Physics

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Physics (Greek: physis – φύσις meaning "nature") is a natural science; it is the study of matter and its motion through spacetime and all that derives from these, such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the world and universe behave.

Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines, perhaps the oldest through its inclusion of astronomy. Over the last two millennia, physics had been considered synonymous with philosophy, chemistry, and certain branches of mathematics and biology, but during the Scientific Revolution in the 16th century, it emerged to become a unique modern science in its own right. However, in some subject areas such as in mathematical physics and quantum chemistry, the boundaries of physics remain difficult to distinguish.

Physics is both significant and influential, in part because advances in its understanding have often translated into new technologies, but also because new ideas in physics often resonate with the other sciences, mathematics and philosophy.

For example, advances in the understanding of electromagnetism led directly to the development of new products which have dramatically transformed modern-day society (e.g., television, computers, and domestic appliances); advances in thermodynamics led to the development of motorized transport; and advances in mechanics inspired the development of calculus.

For more information about Physics, read the full article at Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.


News tagged with physics

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Theorists propose a new way to shine -- and a new kind of star

Physics / General Physics

created Dec 14, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (11) | comments 3

Dying, for stars, has just gotten more complicated. For some stellar objects, the final phase before or instead of collapsing into a black hole may be what a group of physicists is calling an electroweak star.


Formula to detect an author's literary 'fingerprint'

Formula to detect an author's literary 'fingerprint'

Physics / General Physics

created Dec 10, 2009 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (2) | comments 5

Using literature written by Thomas Hardy, DH Lawrence and Herman Melville, physicists in Sweden have developed a formula to detect different authors' literary 'fingerprints'.


CERN Colour X-ray Technology Set to Save Lives

Medicine & Health / Research

created 16 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- Medical studies are soon to start with the MARS scanner, a revolutionary CT scanner developed by the University of Canterbury, New Zealand. The scanner, which incorporates technology developed at the world's ...


Physics rules network dynamics

Physics rules network dynamics

Physics / General Physics

created Dec 11, 2009 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (19) | comments 0

(PhysOrg.com) -- When it comes to the workings of the Web, the brain, or a social network, physics finds universal truths.


City Tech physicist thinks small and big with CERN Large Hadron Collider research

Physics / General Physics

created Dec 11, 2009 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

New York City College of Technology Physics Professor Giovanni Ossola thinks both small and big. He is currently developing a new tool that will lead to more precise computations involving the actions of particles (the smallest ...