Physics

Revision as of 04:55, 4 November 2006 by Bubka (talk | contribs)

The study of energy is known as Physics. That is the most general definition of Physics you can think of, which gives one some idea of the vastness of topics coming under Physics. Everything concerning energy in some form or the other is covered by Physics. --Bubka 04:32, 4 November 2006 (EST)

Branches of Classical Physics

Physics as we knew it till the end of the nineteenth century is known now as Classical physics. It is broadly classified into the following branches:

  • Mechanics
  • Accoustics
  • Optics
  • Thermodynamics
  • Electromagnetism

We shall now look into them one by one. --Bubka 04:39, 4 November 2006 (EST)

Mechanics

Etymologically, the study of machines is called Mechanics. It broadly covers kinematics, mechanical forces, work, power, and energy, and various properties of matter.

Kinematics is the study of (relative) motion - displacement, velocity, acceleration etc. The two relations at the heart of kinematics are: $v=\frac{dx}{dt}$, and $a=\frac{d^2x}{dt^2}$ where $x$ is displacement, $v$ is velocity, $a$ is acceleration, and $t$ is time. The simplest topic under kinematics is uniform rectilinear motion. Other simple topics are projectile motion, uniform circular motion, simple harmonic motion etc.

See also

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