Have you ever had a friend or family member talk to you about physics? Whether it was their opinion of how much our world is based off of gravity, or how the speed of light was discovered, most people don’t know anything about this topic. What does hanzo say when he ults? However, even if you live in one of the many areas where there is no public education system or your school doesn’t cover this particular topic, there are still plenty of amazing websites that can provide you with an introduction to physics.
1. Physics is the study of matter, energy, space and time
Physics is one of the four fundamental fields of science. This can be described as the study of anything that exists in nature. We often think about things like matter and energy when we are studying physics, but space and time also fall under this category. Physics is often simply referred to as ‘the science’ because it is so complex and broad that it covers everything that is around us.
2. Physics has an extremely broad spectrum of sub-topics
It isn’t hard to come up with a list of scientific topics that are considered part of physics. The simple formula for force is an example of physics, as is the concept of entropy and quantum physics. Each of these topics alone could be considered a separate major in most schools, so it is easy to see why there are so many different subtopics when it comes to physics.
3. A person who studies science, but specializes in a branch other than physics is called a scientist
The term ‘scientist’ seems to have become synonymous with ‘physicist’ over the years; however, there are many different branches and specialties within science. In fact, a physicist is essentially someone who has studied physics and specializes in that specific field. Scientists don’t necessarily need to be physicists, there are also biologists, chemists and mathematicians.
4. Many people make the mistake of calling physics the study of space and time
These two different concepts are referred to as spacetime physics by professionals. This subtopic is only one of many that make up the main category of physics. The easiest way to differentiate between these two topics without having too much knowledge about them is that time relates to something we can observe or detect while space doesn’t have a sensory aspect to it. Time is an idea while space is something tangible.
5. There are a variety of careers that can be tied to physics
Physics is often associated with highly ranked scientists, but this isn’t the only way to succeed in this field. There are also many professions outside of the lab that come from someone who studies physics. Think about a few careers that you could build on your knowledge of physics:
-chasing tornadoes
-working at amusement parks
-building space shuttles and rockets
-designing roller coasters and water rides
6. A physicist is different from a mathematician
Mathematicians study numbers and mathematics, which implies that it’s related to science. There are several different mathematicians who focus on specific branches of math, but they are not all physicists. A physicist studies the nature of space and time so they’re different in that way.
7. A heavy part of physics is dealing with the uncertainty of data
Mathematicians often wonder what will happen next in a problem, but they also know everything that could happen. To predict how particles will behave, one must take into account the uncertainty involved with the outcome. There are many experiments that have been performed where the outcome is a blank space equal to uncertain data.
8. Physics was a subtopic to mathematics for a long time
In fact, physics and math share the same root word: ‘phusis’. While now we view these two as completely different topics because of their distinct differences in behaviors, they were once considered one in the same. This changed when people started to notice that some methods used by mathematicians wouldn’t quite work for a real-world situation. Mathematicians began to use formulas such as these when working with physics and it created an even greater divide between the two fields than before.
9. The study of physics often has a huge impact on science-fiction
The first Star Wars film is a prime example of this. The story was inspired by ancient myths and legends, but there are many devices in the movie that would have been impossible to build without the studies done by physics. For example, lightsabers are now widely accepted as real devices because of their appearance on the big screen. This is just one of many examples that prove how relevant studying physics really is!
You may not be planning on entering into a career that uses your knowledge of physics, but it never hurts to be well-informed about this topic.
Conclusion:
A little bit of information about physics can go a long way. It isn’t necessary to be a physicist to grasp the fundamentals of this complex topic, but there are many ways that you can gain an understanding of physics and apply it to whatever career you may decide to go after.
