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About physics

Physics is the science concerned with the discovery and understanding of the fundamental laws which govern matter, energy, space, and time. Physics deals with the elementary constituents of the universe and their interactions, as well as the analysis of systems best understood in terms of these fundamental principles. Because physics treats the core workings of the universe, including the quantum mechanical details which underpin all atomic interactions, it can be thought of as the foundational science, upon which stands “the central science” of chemistry, and the earth sciences, biological sciences, and social sciences. Discoveries in basic physics have important ramifications for all of science. Classical physics traditionally included the fields of mechanics, optics, electricity, magnetism, acoustics and heat. Modern physics is a term normally used to cover fields which rely on quantum theory, including quantum mechanics, atomic physics, nuclear physics, particle physics and condensed matter physics. The more recent fields of general and special relativity are also usually placed within this category. Although this distinction can be commonly found in older writings, it is of limited current significance as quantum effects are now understood to be of importance even in fields previously considered purely classical. Physics research is divided into two main branches: experimental physics and theoretical physics. Experimental physics focuses mainly on empirical research and on the development and testing of theories against practical experiment. Theoretical physics is more closely related to mathematics, and involves generating and working through the mathematical implications of systems of physical theories, even where experimental evidence of their validity may not be immediately available.

General information

CERN – International System of Units – acoustics – action (physics) – atom – causality (physics) – center of mass – chaos theory – constant – electricity – electromagnetism – electron – elementary particle – energy – field (physics) – force – gravitation – gravity – length – magnetism – mass – matter – mechanics – momentum – neutron – optics – parity (physics) – photon – physical quantity – physics – pressure – quantum mechanics – relativity – space – spacetime – state (physics) – statistical mechanics – thermodynamics – time – unit of measure – vacuum – wave

Physicists: Isaac Newton – Michael Faraday – Carl Friedrich Gauss – Nikola Tesla – Albert Einstein – James Clerk Maxwell

Matter

condensed matter physics – chemical substance – phase (matter) – solid – liquid – gas – vapor – atom – atomic nucleus – electron cloud – ion – molecule – electron – proton – neutron –energy – density – crystal – buoyancy – crystal – density – fluid – gas – ideal gas – instability – mass – melting point – neutron – plasma (physics) – superfluid – vacuum – viscosity

Mechanics

Newton’s law of universal gravitation – Newton’s laws of motion – acceleration – action (physics) – centrifugal force – collision – dynamics (physics) – effective potential – force – friction torque – friction – gravitation – gravity train – implosion (mechanical process) – kinematics – kinetic energy – mass – mechanical advantage – mechanical traveller – mechanical work – moment of inertia – momentum – motion (physics) – photoelasticity – physical body – potential energy – pressure drop – pulley – right hand grip rule – right-hand rule – rigid body – scalar (physics) – shock (mechanics) – torque – torsion (mechanics) – trajectory – Vector (geometric) – velocity – wedge (mechanical device) – weight

Electricity

Coulomb’s law – Kirchhoff’s circuit laws – Ohm’s law – admittance – alternating current – amper – capacitance – condenser – conductance – conductivity – conductor – dielectric – diode – direct current – electric charge – electric circuit – electric current – electric field – electric potential – electric susceptibility – electrical conductivity – electrical conductor – electrical elastance – electrical insulation – electrical power – electromagnetic field – electromagnetic wave equation – electromagnetism – electron – electrostatic induction – electrostatics – elementary particle – energy density – energy forms – energy spectrum – energy – impedance – inductance – insulator – permeability (electromagnetism) – permittivity – quantity of electricity – reactance – reluctance – resistance – resistivity – resistor – semiconductor – superconductor – susceptance – transistor – volt – voltage

Optics

Snell’s law – binoculars – chromatic aberration – crystal optics – curved mirror – diffraction – diffuse reflection – dioptre – dioptric correction – dioptrics – dispersion – distortion – electromagnetic radiation – electromagnetic spectrum – focus – infinity focus – intensity (physics) – interference – invisibility – iridescence – lens – light – magnification – medium – microscope – mirror – opacity – optical engineering – optical field – optical physics – optical power – optical resolution – photoionisation – photon – photonics – polarization – polaroid – prism – radiosity (heat transfer) – reflection – refraction – refractive index – speed of light – telescope – wavelength

