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Physics is the science of matter, motion and energy. These are pretty much what makes up the universe such that physics is the foundational science that underpins all scientific knowledge. This is a huge undertaking that includes several major branches including mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, optics, quantum mechanics, relativity and astrophysics. The following vocabulary includes the common words and phrases that are familiar to all physicists.
Aberration | Absorption | Acceleration | Amplifier | Angle | Angular Acceleration | Angular Velocity | Anomaly | Antimatter | Antiparticle | Aperture | Asteroid | Astronomy | Astrophysics | Asymmetric | Atom | Barrier | Battery | Beam | Big Bang | Black Hole | Blueshift | Boson | Capacitance | Capacitor | Causality | Celestial | Center of Mass | Centrifugal Force | Centripetal Force | Chaos | Charge | Circuit | Circular Motion | Coefficient | Collapse | Collider | Collision | Colorimetry | Comet | Concave | Conduction | Conductor | Connection | Conservation of Energy | Constellation | Contrast | Convection | Convex | Core | Cosmic | Cosmic Expansion | Cosmic Rays | Cosmos | Coupling | Critical Point | Current | Curvature | Cycle | Dark Energy | Dark Matter | Decay | Decoherence | Depth of Field | Deterministic | Diffraction | Dimension | Dispersion | Displacement | Distance | Divergence | Dynamics | E=mc² | Echo | Electric | Electric Arc | Electrolysis | Electromagnetism | Electron | Electrostatics | Energy | Energy Density | Entangled State | Entanglement | Enthalpy | Entropy | Equilibrium | Equinox | Event Horizon | Exoplanet | Expansion | Fermion | Field | Field of View | Fluids | Focal Length | Focal Point | Force | Frame of Reference | Free Fall | Frequency | Friction | Frictionless | Fusion | Galactic | Galactic Winds | Galaxy | Gamma | General Relativity | Generator | Gravity | Gravity Well | Ground | Hadron | Harmonics | Heat | Heat Capacity | Heat Transfer | Holography | Horizon | Illumination | Impedance | Impulse | Inductor | Inertia | Infrared | Insulator | Interaction | Interference | Intergalactic | Internal Energy | Interstellar | Interstellar Medium | Kinetic Energy | Laser | Latent Heat | Lever | Light | Light Wave | Light Year | Linear Motion | Locality | Luminance | Magnet | Magnetism | Magnitude | Mass | Measurement | Meteor | Modulation | Momentum | Motion | Motor | Nebula | Neutrino | Neutron | Neutron Star | Newton's Laws | Non-deterministic | Nonlocality | Nuclear | Nuclear Fission | Nuclear Fusion | Nucleus | Observer | Observer Effect | Opaque | Optics | Orbit | Oscillator | Particle | Path | Performance | Period | Perturbation | Phase | Phase Transition | Photon | Photonics | Planet | Polarization | Potential Energy | Power | Prism | Probability | Process | Projectile Motion | Proton | Pulley | Pulsar | Pulse | Quantum Gravity | Quantum Jump | Quantum Mechanics | Quantum Noise | Quantum Squeeze | Quark | Quasar | Radiant Energy | Radiation | Rayleigh Scattering | Reactance | Reality | Receiver | Red Giant | Redshift | Reflection | Refraction | Relativistic | Relativity | Relay | Resistance | Resistor | Resonance | Reverberation | Rotation | Rotation Curve | Rotational Motion | Satellite | Saturation Point | Sensor | Short Circuit | Signal | Signal Strength | Simultaneity | Singularity | Solar System | Solstice | Sound | Space | Space Dust | Space-Time Continuum | Spacetime | Spark | Special Relativity | Specific Heat | Spectroscopy | Spectrum | Speed | Spin | Spintronics | Stability | Star | Star Cluster | State | Steady State | Stellar | Stellar Evolution | Strong Force | Sunlight | Supercluster | Superfluidity | Supergiant | Supernova | Superposition | Symmetric | Symmetry | System | Tachyon | Telescope | Temperature | Tension | Terminal Velocity | Thermal | Thermal Expansion | Thermal Resistance | Thermal Shock | Thermal Stress | Thermodynamics | Tidal Forces | Time | Time Dilation | Torque | Trajectory | Transformer | Transition | Translucent | Transmission | Transmittance | Transmitter | Transparency | Triangulation | Tunneling | Ultraviolet | Uncertainty | Universe | Vacuum | Velocity | Vibration | Void | Voltage | Vortex | Wave | Wavefunction | Wavelength | Weak Force | White Dwarf | Wire | Work | Wormhole |
Classical MechanicsThe branch of physics that deals with the motion of objects and the forces that act upon them. This is called classical mechanics because much of it dates to the work of Sir Isaac Newton in the 17th century, particularly his three laws of motion. Classical mechanics applies to things the size of everyday objects up to the largest known things. It doesn't apply to very small things such as atoms and subatomic particles that are handled by quantum mechanics.ThermodynamicsThe branch of physics that deals with heat, work, temperature, entropy and energy. This provides a framework for modeling how energy is transferred and transformed by systems.ElectromagnetismThe branch of physics that deals with the electromagnetic force between electrically charged particles. This electromagnetic force is viewed as one of the four fundamental forces of nature and is responsible for electricity, magnetism and electromagnetic waves.OpticsThe physics of light including its properties, behavior and interactions with matter. This includes several approaches such as geometric optics that assumes light travels in a straight line as an approximation and physical optics that looks at the realities and details of light whereby it is both a wave and a particle.Quantum MechanicsThe branch of science that looks at the behavior of nature at scale of atoms and below where classical physics does not appear to apply. A fundamental feature of quantum mechanics is that it relies on probabilities as it can't predict with certainty what will happen.RelativityThe branch of physics based on two theories that transformed our understanding of the universe in the 20th century: special relativity and general relativity. These are necessary to model the true nature and behavior of space, time, gravity, matter and energy.AstrophysicsThe study of the universe as a whole including its origin and fate. This is obviously a very large domain that is likely to grow as we become more technologically advanced to the point that we can explore and discover the universe to a greater extent.SummaryPhysics is a foundational science that examines the very nature of the universe including matter, energy, motion and forces. This pursuit generates a great deal of new language over time. These vocabularies of physics also become part of the general language with time as knowledge of basic physics becomes more widespread. For example, basic concepts and terminology in physics are often popularized by science fiction.
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