PHYSICAL WORLD

Science

It’s a systematized and organized knowledge about the various natural phenomena which is obtained by careful
experimentation, keen observation and accurate reasoning.

Two types of sciences

The knowledge of science can be divided into two broad categories:

1) Biological sciences. The science which deals with the behavior of living things is called biological sciences.
For e.g. botany, zoology, anthropology etc.

2) Physical sciences. The two main physical sciences are physics and chemistry.

Chemistry. It is the study of every substance, its structure its composition and changes in which it takes part.

Physics. Physics is the study of natural world which deals with concepts of space, time, motion, matter,
energy etc.

Scientific method

The step by step approach used by a scientist in studying natural phenomenon and establishing laws which govern
these phenomena is called scientific method.

It involves the following steps

1) Doing controlled experiments and taking careful observations.

2) Studying these observations and making qualitative and quantitative reasoning.

3) Suggesting mathematical models to account for the observed behavior.

4) Predicting new phenomenon on the basis of suggested model.

5) Modifying the theory on the basis of new observations.

6) Modifying the theory on the basis of new observations.

Scientific theory

Theory is the name given to a set of limited number of laws in terms of which the behaviour of a physical system can
be explained.

Need for modification of a scientific theory.

In science, no theory is final; it has to be modified from time to time due to the following reasons.

1) When any new observation shows some deviation from the existing theory, the theory has to be duly modified.

2) When even after the modification, the theory fails to explain the observations; it has to be replaced by a new
theory.

What is physics?

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Physics is a branch of science that deals with the study of basic laws of nature and their manifestation in various
natural phenomena.

Two basic quests in physics

1) Unification. In physics attempt is made to explain various natural phenomena in terms of just few concepts
and laws.

2) Reductionism. Another attempt made in physics is to explain a microscopic system in terms of its
macroscopic constituents. For e.g. thermodynamics was developed to explain the macroscopic properties
such as temperature, internal energy, entropy etc. Of the bulk systems. Later on, these properties were
explained in terms of molecules in kinetic theory and statistical mechanics.

Scope of physics

The scope of physics is very wide. Events which occur in our daily life are governed by principles of physics.

Branches of physics

1) Classical mechanics. It deals with macroscopic phenomena.

2) Quantum mechanics. It deals with macroscopic phenomena.

Main sub disciplines in physics

1) Mechanics. It deals with the equilibrium or motion of material bodies at low speeds. It is based on laws of
gravitation.

2) Optics. It deals with the nature and propagation of light.

3) Thermodynamics. It deals with the macroscopic system in equilibrium and is concerned with the changes in
internal energy, temperature, entropy etc.

4) Electrodynamics. It deals with the electric and magnetic phenomena associated with charged and magnetic
bodies.

5) Quantum mechanics. It deals with the mechanical behavior of sub microscopic particles like atoms and
nuclei and their interaction with projectiles like electrons, photons and other elementary particles.

6) Relativity. It is a theory of invariance in nature. It deals with the motion of particles having speeds comparable
to the speed of light.

Excitement of physics

The study of physics is not only educative but also exciting in many ways.

1) It is quite exciting to know that complex physical phenomena can be understood in terms of few universal laws
and principles.

2) People get excitement in carrying out new challenging experiments to unfold the mysteries of nature.

3) Applied physicists get great satisfaction when they develop technologies for the welfare of the human beings
just by using basic laws of physics.

Physics in relation to other sciences

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 1) Physics in relation to mathematics. Mathematics provides the necessary signs and tools which physicists
use.

2) Physics in relation to chemistry. In physics, we study the structure of atom, radioactivity X- ray diffraction
etc. Such studies have enabled chemists to arrange elements in the periodic table on the basis of their atomic
numbers.

3) Physics in relation to biological sciences.

a. Optical microscopes are extensively used in study of biology.

b. With the help of electron microscope, one can study the structure of cell.

c. Radio isotopes are used in radiation therapy for the cure of cancer.

Physics in relation to society

Whatever is discovered in physics, it immediately affects the society. For e.g.

1) The development of telephone enables us to quickly exchange messages between far off places.

