Introduction to Physics

Physics is the natural science that examines basic concepts such as energy, force, and space time . . . and all that derives from these, such as mass, charge, matter, and its motion. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the world and the universe behave. Physics is both significant and influential, in part because advances in its understanding have often translated into new technologies, but also because new ideas in physics often resonate with the other sciences, mathematics, and philosophy. For example, advances in the understanding of electromagnetism led directly to the development of new products such as television and computers which have dramatically transformed modern-day society; advances in thermodynamics led to the development of motorized transport; and advances in mechanics inspired the development of calculus.

Selected Contents: The Evolution of Physics; Measurements; Principles; The Various States of Matter; Solution and Electrolytic Dissociation; The Ether; A Chapter in the History of Science: Wireless Telegraphy; The Conductivity of Gases and the Ions; Cathode Rays and Radioactive Bodies; The Ether and Matter; The Future of Physics as Seen from the Beginning of the 20th Century; Atomic Physics.; Quantum Physics; Modern Applications

Dr. Robert Phillips was a professor of physics. His work will help students understand the earliest foundations of this very modern topic.