what is Physics

Greje R. Abangan II-BSPT

Out Line:

Title: What Is Physics?

Measurements Are Indispensable In Studying The Behavior And Structure Of Matter They Are Used To Verify Its Validity As A Science.

I. Definition Of Physics

II. Physics As A Basic Science

III. Importance Of Measurements In Physics

IV. Ways Early Scientists Used Measurements In Physics

a. Size Of The Earth

b. Size Of The Moon

c. Distance Of The Moon

d. Distance Of The Sun

e. Size Of The Sun

V. Modern Way Of Measuring

a. The Use Of The SI Units

Physics is the science that deals with matter and energy, and the action of different forms of energy, and the action of different forms of energy, excluding chemical and biological change. Physics studies Force, motion, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism, radiation, and atomic structure. The aim of theoretical physics must be to find a complete set of mutually consistent postulates or axioms from which the properties of nature described above can be deduced in the form of a number of theorems (H.J. Bhaba)

Physics is more than a part of the physical sciences; it is the most basic of all the sciences. It’s about the nature of basic things such as motion, forces, energy, matter, heat, sound, light, and the composition of atoms. In a general perspective, Physics is the study which deals with the behavior and structure of matter.

To study the behavior and structure of matter, we need to understand and know how to ascertain quantities. We need to know how to measure matter so that we can better understand what they stand for.

Measurements are a hallmark of good science. How much you know about something is often related to how well you can measure it. This was well put by the most famous physicist Lord Kelvin in the nineteenth century: “I often say that when you can measure something and express it in numbers, you know something about it. When you cannot measure it, when you cannot express it in numbers, your knowledge, but you have scarcely in your thoughts advanced to the stage of science, whatever it may be.” Scientific measurements are not something new but go back to ancient times.

Eratosthenes was the first to measure the size of the earth which is near to our known measurement. Aristarchus and others as well attempted to measure the moon. Paul Hewitt’s book, Conceptual Physics tells us more. ( see page 3-8)

Measurement is a comparison of an unknown physical quantity with a known physical quantity.