1. The Science of Physics – Section 1, What is Physics?
By: Bowman (Archer)

2. Section Objectives
Identify activities and fields that involve the major areas within physics.
Describe the processes of the scientific method
Describe the role of models and diagrams in physics

3. Basic Introduction Physics is a field of science
Nearly all things in our surrounding can be explain by the principles of physics

4. Areas Within Physics Name Subjects Examples Mechanics
Motions and interactions between objects
People movement, friction, weight, spinning object
Thermodynamics
Heat and temperature
Melting and freezing, engines
Vibration and Wave Phenomena
Specific types of repetitive motions
Springs, pendulum
Optics
Light
Mirror, lenses, spectrum
Electromagnetism
Electricity, magnetism, and light
Electrical charges, magnets, circuits
Relativity
Particles moving at any speed, including very high speeds
Nuclear energy, particle collisions
Quantum mechanics
Behavior of submicroscopic particles
Atom and its parts

5. The Scientific Method
Scientific method are steps common in good scientific investigations

6. The Scientific Method
Physicist often use models in order to simplify an event or phenomena
The models isolate a single element in the phenomenon from other simultaneously occurring elements in the phenomenon
That single element is called the system

7. The Scientific Method Example: When a player shoot in a football game
The scientist wanted to study the motion of the ball
So the system is the kicker, the ball, and the goal
Other unnecessary information such as the ball’s color are disregarded

8. The Scientific Method
The model may disregard some characteristics of the system which have little to no effect on the relevant part on the phenomenon

9. The Scientific Method
A hypothesis is a reasonable explanation for observations
A hypothesis is tested with experiment
Modeling a situation can help determine the relevant variable and hypothesis for testing

10. The Scientific Method Example: Continuing the last example
The variables can be figured as the mass of the ball, the force of the kick, and the air resistance, and gravity (variables that affect the ball’s trajectory)
The hypothesis could be that the ball will curve down due to gravity and slow down due to air resistance and will enter the goal at the bottom right corner

11. The Scientific Method
A hypothesis must be tested in a controlled experiment
This means that other than the variable being tested, other variable must be kept constant in all trials.