Physics n What is Physics? n Historical Perspective n Observation & Discovery n Superconductors n What and How, Not Why n Metrics

What is Physics? n The study of the natural world –Laws, “rules,” principles, –patterns and relationships n The most BASIC Science –What are modern “compartments” of science? n Began as Natural Philosophy –Aristotle ( B.C.) –“Law” when Church=State n From subatomic particles to galaxies

PARADIGM n Paradigm Shifts (watches, bike seats)

Plato (Greek philosopher, teacher of Aristotle) n 390 B.C. PLAT0: Theory of Knowledge, and Ether as fifth element (after earth, air, fire, and water as the first four).

ARISTOTLE arguably the most influential person in all of western civilization For almost 2,000 years, Aristotle’s teachings were considered FACT and even LAW by the Roman Catholic Church/State. (Lived around 350 B.C. in Greece, and all of his theories and methods persisted until Galileo around 1600.)

n 370 B.C. ARISTOTLE: Free falling bodies accelerate but heavier bodies fall faster n 340 B.C. ARISTOTLE: Earth is a sphere; Space is continuous and always filled with matter n 330 B.C. ARISTOTLE: Geocentric cosmology

n All science began with ancient Greeks as “Natural Philosophy.” n All other science disciplines branched off from physics—the most BASIC, or the most foundational science.

SCIENCE PARADIGM SHIFTS –Copernican Revolution 1500’s (pub. 1543)

–Galileo late 1500’s & early 1600’s “father of experimental Physics”

Paradigm shift of “natural” motion n From the time of Aristotle around 350 B.C., for 2,000 years until Galileo around 1650 A.D., it was believed that ALL objects eventually tend to stop moving. n It was believed that things had “natural” motion and “violent” motion. n It was believed that some force was required to keep an object moving.

No separation between Church and State… n It was considered heresy against the church (and therefore state) to go against the teachings considered “right” by the church n Therefore Galileo got in huge trouble for experimenting and going against the science that was considered law.

A few things Galileo got in trouble for… n Dropping objects and showing that ALL accelerated at same rate, regardless of mass (against Aristotle’s teachings) n First to USE a telescope to look at “heavenly bodies” as far as we know. Showed that the moon had craters. n Supported the Copernican view, or Heliocentric model, where the Earth was NOT the center of the universe (nor even the center of the solar system) n Published in Italian

–Newton late 1600’s-- Newtonian/Classical Physics (most of what we will do in here) “If I have seen far, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants.” --Newton’s tribute to Galileo

–1700’s explosion of science –Lyell 1830 said Earth millions of yrs. old –Darwin 1858 Natural Selection

–Einstein early 1900’s “father of modern physics”

Terms n Fact: Close agreement by competent observers who make a series of observations; always subject to CHANGE WITH NEW INFORMATION! n Hypothesis: Educated guess to be tested by experiment. Only SCIENTIFIC if it can be PROVEN wrong if it IS wrong. n Einstein said, “No number of experiments can prove me right, but one can prove me wrong.”

Principles and Laws: n When hypotheses have stood up under repeated testing, they may become known as principles or laws. n Always subject to CHANGE with NEW KNOWLEDGE or testing.

Theory: n A synthesis of a large body of information that encompasses well- tested and verified hypotheses about certain aspects of the natural world. For example--atomic theory, cell theory, the theory of relativity, theory of evolution.

Facts vs. Theories n Facts are REVISABLE DATA about the world n Theories interpret facts (but are also revisable!)

Science vs. Technology n Technology is a way of DOING n Application of Science n To design, create, build for human use n Science is a way of KNOWING n Knowledge for its own sake n Open-ended, always expanding

Economics and Science n How does scientific research affect the economy? n Are dollars spent for pure scientific research well spent? n For example, if quarks and leptons are the building blocks of all matter, would 7 billion dollars to build a Superconducting Super Collider be well spent if it helps us understand all matter in the universe?

How do science and technology overlap?

n What are some problems associated with technology?

Science vs. Religion: Actually Do NOT contradict each other in any broad sense; they ask different questions… n Science is about COSMIC ORDER n Science asks “HOW” n Mechanisms, patterns, quantify, show relationships n Religion is about COSMIC PURPOSE n Religion asks “WHY” n Underlying meaning

Pseudo-Science: Paranormal, other studies which cannot be disproven even if they ARE wrong! (Called “a test for wrongness.”)

MATH is the language of science. No translation, no ambiguity or nuances. n ENGLISH SYSTEM n Difficult to convert n Based on a KING’S measurements n Inconsistent n Not used in science textbooks (even in U.S.) in 20 years!

METRIC SYSTEM and SI (System International) n Easy to convert (just move decimal place) n Based on TENS n Consistent n Used by most countries in the world

METRIC STAIRCASE