Physical World

 

Genius Physics  class XI

 

 

2020

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Manoj Kumar Sharma

 

 

Physical World

 

 

 

 

 

          Science means organized knowledge.

It is human nature to observe things and happenings around in the nature and then to relate them. This knowledge is organized so that it become well connected and logical. Then it is known as Science. It is a systematic attempt to understand natural phenomenon and use this knowledge to predict, modify and control phenomena.

 Scientific Method

 Scientific methods are used to observe things and natural phenomena. It includes several steps :

 

          Observations

                   Controlled experiments,

                   Qualitative and quantitative reasoning,

                   Mathematical modeling,

                   Prediction and

                   Verification or falsification of theories.

 There is no ‘final’ theory in science and no unquestioned authority in science.

                   Observations and experiments need theories to support them. Sometimes the existing theory is unable                  to explain the new observations, hence either new theories are formed or modification is done in the                     existing theories.

                   For example to explain different penomena in light, theories are changed. To explain bending of light a new                 Wave-theory was formed, and then to explain photoelectric effect help of quantum mechanics was taken.

 Natural Sciences can be broadly divided in three branches namely Physics, Chemistry and biology

                   Physics is a study of basic laws of nature and their manifestation in different phenomenas.

 Principal thrusts in Physics

                   There are two principal thrusts in Physics;

                      1.Unification  2. reduction

 Unification

                   Efforts are made to explain different phenomena in nature on the basis of one or minimum laws. This is                       principle of Unification.

Example: Phenomena of apple falling to ground, moon revolving around earth and weightlessness in the rocket, all these phenomena are explained with help of one Law that is, Newtons Law of Gravitation.

 Reductionism

           To understand or to derive the properties of a bigger or more complex system the properties of its simpler constituents are taken into account. This approach is called reductionism.

 It is supposed to be the heart of Physics.

 

For example a complex thermo dynamical system can be understood by the properties of its constituent like kinetic energy of molecules and atoms.

           The scope of Physics can be divided in to two domains; Macroscopic and Microscopic.

           Macroscopic domain includes phenomena at the level of Laboratory, terrestrial and astronomical scales.

           Microscopic domain I ncludes atomic, molecular and nuclear phenomena.

           Recently third domain in between is also thought of with name Mesoscopic Physics. This deals with group of Hundreds of atoms

           Scope of physics is very wide and exciting because it deals with objects of size as large as Universe (1025m) and as small as 10-14 m, the size of a nucleus.

 The excitement of Physics is experienced in many fields Like:

           Live transmissions through television.

           Computers with high speed and memory,

           Use of Robots,

           Lasers and their applications

 Physics in relation to other branches of Science Physics in relation to Chemistry.

 

          Chemical bonding, atomic number and complex structure can be explained by physics phenomena of Electrostatic forces,

                      taking help of X-ray diffraction.


Genius Physics  class XI

 

2020

 

 

 

 

by Manoj Kumar Sharma

Physics in relation to other Science

           Physics in relation to Biological Sciences: Physics helps in study of Biology through its inventions. Optical microscope helps to study bio-samples, electron microscope helps to study biological cells. X-rays have many applications in biological sciences. Radio isotopes are used in cancer.

 

•     Physics in relation with Astronomy:

                 Giant astronomical telescope developed in physics are used for observing planets. Radio telescopes                     have enabled astronomers to observe distant limits of universe.

                   Physics related to other sciences: Laws of Physics are used to study different phenomenas in other                          sciences like Biophysics, oceanography, seismology etc.

 Fundamental Forces in Nature

 There is a large number of forces experienced or

 applied. These may be macroscopic forces like

 gravitation, friction, contact forces and microscopic

 forces like electromagnetic and inter-atomic forces.

 But all these forces arise from some basic forces called

 Fundamental Forces.

 Fundamental Forces in Nature..

 1.  Gravitational force.

           It is due to Mass of the two bodies.

           It is always attractive.

           It operates in all objects of universe.

           Its range is infinite

It’s a weak force. 10-38 times compared to strong Nuclear force

 2.Electromagnetic Forces:

           It’s due to stationery or moving Electrical charge

          It may be attractive or repulsive.

           It operates on charged particles

           Its range is infinite

           Its stronger 1036 times than gravitational force but 10-2 times of strong Nuclear force.

          Its range is very short, within nuclear size (10-15 m).

           Its strongest force in nature

 4.Weak Nuclear force:

           Operate within nucleons I.e. elementary particles like electron and neutrino.

           It appears during radioactive b decay.

           Has very short range 10-15m.

          10-13 times than Strong nuclear force.

Conservation Laws

           In any physical phenomenon governed by different forces, several quantities do not change with time. These special quantities are conserved quantities of nature.

 1.For motion under conservative force, the total mechanical Energy of a body is constant.

 

2.Total energy of a system is conserved, and it is valid across all domains of nature from microscopic to macroscopic. Total energy of the universe is believed to be constant.

 

3.Conservation of Mass was considered another conservation law, till advent of Einstein. Then it was converted to law of conservation of mass plus energy. Because mass is converted into energy and vice-versa according to equation E = mc2 The examples are annihilation and pair production.

 

4.Momentum is another quantity which is preserved.

 

Similar is angular momentum of an isolated system. 5.Conservation of Electric charge is a fundamental law of nature.

 

6.  Later there was development of law of conservation of attributes called baryon number, lepton number and so on.

 

The laws of nature do not change with change of space and time. This is known as symmetry of space and time. This and some other symmetries play a central role in modern physics. Conservation laws are connected to this.


 

3.  Strong nuclear force:

 

          Operate between Nucleons

 

          It may be attractive or repulsive

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