History

Definition

Branches
the study of the properties of matter,
energy and their mutual relationship

deals with the fundamental constituents of the universe, the

forces they exert on one another, and the results produced by
these forces. Sometimes in modern physics a more
sophisticated approach is taken that incorporates elements of
the three areas listed above; it relates to the laws of symmetry
and conservation, such as those pertaining to energy,
momentum, charge, and parity (Microsoft Encarta)

tries to explain the material world and

the natural phenomena of the
universe
 Physics

Classical Modern

Mechanics Thermodynamics Optics Relativity Atomic Physics Nuclear Physics

Acoustics Electromagnetism Quantum Physics Particle Physics

Mechanics
• deals with ideas such
as inertia, motion,
force and energy. It
also includes the
properties and laws of
both solids and fluids,
of point masses and of
continuous matter.
Thermodynamics
• includes the principles
of temperature
measurement, the
effects of temperature
on the properties of
materials, heat flow
and the study of the
transformation of heat
to work.
Optics
• concerned with the nature
and propagation of light,
in the behavior of light in
mirrors, lenses, prisms
and other optical
materials. It also tackles
the wave properties of
light such as interference,
diffraction and
polarization.
Acoustics
• focuses on vibrations,
waves and their
recordings, and the
transmission and
perception in music
and speech., it also
deals with the
properties of sound
Electromagnetism
• deals with other
aspects of matter and
space in which the key
concepts are electric
charges, currents and
magnetism
Relativity
• describes matter,
energy, space and
time in accordance
with Einstein’s
theories on relative
motion and the
principle that the
speed of light is
constant.
Quantum Physics
• deals with the
individual quantity of
energy involved in the
absorption or emission
of energy or light by a
particle or an atom.
Atomic Physics
• describe the nature of
atoms and the forces
which hold them
together.
Nuclear Physics
• mainly focuses on
understanding the
nuclear structure and
its application.
Particle Physics
• focuses on the
aspects of the
physical world smaller
than an atom called
elementary particles.
 Measurement
- Assignment of quantitative value on a
given data or phenomena
- Includes magnitude, units and uncertainty
- 2 types of Unit System in Measurement:
- English Unit
- Metric Unit or SI unit
 English Unit
 historical units of measurement used in England up to
1824
 Uses familiar objects and parts of the body as
measuring devices.
 Use in U.S.A., U.K. and England

Example:
Length – inches, foot, yard, mile
Mass – ounces, pound, ton
Capacity – teaspoons, cup, pint, quarts, gallon
 SI Unit
• SI stand for Systéme International
• Developed in France in the late 18th Century
• The system is based on increment of the number 10
 PRECISION VERSUS ACCURACY
Precision refers to how closely individual measurements
agree with each other.

Accuracy refers to how closely a measured value agrees

with the correct value.
 Accuracy
There are two types of number presentation in the world:
1. Exact
Example: 12 pcs. of eggs in 1 dozen
Most people have exactly 10 fingers and 10 toes
2. Inexact
Example: If I quickly measure the width of a piece of
notebook paper, I might get 220 mm (2 significant figures).
If I am more precise, I might get 216 mm (3 significant
figures). An even more precise measurement would be
215.6 mm (4 significant figures)

Significant Figures - CHEMISTRY

 Scientific Notation
- A way to make numbers easier to work with. In scientific
notation, you move the decimal place until you have a
number between 1 and 10. Then you add a power of ten
that tells how many places you moved the decimal.

• A power of ten with a positive exponent, such as 105,

means the decimal was moved to the left.
• A power of ten with a negative exponent, such as 10-5,
means the decimal was moved to the right.
 Conversion of Units
Here are the steps:

Step #1: Identify the units used.

Step #2: Determine the relationship between
the units.
Step #3: Determine the conversion factor (in
fraction form).
The denominator should have the same unit
as the original measurement.
Step #4: Multiply the original measurement
by the conversion factor.
 Everyone is capable of learning
Physics especially if one takes
advantage of one’s unique way of
learning.