Classical Mechanics
Motion, forces, and energy at everyday scales
Physics: Viscosity
Viscosity When two fluid layers move relative to each other, a friction force develops between them and the slower layer acts to slow down the faster layer.
Read commentary →Physics: Wolfgang Pauli
Wolfgang Pauli (1900) Wolfgang Ernst Pauli ( PAW-lee; German: [ˈpaʊ̯li] ; 25 April 1900 – 15 December 1958) was an Austrian–Swiss theoretical physicist and a pioneer of quantum mechanics.
Read commentary →Physics: First direct gravitational wave detection
2015: First direct gravitational wave detection Gravitational waves are waves of spacetime curvature that propagate at the speed of light and are produced by the relative motion of gravitating masses.
Read commentary →Physics: Stern–Gerlach experiment
Stern–Gerlach experiment By: Stern and Gerlach (1922) In quantum physics, the Stern–Gerlach experiment demonstrated that the spatial orientation of angular momentum is quantized.
Read commentary →Physics: Uncertainty principle
Uncertainty principle Form: ΔxΔp ≥ h/4π The uncertainty principle, also known as Heisenberg's indeterminacy principle, is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics.
Read commentary →Physics: Gravitational wave
Gravitational wave Gravitational waves are waves of spacetime curvature that propagate at the speed of light and are produced by the relative motion of gravitating masses.
Read commentary →Physics: Archimedes' principle
Archimedes' principle Archimedes' principle states that the upward buoyant force that is exerted on a body immersed in a fluid, whether fully or partially, is equal to the weight of the fluid that the body displaces.
Read commentary →Physics: Galileo publishes foundational work on motion
1638: Galileo publishes foundational work on motion The Discourses and Mathematical Demonstrations Relating to Two New Sciences (Italian: Discorsi e dimostrazioni matematiche intorno a due nuove scienze pronounced [diˈskorsi e ddimostratˈtsjoːni mateˈmaːtike inˈtorno a dˈduːe ˈnwɔːve ʃˈʃɛntse]) published in 1638 was Galileo Galilei's final book and a scientific testament covering much of his work
Read commentary →Physics: Acceleration
Acceleration In mechanics, an acceleration is a change in velocity and is calculated as the rate of change of the velocity of an object with respect to time.
Read commentary →Physics: QED renormalization established
1948: QED renormalization established In particle physics, quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics.
Read commentary →Physics: Centripetal acceleration
Centripetal acceleration Form: a = v²/r Centripetal force (from Latin centrum 'center' and petere 'to seek') is the force that makes a body follow a curved path.
Read commentary →Physics: General relativity
General relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in May 1916 and is the accepted description of the gravitation of macroscopic objects in modern physics.
Read commentary →Physics: Centripetal force
Centripetal force Centripetal force (from Latin centrum 'center' and petere 'to seek') is the force that makes a body follow a curved path.
Read commentary →Physics: 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics
2023 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Pierre Agostini, Ferenc Krausz, Anne L’Huillier Experimental methods that generate attosecond pulses of light for the study of electron dynamics in matter.
Read commentary →Physics: Born rule
Born rule The Born rule is a postulate of quantum mechanics that gives the probability that a measurement of a quantum system will yield a given result.
Read commentary →Physics: Angular momentum
Angular momentum Angular momentum (sometimes called moment of momentum or rotational momentum) is the rotational analog of linear momentum.
Read commentary →Physics: Einstein completes general relativity
1915: Einstein completes general relativity General relativity, also known as the general theory of relativity, and as Einstein's theory of gravity, is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in May 1916 and is the accepted description of the gravitation of macroscopic objects in modern physics.
Read commentary →Physics: Gravity
Gravity In physics, gravity (from Latin gravitas 'weight'), also known as gravitation or a gravitational interaction, is a fundamental interaction, which may be described as the force that draws material objects towards each other.
Read commentary →Physics: Neutrino
Neutrino A neutrino ( new-TREE-noh; denoted by the Greek letter ν) is an elementary particle that interacts via the weak interaction and gravity.
