that with no outside forces, object will never move.. this is true for any object of this world..have you noticed a thing? this law is also perfect for a lazy man...you can't expect anything early without forcing him :P

Answer 8

Physics is all what you can make of it in the study of the mystories of Creation. You can make it a science or pseudoscience.
In School it can be a bete noire. or it could be the most interesting and rewarding type of knowlege you can enjoy.
It all dependents how its presented.

Answer 9

physics is a branch of science which deals with the every kinds of objects or substance around us.

Answer 10

The science of motion!