Theory of relativity

Albert Einstein – Galilean relativity – black hole – dust (relativity) – einstein synchronisation – gauged supergravity – general relativity – hyperbolic motion (relativity) – invariant mass – light cone – numerical relativity – principle of relativity – relativistic plasma – rest energy – spacetime – special relativity – theory of relativity – time dilation – world line

Magnetism

Earth’s magnetic field – antiferromagnetism – charged particles – coercivity – coil – compass – diamagnetism – dipole – electric charge – electromagnet – electromagnetic induction – electromagnetism – ferrimagnetism – ferromagnetism – magnet therapy – magnet – magnetar – magnetic bearing – magnetic circuit – magnetic cooling – magnetic dipole – magnetic field – magnetic flux – magnetic force – magnetic monopole – magnetic stirrer – magnetic susceptibility – magnetostatics – metamagnetism – micromagnetism – molecular magnet – paramagnetism – plastic magnet – solenoid – spin glass – spin wave – spontaneous magnetization – superparamagnetism

Acoustics

Ohm’s acoustic law – absorption (acoustics) – acoustic mirror – acoustic theory – architectural acoustics – atmospheric diffraction – audio quality measurement – background noise – dB – decibel – diaphragm (acoustics) – diffusion (acoustics) – doppler effect – echo (phenomenon) – echo chamber – frequency – head shadow – infrasound – isolation booth – loudness – loudspeaker acoustics – mach number – microphone – musical acoustics – noise barrier – noise pollution – phon – proximity effect (audio) – radiation of sound – resonance chamber – room acoustics – signal – sone – sonic cavitation – sound diffuser – sound generator – sound quality – sound trap – sound wave – sound – speaker – speed of sound – transient (acoustics) – ultrasound – underwater acoustics – wave

Thermodynamics

Avogadro constant – Avogadro’s law – Celsius – Joule’s laws – Boyle’s law – Dalton’s law – Charles’s law – Gay-Lussac’s law – Kelvin – zeroth law of thermodynamics – first law of thermodynamics – second law of thermodynamics – third law of thermodynamics – fundamental thermodynamic relation – absolute zero – adiabatic process – amorphous ice – anisothermal – atmospheric thermodynamics – black body – black hole thermodynamics – caloric theory – calorimeter constant – calorimetry – chemical thermodynamics – classical thermodynamics – closed system – combustibility – component (thermodynamics) – compressed fluid – compressibility – convective heat transfer – cylinder (engine) – endothermic – energy carrier – energy conversion efficiency – enthalpy change of solution – enthalpy of vaporization – enthalpy – fermi gas – fire point – flammability limit – flash evaporation – flash point – free entropy – freeze – gas-dynamic – heat engine – heat reservoir – heat transfer – heat – heating value – ideal gas law – ideal solution – inflammability – infrared radiation – isolated system – isothermic reaction – isobaric process – isochoric process – isothermal process – laser cooling – latent heat – mole (unit) – photon gas – polytropic process – pressure – pyroelectricity – radiant barrier – radiation – radiational cooling – radiative cooling – reflectivity – refrigeration – solar power satellite – steady state – steam engine – temperature – thermal conductivity – thermal efficiency – thermal energy – thermal mass – thermodynamicist – thermoeconomics – thermoelectricity

Quantum theory

Atomic electron transition – Bell’s theorem – Bloch sphere – Bose gas – Fermi hole – Schrödinger equation – adiabatic invariant – charmed baryons – collision problem – density matrix – diabatic – excited state – field electron emission – free particle – grand unified theory – – orbital motion – parity (physics) – particle number operator – photon polarization – quantum chaos – quantum electrodynamics – quantum instrument – quantum mechanics – quantum state – quantum tunnelling – quantum vibration – quantum vortex – quantum – relativistic particle – relativistic wave equations – scale relativity – string theory