Lecture 1: Introduction to Physics
Lecture 1: Introduction to Physics Understanding Nature, Matter, Energy, Motion and the Universe Welcome to Physics! Physics is not only a subject of formulas. It is the science that helps us understand how the world around us works. Physics is one of the fundamental sciences. It attempts to explain the behavior of nature using observation, experiments, measurements, logical reasoning and mathematical models. Whenever a ball falls toward the ground, a car accelerates, a fan rotates, a mobile phone communicates, light travels through space, or planets move around the Sun, physics is involved. A pendulum is a simple example of motion studied in physics. Image: Wikimedia Commons, Public Domain. 1. What Is Physics? Physics is the branch of science that studies matter, energy, motion, forces, space and time, and the relationships between them. The word physics comes from the Greek word physis , meaning nature. Therefore, physics can broadly be understood as the stu...