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2.4.1 Electromagnetism and fields
When Newton wrote about ‘The System of the World’ in Part 3 of Principia, the only forces he could discuss in any detail were the contact forces that arose when one object touched another, and gravity,...
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2.3.3 Statistical mechanics
You saw earlier that very strong claims were made for Newtonian mechanics. Many regarded it as a basic framework that would underlie all scientific explanations. It is therefore natural to ask about...
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2.3.2 Equilibrium and irreversibility
As the science of thermodynamics developed beyond its industrial roots, two powerful ideas came to the fore – equilibrium and irreversibility. These ideas were already implicit in studies of heat. You...
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2.3.1 Thermodynamics and entropy
The first half of the nineteenth century was a period of great economic and industrial growth. The steam engine, invented in the previous century, was becoming increasingly common in locomotives, mines...
View Article2.3 The irreversible Universe
‘Science owes more to the steam engine than the steam engine owes to Science.’L.J. Henderson (1917)From the time of Newton until the end of the nineteenth century the development of physics consisted...
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2.2.2 Energy and conservation
Newtonian mechanics is concerned with explaining motion, yet it contains within it the much simpler idea that some things never change. Take the concept of mass, for example, which appears throughout...
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2.2.1 Mechanics and determinism
It is probably fair to say that no single individual has had a greater influence on the scientific view of the world than Isaac Newton. The main reason for Newton's prominence was his own intrinsic...
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2.1.2 Mathematics and quantification
Roger Bacon once said ‘Mathematics is the door and the key to the sciences’. This statement aptly summarises the role of mathematics in science, particularly in physics, and it is not hard to see...
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2.1.1 Science and regularity
‘Our experience shows that only a small part of the physical Universe needs to be studied in order to elucidate its underlying themes and patterns of behaviour. At root this is what it means for there...
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1 Physics and the physical world
Studying physics will change you as a person. At least it should. In studying physics you will encounter some of the deepest and most far-reaching concepts that have ever entered human consciousness....
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By the end of this unit you should be able to:explain the meaning of all the emboldened terms introduced in this unit;explain what is meant by a physical world-view and describe some of the major...
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This unit offers a fascinating overview of the ‘big ideas’ that have shaped physics from the time of Kepler to the present day. Using little mathematics, the unit surveys fundamental features of key...
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