We all at school once studied a subject such as physics. It was easy for someone, but someone had to spend a lot of time on homework. Let's try to figure out or restore in memory what physics is? What is studying this subject and what is its role in the development of mankind?
Section 1. What is physics? Definition of a concept
In general, the very word “physics” once came from the ancient Greek “fusis,” which in translation into modern Russian could now be interpreted as “nature” or “environment”.
If you look into the history of this science, you can almost immediately get an answer saying that for the first time this definition appeared in the annals belonging to Aristotle, who was rightly considered and continues to be considered the greatest thinker of antiquity. And when you consider that the philosopher and scientist lived somewhere in the IV century. BC, you can guess at what approximately time this sphere of knowledge arose on Earth.
How did the word manage to penetrate into our Russian language? Probably, you have already heard or read that the world-famous scientist Mikhail Lomonosov, in addition to scientific activity, was also engaged in publishing: some textbooks were written by himself, and some were considered more appropriate to be translated. For example, a book on physics, which brought this term into our scientific community, was translated from German.
Section 2. What is physics? Give examples
In general, physics is considered one of the basic sciences of nature, and if you look carefully around, you can conclude that it surrounds us almost everywhere. Why? Because in the reality around, these or those changes, processes or, in other words, phenomena constantly occur.
Those. it is safe to say that the term “physical phenomena in nature” includes, without exception, all changes that occur with substances and bodies in the world around us.
I will give a few examples of how it is possible to trace the effect of physical laws on phenomena that are familiar to us. So, let's say, we bring a piece of ice or a handful of snow into a warm house. What's happening? That's right, it starts to melt right away. Sooner or later, the water in the kettle set on fire begins to boil, and the electric current passed through the wire ultimately heats it red-hot (we can see a similar phenomenon in a light bulb).
So, the melting of ice, and the heating of the wire, and the fall of a stone from the mountain, and the spring thunder, and the icy wind are all physical phenomena.
Generally speaking, physics studies sound, magnetic, mechanical, light, thermal, electrical and phenomena. All of the above can be called physical features, during which all transformations of substances occur without changing the composition itself.
Section 3. What is physics and its connection with other sciences
Then a logical question arises. How does one science manage to study such a huge number of various processes? The thing is that this subject has one important feature, which consists in deriving general laws, taking into account the simplest factors.
How?
I will give one more example. Say you have several balls, they are all different, i.e. differ from each other in diameter, and in density, and in weight. What happens if we start throwing them on the ground from different heights? After several experiments, even a younger student will understand that their free fall will be different. So physics, as a science, establishes that all these processes occur in accordance with certain laws, which can be quite applicable to other objects, the measurement of which is impossible in practice.
With the help of physics, it was once established that various bodies fall to the ground, and do not fly up in the air due to the force of gravity, the change of day and night is due to the fact that the Earth rotates around its axis, wind arises due to uneven heating of air masses.
You ask, but what about, say, astronomy, geography, chemistry and biology, because they also study nature? Yes, they do, but in each of these sciences physical laws apply.
What for? Well, for example, in geography in order to explain the climate of the river or the nature of the occurrence of certain phenomena. In astronomy, modern physics is used to study in detail the structure and development process of recently discovered celestial bodies, because we still cannot go there and study everything on the spot, so it makes more sense to use this or that law.