PHYSICS AS A SCIENCE

PHYSICS AS A SCIENCE

from Femosky110 on 06/12/2020 01:47 PM

Physics as a Science
We will start with a brief introduction to physics and its concepts. It is pertinent for us to note that physics like most pure science subjects uses symbols, formulae and equations in representing, defining or emphasizing scientific phenomena and challenges, especially in the teaching process. For example:

 

(g) = gravity = 9.8m/s 2

F = ma (formula for Newton's second law of motion)

All these we shall treat in subsequent lessons.

Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through space and time, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.

Physics is a fundamental science. It is essential for all sciences and vital for modern technology. As noted earlier, Physics deals with the concepts of space, time and motion, conservation, fields, waves and quanta.

At secondary school level, physics is usually studied alongside Chemistry and Mathematics as these three subjects complement and supplement each other. A good understanding of all the three is very necessary for a career in Physics.

At advanced level, the more specialized areas of physics include

1. Astronomy,

2. Computational and Theoretical Physics,

3. Experimental physics,

4. Industrial and Condensed Matter Physics,

5. Medical and Biophysics,

6. Geophysics,

7. Solar Energy Physics among others.

Our main focus is physics for high school students so we will not deal with advance concepts in physics which is beyond the scope of this tutorials.

You can learn more about advance physics topic if you wish to pursue physics as a career or study further in high education.

Now let's take a look at the importance of physics and why we study physics.

physics
Importance of Physics to the Society
A statement adopted by IUPAP, March 1999 was

"Physics – the study of matter, energy and their interactions – is an international enterprise, which plays a key role in the future progress of humankind. The support of physics education and research in all countries is important because:"

1. Physics is an exciting intellectual adventure that inspires young people and expands the frontiers of our knowledge about Nature.

2. Physics generates fundamental knowledge needed for the future technological advances that will continue to drive the economic engines of the world.

3. Physics contributes to the technological infrastructure and provides trained personnel needed to take advantage of scientific advances and discoveries.

4. Physics is an important element in the education of chemists, engineers and computer scientists, as well as practitioners of the other physical and biomedical sciences.

5. Physics extends and enhances our understanding of other disciplines, such as the earth, agricultural, chemical, biological, and environmental sciences, plus astrophysics and cosmology – subjects of substantial importance to all peoples of the world.

6. Physics improves our quality of life by providing the basic understanding necessary for developing new instrumentation and techniques for medical applications, such as computer tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, ultrasonic imaging, and laser surgery.

In summary, physics is an essential part of the educational system and of any advanced society. We therefore urge all governments to seek advice from physicists and other scientists on matters of science policy, and to be supportive of the science of Physics.

This support can take many forms such as: National programs to improve physics teaching at all levels of the educational system.

Building and maintaining strong departments in universities and other academic institutions with opportunities to secure grants to support research, scholarships and fellowships for both undergraduate and graduate students studying physics, adequate fund for national laboratories and the formation of new ones as appropriate and funding and facilitating international activities and collaborations.

That was a statement issued by a group of Canadian physicists to their government in 1999, citing the need for more attention and support for physics and its study in our modern environment.

Careers in Physics
Once and again, the question any scholar of any idealism asks himself is, 'what jobs are there for physicists?'

The study of physics offers a broad range of job opportunities in

1. Meteorology

2. Telecommunication

3. Education

4. Medicine

5. Manufacturing

6. Space

7. Law and finance

8. Music and television

9. Environment

10. Architecture and Civil Engineering

11. Transport

12. Sports and Games

13. Energy and so forth.

Now I believe we have done enough theoretical approach to the introduction to physics. Let's now take a dip into some basic mathematical concepts in general physics.

Measurements
Measurement is the determination of the quantity of a body in terms of a certain chosen unit. The system of units acceptable internationally in most scientific measurements is called the International System of Units — SI for short.

There are two types of units namely:

Fundamental units
These are units upon which other units are derived from. There are three fundamental or basic units in physics. These are:

1. Metre – denoted (m) for Length.

2 kilogram – denoted (kg) for Mass.

3. Second – denoted (s) for Time.

These three fundamental units are very important to memories since they form the base upon which most other units depend.

The SI units of some fundamental quantities are summarized in the table below.

     Quantity                               Unit                          abbreviation
     Length                                meter                         m
     Mass                                  kilogram                    kg
     Time                                  second                        s
     Temperature                     kelvin                          k
     Electric current                ampere                        A
    Amount of substance      mole                           mol
Derived units
As the name implies, Derived units are units derived from simple combination of two or more fundamental units. For example, the unit of volume ( m3 ) is obtained by multiplying three lengths — (m * m * m).

The below table shows some derived quantities and their units.

      Quantity                    DerivationUnit                            Unit                                              abbreviation
     Area                       Length * breadth                          metre squared                                    m2
     Volume                 Length * breadth* height             metre cubic                                         m3
     Density                 mass / Volume                             Kilogram per metre cubic              kg/m3
    Velocity                 Distance / time                             metre per second                              m/s
    Acceleration        Change in velocity / time             metre per second squared              m/s2
    Force                     mass * acceleration                     Newton                                                N
    Energy                   force * distance                            Joules                                                   J