What is Physics?

● Physics: The branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of
matter and energy. It encompasses a wide range of phenomena, from the
smallest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies.

Branches of Physics
1. Classical Mechanics: Study of the motion of bodies under the influence of a
system of forces.
● Newtonian Mechanics: Based on Newton's laws of motion.
● Fluid Mechanics: Study of the behavior of fluids (liquids and gases).
● Statistical Mechanics: Uses probability theory to study the behavior of
systems of particles.
2. Electromagnetism: Study of electric and magnetic fields and their interactions.
● Electrostatics: Study of stationary electric charges.
● Electrodynamics: Study of moving electric charges and their magnetic
fields.
● Maxwell's Equations: Describe how electric and magnetic fields are
generated and altered by each other and by charges and currents.
3. Thermodynamics: Study of heat, work, temperature, and energy transfer.
● Laws of Thermodynamics:
● First Law: Energy cannot be created or destroyed, only
transformed (conservation of energy).
● Second Law: Entropy of an isolated system always increases.
● Third Law: As temperature approaches absolute zero, the
entropy of a system approaches a constant minimum.
4. Quantum Mechanics: Study of physical phenomena at microscopic scales,
where action is on the order of the Planck constant.
● Wave-Particle Duality: Particles exhibit both wave and particle
properties.
● Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle: It is impossible to simultaneously
know the exact position and momentum of a particle.
● Schrödinger Equation: Describes how the quantum state of a physical
system changes over time.
5. Relativity: Study of the effects of high velocities and strong gravitational fields
on the laws of physics.
● Special Relativity: Developed by Albert Einstein, it addresses the
relationship between space and time, and includes the famous
equation
● 𝐸=𝑚𝑐2
 ● E=mc
● 2
● .
● General Relativity: Extension of special relativity, it explains gravitation
as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy.
6. Nuclear Physics