What is the Physical and Its Significance in Physics and Beyond

Something tangible and perceivable by your hands is often called physical. A brick and mortar supermarket is a tangible example that can be physically felt. However, an online supermarket, despite its convenience and the wide range of items it offers, is intangible and thus, not physical, as you cannot touch it with your hands, but rather buy items from it.

Understanding Physical Quantities

A physical quantity is a quantity that can be measured using a measuring instrument or calculated. It is always expressed as a numerical value and a unit, e.g., mass (2 kg), length (5 m), or time (3 seconds).

The Essence of Physics

Physics is the scientific discipline that studies the fundamental nature and laws governing matter, energy, and the interactions between them. All natural phenomena, from the orbiting of the moon around the Earth, the falling of an apple from a tree, to the tidal patterns during a full moon, can be explained by the basic laws of physics, such as Newton's Law of Gravitation and Laws of Motion. These laws form the backbone of understanding how the universe operates.

Physics as a Foundation for Understanding Life and Medicine

Understanding physics is crucial for making applications in bio and medical sciences. The principles of physics help us to unravel the mysteries of how living organisms function and how diseases can be understood and treated. With the foundational knowledge of physics, we can design better medical devices, understand cellular processes, and develop novel treatments.

The Evolution of Physics: A Game of Chess

Richard Feynman, a renowned physicist, beautifully described the process of understanding nature. Just like a chess game, observing the events of nature and trying to derive rules from them can be extremely complex. Just like a chess player may make unexpected moves, nature often presents us with new phenomena that challenge our understanding. Just as in chess, where a wrong move can completely alter the game, the wrong rule in physics can lead to incorrect predictions or hypotheses. Therefore, physics is a dynamic field of study, always evolving and refining its understanding of the universe.

A Glimpse into the History of Physics

The history of physics is filled with giants like Aryabhata, Newton, Einstein, and Richard Feynman. Each of these brilliant minds brought revolutionary insights to the field of physics, from Aryabhata's innovative astronomical and mathematical contributions to Newton's laws of motion and universal gravitation, and Einstein's revolutionary theories of relativity. Their work laid down the groundwork for our understanding of the physical world, from the smallest particles to the largest structures in the universe.

The Legacy of Physicists and Their Achievements

The 5th Solvey Conference on Quantum Mechanics in 1927, a pivotal event in the history of quantum physics, gathered some of the most brilliant minds of the era. The photo of this conference is often hailed as 'the most intelligent group photo taken ever.' The conference featured a who's who of Nobel Prize-winning physicists, including Albert Einstein, Neils Bohr, and Marie Curie. This event not only demonstrated the elegance and complexity of quantum mechanics but also symbolized the collective effort and brilliance required to unravel the mysteries of the universe.

Physics, as a fundamental science, continues to evolve and challenge our understanding of the world. Whether through the lens of quantum mechanics or the exploration of gravity and relativity, the study of physics remains at the forefront of scientific inquiry.