2) The discoveries of radio and television have made possible the instantaneous communication with the other
parts of the world.

3) The launching of satellites into space has revolutionized the concept of communication.

4) The development of alternative sources of energy is of great importance to the mankind.

Physics in relation to technology

The applications of physics have played a key role in the development of technology. Some of the major technologies
based on applications of physics are as follows:

1) Electromagnetic waves are used in radio, television, radar and wireless communication.

2) Newton’s concept of gravitation is used in geostationary satellites which help us in forecasting weather and in
geophysical survey.

3) The study of thermodynamics has helped to design heat engines which revolutionized the industry.

4) Nuclear power stations based on nuclear fission constitute one of the major sources of energy.

5) The discovery of silicon chips has brought a revolution in computer industry.

6) Radioactive isotopes are now being widely used in medicine, agriculture and industry.

The Fundamental Forces of Nature

There are 4 fundamental forces that have been identified. These are:

1. Gravitational force
2. Electromagnetic force
3. Strong nuclear force
4. Weak nuclear force

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Gravitational force

Issac Newton observed that every body in this universe attracts every other body with a force known as gravitational
force.

Characteristics of gravitational force

1. Gravitational forces between two bodies form action and reaction pair, i.e. the forces are equal in magnitude
but opposite in direction.
2. It acts along the line joining the centers of the two bodies.
3. It is independent of nature of intervening medium.
4. It does not depend on the presence of other bodies.

Examples of gravitational force

1. It is the gravitational force that keeps the earth or any other planet in its orbit around the sun.
2. We remain on the earth due to the gravitational force of the earth.
3. The various gases forming the atmosphere of the earth are held due to gravitational force of the earth.

Electromagnetic force

The force of attraction or repulsion between two electric charges or charged bodies is known as electrostatic
force. Electrostatic force is the interaction between charges at rest.

Characteristics of electromagnetic force

1. It is both attractive as well as repulsive force.

Strong nuclear force

The force holding the protons and neutrons inside a nucleus is known as strong nuclear force.

1. It is attractive in nature.
2. It acts over a short distance (10-15 m, size of a nucleus) i.e. it is a short range force.
3. It is 100 times stronger than electrostatic force and 1038 times stronger than gravitational force.
4. It is a non central force.

Weak nuclear force

The force between the elementary particles emitted during radioactive decay of a radioactive substance is known as
weak nuclear force.

Nature of physical laws

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In any physical phenomenon governed by different forces, several quantities may change with time. A remarkable fact
is that some special physical quantities, however, remain constant in time. They are the conserved quantities of
nature. The laws governing the conservation of these quantities in nature are known as conservation laws.

Law of conservation of charge

According to this law, the total charge on an isolated system remains constant.
For example, if an uncharged glass rod is rubbed with an uncharged silk cloth, the glass rod becomes positively
charged and silk cloth becomes negatively charged. The positive charge on glass rod is equal to negative charge on
the silk cloth.

Law of conservation of mass energy

According to Einstein, mass and energy are inter-convertible quantities. But the sum of mass and energy of a system
always remains constant.

Law of conservation of energy

According to this law, energy can neither be created nor be destroyed but can be changed from one form to another
form. Examples,
1. The total energy of a freely falling body remains constant. When a body is dropped from a certain height, its
potential energy goes on decreasing and its kinetic energy goes on increasing but their sum always remains
constant.
2. The total energy of a vibrating simple pendulum always remains same at any instant.

Law of conservation of linear momentum

According to the law of conservation of linear momentum, the total momentum of an isolated system remains
constant.
Examples
1. A gun recoils when a bullet is fired from it. Before firing, the system (gun + bullet) is at rest, so its linear
momentum is zero. After firing, the bullet moves forward with very high velocity. To conserve the linear
momentum of the system, the gun moves backward.
2. Rocket propulsion is also based on the law of conservation of linear momentum.

Law of conservation of angular momentum

Angular momentum of a system or a particle about an axis of rotation is defined as the product of linear momentum of
the system or the particle and its perpendicular distance from the axis of rotation. According to the law of conservation
of angular momentum, the total angular momentum of a system remains conserved when no external torque acts on
it.

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