Welcome to the “What is…Science?” post all about physics.
If you’re standing at an event banner right now, and you’re looking for the answer to the physics question on the banner, here it is:
*The rock and the baseball will hit the ground at the exact same time if they are dropped from the same height because the Earth gives all objects the same acceleration due to gravity, which is 9.8 m/s^2.
Now, on to the physics discussion. We should first talk about what physics is and then we’ll jump into some interesting examples to get you warmed up. So, physics is the study of matter, but a bit different from chemistry’s study of matter.
How so? Great question.
We learned previously that chemistry is the study of the properties and behavior of matter. So, we’re talking about atoms and molecules. Their structures and how they interact with each other and with their environment. With physics, we’re focused less on the structure of matter and much more on its motion through space and time, along with the energy and forces that guide its movement. And if you think that sounds like splitting hairs, you might be right. Physics and chemistry have a lot in common, but the biggest thing that always impacts me is that chemistry is often on a very, very small scale, while physics attempts to explain how the universe behaves.
Now there’s something to contemplate. How does the universe behave? (This is where you take a moment to contemplate the universe.)
And while this includes all of the ways to predict and calculate motion through time and space on Earth, it also includes attempting to explain motion through time and space outside of Earth. Throughout the very wide expanse of our universe there’s evidence of 13.8 billion years of expansion, acceleration, and the movement of matter due to an unknown force known as dark energy.
All in all, there’s a lot of motion in our universe that scientists think about every single day. If this topic seems like it might be right up your alley, give physics a try. For some people, it’s really MOVING.
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