1.1 Physics: An Introduction Flashcards
Physics is the science concerned with describing the interactions of _____, _____, _____, and ____, and it is especially interested in what fundamental mechanisms underlie every phenomenon.
energy, matter, space, and time
A ____ is a representation of something that is often too difficult (or impossible) to display directly.
model
A _____ is an explanation for patterns in nature that is supported by scientific evidence and verified multiple times by various groups of researchers.
theory
_____: a description, using concise language or a mathematical formula, a generalized pattern in nature that is supported by scientific evidence and repeated experiments
law
Often, a law can be expressed in the form of a single ________ _________.
mathematical equation
How are laws and theories similar?
- both scientific statements that result from a tested hypothesis
- both supported by scientific evidence
Difference between law and theory?
The biggest difference between a law and a theory is that a theory is much more complex and dynamic. A law describes a single action, whereas a theory explains an entire group of related phenomena. And, whereas a law is a postulate that forms the foundation of the scientific method, a theory is the end result of that process.
Give some examples of laws and theories?
Newton’s second law of motion
Theory of evolution
Theory of relativity
a method that typically begins with an observation and question that the scientist will research; next, the scientist typically performs some research about the topic and then devises a hypothesis; then, the scientist will test the hypothesis by performing an experiment; finally, the scientist analyzes the results of the experiment and draws a conclusion
scientific method
The word physicscomes from Greek, meaning ____
nature
physics that was developed from the Renaissance to the end of the 19th century
classical physics
the study of relativity, quantum mechanics, or both
modern physics
For the laws of classical physics to apply, what criteria must be met?: Matter must be moving at speeds less than about 1% of the speed of light, the objects dealt with must be large enough to be seen with a microscope, and only weak gravitational fields (such as the field generated by the Earth) can be involved.
- Matter must be moving at speeds less than about 1% of the speed of light,
- the objects dealt with must be large enough to be seen with a microscope,
- only weak gravitational fields (such as the field generated by the Earth) can be involved.
_____: the study of objects moving at speeds greater than about 1% of the speed of light, or of objects being affected by a strong gravitational field
Relativity
_____: the study of objects smaller than can be seen with a microscope
quantum mechanics
The combination of relativity theory and quantum mechanics theory is _____ _____ _____ and it describes the behavior of small objects traveling at high speeds or experiencing a strong gravitational field.
relativistic quantum mechanics
A friend tells you he has learned about a new law of nature. What can you know about the information even before your friend describes the law? How would the information be different if your friend told you he had learned about a scientific theory rather than a law?
it will be a concise description of the universe around us; a statement of the underlying rules that all natural processes follow. If the information had been a theory, you would be able to infer that the information will be a large-scale, broadly applicable generalization.
Models are particularly useful in _____ and ____ ____, where conditions are outside those normally encountered by humans.
relativity and quantum mechanics
How does a model differ from a theory?
