Physics history

Physics is the fundamental branch of science. The primary objects of study are matter and
energy. Physics is, in one sense, the oldest and most basic academic pursuit; its discoveries find
applications throughout the natural sciences, since matter and energy are the basic constituents of
the natural world
Names of people who contribute to physics

Louis Pasteur (1822-1895 AD)

Marie Curie Sklodowska (1867-1934 AD) ...

Thomas Alva Edison (1847-1931 AD) ...

Michael Faraday (1791-1867 AD) ...

Galileo Galilei (1564-1642 AD) ...

Archimedes (287-212 BC) ...

Aristotle (384-322 BC)

Albert Einstein (1879-1955 AD)

Sir Isaac Newton (1643-1727 AD)

Nikola Tesla (1856-1943 AD)

1. Sir Isaac Newton (1642–1726) Newton was a polymath who made investigations into a
whole range of subjects including mathematics, optics, physics, and astronomy. In his Principia
Mathematica, published in 1687, he laid the foundations for classical mechanics, explaining the
law of gravity and the laws of motion.

2. Louis Pasteur (1822–1895) Pasteur contributed greatly towards the advancement of medical
sciences developing cures for rabies, anthrax and other infectious diseases. Also invented the
process of pasteurisation to make milk safer to drink. He probably saved more lives than any
other person.

3. Galileo (1564–1642) Creating one of the first modern telescopes, Galileo revolutionised our
understanding of the world, successfully proving the Earth revolves around the Sun and not the
other way around. His work Two New Sciences laid the groundwork for the science of Kinetics
and strength of materials.

4. Marie Curie (1867–1934) Polish physicist and chemist. Discovered radiation and helped to
apply it in the field of X-ray. She won the Nobel Prize in both Chemistry and Physics.
5. Albert Einstein (1879–1955) Revolutionised modern physics with his general theory of
relativity. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics (1921) for his discovery of the Photoelectric effect,
which formed the basis of Quantum Theory.

6. Charles Darwin (1809–1882) Darwin developed his theory of evolution against a backdrop of
disbelief and scepticism. He collected evidence over 20 years and published his conclusions in
On the Origin of Species (1859).

7. Otto Hahn (1879–1968) Hahn was a German chemist who discovered nuclear fission (1939).
He was a pioneering scientist in the field of radiochemistry and discovered radioactive elements
and nuclear isomerism (1921). He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1944.

8. Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) Tesla worked on electromagnetism and AC current. He is credited

with many patents from electricity to radio transmission and played a key role in the
development of modern electricity.

9. James Clerk Maxwell (1831–1879) Maxwell made great strides in understanding

electromagnetism. His research in electricity and kinetics laid the foundation for quantum
physics. Einstein said of Maxwell, “The work of James Clerk Maxwell changed the world
forever.”

10. Aristotle (384 BCE–322 BCE) A great early Greek scientist who made many types of
research in the natural sciences including botany, zoology, physics, astronomy, chemistry,
meteorology and geometry.

Why measurement is important in physics because it enables us to use mathematics in

argument; it is also important because numbers are usually the most convenient, compact ancl
least ambiguous way of representing knowledge when we wish to store it and communicate it.

Mechanics

Mechanics (Greek μηχανική) is that area of science concerned with the behaviour of physical
bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on
their environment. The scientific discipline has its origins in Ancient Greece with the writings of
Aristotle and Archimedes[1][2][3] (see History of classical mechanics and Timeline of classical
mechanics). During the early modern period, scientists such as Galileo, Kepler, and Newton laid
the foundation for what is now known as classical mechanics. It is a branch of classical physics
that deals with particles that are either at rest or are moving with velocities significantly less than
the speed of light. It can also be defined as a branch of science which deals with the motion of
and forces on objects. The field is yet less widely understood in terms of quantum theory.
Chemistry

Chemistry is the scientific discipline involved with compounds composed of atoms, i.e.
elements, and molecules, i.e. combinations of atoms: their composition, structure, properties,
behavior and the changes they undergo during a reaction with other compounds.

Famous chemist
Amedeo Avogadro 1776 – 1856.
The first scientist to realize that elements could exist in the form of molecules rather than as
individual atoms; originator of Avogadro’s law.

Jacob Berzelius 1779 – 1848.

A founder of modern chemistry: the first person to measure accurate atomic weights for the
chemical elements; discovered three elements: cerium, thorium, and selenium; devised the
modern symbols for elements; described how chemical bonds form by electrostatic attraction.

Niels Bohr 1885 – 1962.

Founded quantum mechanics when he remodeled the atom so electrons occupied ‘allowed’ orbits
around the nucleus while all other orbits were forbidden; architect of the Copenhagen
interpretation of quantum mechanics.

Robert Boyle 1627 – 1691.

Transformed chemistry from a field bogged down in alchemy and mysticism into one based on
measurement. He defined elements, compounds, and mixtures; and he discovered the first gas
law – Boyle’s Law.

Lawrence Bragg 1890 – 1971.

Discovered how to locate the positions of atoms in solids using X-ray diffraction, enabling
scientists to build 3D models of the atomic arrangements in solids. The discovery was arguably
the most significant experimental breakthrough of twentieth century science.

Hennig Brand 1630 – 1710.

Discovered phosphorus, becoming the first named person in history to discover a chemical
element.

Georg Brandt 1694 – 1768.

The first named person in history to discover a new metal – cobalt; was one of the first scientists
to condemn alchemy, publicly demonstrating tricks used by alchemists to make people think they
could make gold

Robert Bunsen 1811 – 1899.

Discovered cesium and rubidium; discovered the antidote to arsenic poisoning; invented the
zinc-carbon battery and flash photography; discovered how geysers operate.

Erwin Chargaff 1905 – 2002.

Chargaff’s rules paved the way to the discovery of DNA’s structure.
Marie Curie 1867 – 1934.
Codi covered the chemical elements radium and polonium; made numerous pioneering
contributions to the study of radioactive elements; carried out the first research into the treatment
of tumors with radiation

Osmosis and diffusion

Diffusion is a spontaneous movement of particles from an area of high concentration to an area
of low concentration. ...

Osmosis is the spontaneous net movement of water across a semipermeable membrane from a
region of low solute concentration to a more concentrated solution, up a concentration gradient.

Example

But osmosis is real! Osmosis is the flow of water down its concentration gradient, across a semi-
permeable membrane. Osmosis is an example of diffusion, which is when molecules tend to
distribute themselves evenly in a space. ... It is a membrane or barrier that allows some
molecules or substances to cross, but not others.

Particulate theory of matter

The kinetic theory of matter (particle theory) says that all matter consists of many, very small
particles which are constantly moving or in a continual state of motion. The degree to which the
particles move is determined by the amount of energy they have and their relationship to other
particles.

Distinguish amount the three state of matter

Matter can exist in one of three main states: solid, liquid, or gas. Solid matter is composed of
tightly packed particles. ... Gaseous matter is composed of particles packed so loosely that it has
neither a defined shape nor a defined volume.