Week One, September, 2012.

Introduction to Physics  

It is important to remind ourselves of the definition of matter (from middle school science) before we define and explain Physics.

 Matter is anything which has mass, occupy space and is convertible to energy.

 At this level, matter is commonly said to exist in three states (or phases) solid, liquid and gas. In advanced Physics, matter also exists in two more states of plasma and Bose- Einstein condensates.

Physics is the study of natural phenomenon(occurrence) at its most fundamental level. It is the most basic of the sciences (we also have Biology and Chemistry).

It deals with the behavior and structure of matter and how it interacts with energy

The effect of physics can be felt in all areas of human activity. The clinical thermometer, X-ray machine, bicycle, motor car, camera, radio, television, smart-phones, tablets, computers and satellites are a few of the many inventions and discoveries of man which require a knowledge of physics for their understanding.

Many natural phenomenon like the eclipse, rain, thunder and lightning also find explanation in physical principles.

It will stun you to know that internet and WWW all started from physics NOT computer science or software engineering! I will show you a video to that effect in another class.

Branches of physics and their definition
(reference: www.squidoo.com; www.wiki.answers.com; www.buzzle.com & www.life123.com; http://physics.about.com)

Physics is a diverse area of study and in order to make sense of it scientists have been forced to focus their attention on one or two smaller areas of the discipline. This gives them the opportunity to become experts in that narrow field.

Some of the branches are:

• Acoustics - the study of sound & sound waves
• Astronomy - the study of space
• Astrophysics - the study of the physical properties of objects in space
• Atomic Physics - the study of atoms, specifically the electron properties of the atom
• Biophysics - the study of physics in living systems
• Chaos - the study of systems with strong sensitivity to initial conditions, so a slight change at the beginning quickly become major changes in the system
• Chemical Physics - the study of physics in chemical systems
• Computational Physics - the application of numerical methods to solve physical problems for which a quantitative theory already exists
• Cosmology - the study of the universe as a whole, including its origins and evolution
• Cryophilic/ Cryogenics / Low Temperature Physics - the study of physical properties in low temperature situations, far below the freezing point of water
• Crystallography - the study of crystals and crystalline structures ( what is a crystal? a solid containing an internal pattern of atoms, molecules, or ions that is regular, repeated, and geometrically arranged)
• Electromagnetism - the study of electrical and magnetic fields, which are two aspects of the same phenomenon
• Electronics - the study of the flow of electrons, generally in a circuit
• Fluid Dynamics / Fluid Mechanics - the study of the physical properties of "fluids," specifically defined in this case to be liquids and gases
• Geophysics - the study of the physical properties of the Earth
• High Energy Physics - the study of physics in extremely high energy systems, generally within particle physics
• High Pressure Physics - the study of physics in extremely high pressure systems, generally related to fluid dynamics
• Laser Physics - the study of the physical properties of lasers
• Mathematical Physics - applying mathematically rigorous methods to solving problems within physics
• Mechanics - the study of the motion of bodies in a frame of reference
• Meteorology / Weather Physics - the physics of the weather
• Molecular Physics - the study of physical properties of molecules
• Nanotechnology - the science of building circuits and machines from single molecules and atoms
• Nuclear Physics - the study of the physical properties of the atomic nucleus
• Optics / Light Physics - the study of the physical properties of light
• Particle Physics - the study of fundamental particles and the forces of their interaction
• Plasma Physics - the study of matter in the plasma phase (plasma is the 4^th sate of matter)
• Quantum Electrodynamics - the study of how electrons and photons interact at the quantum mechanical level
• Quantum Mechanics / Quantum Physics - the study of science where the smallest discrete values, or quanta, of matter and energy become relevant
• Quantum Optics - the application of quantum physics to light
• Quantum Field Theory - the application of quantum physics to fields, including the fundamental forces of the universe
• Quantum Gravity - the application of quantum physics to gravity and unification of gravity with the other fundamental particle interactions
• Relativity - 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
• Statistical Mechanics - the study of large systems by statistically expanding the knowledge of smaller systems
• String Theory / Superstring Theory - the study of the theory that all fundamental particles are vibrations of one-dimensional strings of energy, in a higher-dimensional universe
• Thermodynamics - the physics of heat, temperature and energy

It should become obvious that there is some overlap. For example, the difference between astronomy, astrophysics, and cosmology can be virtually meaningless at times ... to everyone, that is, except the astronomers, astrophysicists, and cosmologists, who can take the distinctions very seriously.

Home Work. Highlight how Physics is applied/useful in places like the UCH, Etisalat and Zartech.