Selasa, 21 April 2009

Field of Physics


Physics is a diverse area of study and in order to make sense of it scientists have been forced to focus their attention on one or two smaller areas of the discipline. This allows them to become experts in that narrow field, without getting bogged down in the sheer volume of knowledge that exists regarding the natural world.

Below is a list - by no comprehensive - of different disciplines of physics. The list will be updated with new additions and definitions as appropriate.

Acoustics - the study of sound & sound waves

Astronomy - the study of space

Astrophysics - the study of the physical properties of objects in space

Atomic Physics - the study of atoms, specifically the electron properties of the atom

Biophysics - the study of physics in living systems

Chaos - the study of systems with sAstronomyAstrophysicsAtomic PhysicsBiophysics - the study of physics in living systems.ChaosBiophysictrong sensitivity to initial conditions, so a slight change at the beginning quickly become major changes in the system

Chemical Physics - the study of physics in chemical systems

Computational Physics - the application of numerical methods to solve physical problems for which a quantitative theory already exists

Cosmology - the study of the universe as a whole, including its origins and evolution

Cryophysics / Cryogenics / Low Temperature Physics - the study of physical properties in low temperature situations, far below the freezing point of water

Crystallography - the study of crystals and crystalline structures

Electromagnetism - the study of electrical and magnetic fields, which are two aspects of the same phenomenon

Electronics - the study of the flow of electrons, generally in a circuit

Fluid Dynamics / Fluid Mechanics - the study of the physical properties of "fluids," specifically defined in this case to be liquids and gases

Geophysics - the study of the physical properties of the Earth

High Energy Physics - the study of physics in extremely high energy systems, generally within particle physics

High Pressure Physics - the study of physics in extremely high pressure systems, generally related to fluid dynamics

Laser Physics - the study of the physical properties of lasers

Mathematical Physics - applying mathematically rigorous methods to solving problems within physics

Mechanics - the study of the motion of bodies in a frame of reference

Meteorology / Weather Physics - the physics of the weather

Molecular Physics - the study of physical properties of molecules

Nanotechnology - the science of building circuits and machines from single molecules and atoms

Nuclear Physics - the study of the physical properties of the atomic nucleus

Optics / Light Physics - the study of the physical properties of light

Particle Physics - the study of fundamental particles and the forces of their interaction

Plasma Physics - the study of matter in the plasma phase

Quantum Electrodynamics - the study of how electrons and photons interact at the quantum mechanical level

Quantum Mechanics / Quantum Physics - the study of science where the smallest discrete values, or quanta, of matter and energy become relevant

Quantum Optics - the application of quantum physics to light

Quantum Field Theory - the application of quantum physics to fields, including the fundamental forces of the universe

Quantum Gravity - the application of quantum physics to gravity and unification of gravity with the other fundamental particle interactions

Relativity - the study of systems displaying the properties of Einstein's theory of relativity, which generally involves moving at speeds very close to the speed of light

Statistical Mechanics - the study of large systems by statistically expanding the knowledge of smaller systems

String Theory / Superstring Theory - the study of the theory that all fundamental particles are vibrations of one-dimensional strings of energy, in a higher-dimensional universe

Thermodynamics - the physics of heat

It should become obvious that there is some overlap.

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