Read commentary →Physics: Impedance of free space
Impedance of free space Z₀ = 376.73 Ω In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) or an electromagnetic wave (EMW) is a self-propagating wave of the electromagnetic field that carries momentum and radiant energy through space.
Read commentary →Physics: Gravity well
Gravity well A sphere of influence (SOI) in astrodynamics and astronomy is the oblate spheroid-shaped region where a particular celestial body exerts the main gravitational influence on an orbiting object.
Read commentary →Physics: Conservation of momentum
Conservation of momentum In Newtonian mechanics, momentum (pl.
Read commentary →Physics: Kinematic equation
Kinematic equation Form: s = ut + ½at² In physics, classical mechanics is a theory that describes the effect of forces on the motion of macroscopic objects and bulk matter, without considering quantum effects, and often without incorporating relativistic effects either.
Read commentary →Physics: Orbit
Orbit In celestial mechanics, an orbit is the curved trajectory of an object under the influence of an attracting force.
Read commentary →Physics: Angular momentum
Angular momentum Form: L = mvr Angular momentum (sometimes called moment of momentum or rotational momentum) is the rotational analog of linear momentum.
Read commentary →Physics: Maxwell's equations
Maxwell's equations Maxwell's equations are a set of coupled partial differential equations that, together with the Lorentz force law, form the foundation of classical electromagnetism, classical optics, electric and magnetic circuits.
Read commentary →Physics: Bernoulli's principle
Bernoulli's principle Bernoulli's principle is a key concept in fluid dynamics that relates pressure, speed and height.
Read commentary →Physics: Molecule
Molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion.
Read commentary →Physics: Complementarity (physics)
Complementarity (physics) In physics, complementarity is a conceptual aspect of quantum mechanics that Niels Bohr regarded as an essential feature of the theory.
Read commentary →Physics: Equivalence principle
Equivalence principle The equivalence principle is the hypothesis that the observed equivalence of gravitational and inertial mass is a consequence of nature.
Read commentary →Physics: Torricelli's theorem
Torricelli's theorem Torricelli's law, also known as Torricelli's theorem, is a theorem in fluid dynamics relating the speed of fluid flowing from a hole to the height of fluid above the hole.
Read commentary →Physics: Heisenberg develops matrix mechanics
1925: Heisenberg develops matrix mechanics Matrix mechanics is a formulation of quantum mechanics created by Werner Heisenberg, Max Born, and Pascual Jordan in 1925.
Read commentary →Physics: 1949 Nobel Prize in Physics
1949 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Hideki Yukawa His prediction of the existence of mesons on the basis of theoretical work on nuclear forces.
Read commentary →Physics: Dispersion (optics)
Dispersion (optics) Dispersion is the phenomenon in which the phase velocity of a wave depends on its frequency.
Read commentary →Physics: Lisa Randall
Lisa Randall (1962) Lisa Randall (born June 18, 1962) is an American theoretical physicist and Frank B.
Read commentary →Physics: 1975 Nobel Prize in Physics
1975 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Aage Niels Bohr, Ben Roy Mottelson, Leo James Rainwater The discovery of the connection between collective motion and particle motion in atomic nuclei and the development of the theory of the structure of the atomic nucleus based on this connection.
Read commentary →Physics: Foucault pendulum
Foucault pendulum By: Leon Foucault (1851) The Foucault pendulum or Foucault's pendulum is a simple device named after French physicist Léon Foucault, conceived as an experiment to demonstrate the Earth's rotation.
Read commentary →Physics: Johannes Kepler
Johannes Kepler (1571) Johannes Kepler (27 December 1571 – 15 November 1630) was a German polymath who was an astronomer, mathematician, astrologer, natural philosopher and music theorist.
Read commentary →Physics: Buoyancy
Buoyancy Buoyancy (), or upthrust, is the force exerted by a fluid opposing the weight of a partially or fully immersed object (which may also be a parcel of fluid).
Read commentary →Physics: Root mean square speed
Root mean square speed Form: v = √(kT/m) In physics (in particular in statistical mechanics), the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution, or Maxwell(ian) distribution, is a particular probability distribution named after James Clerk Maxwell and Ludwig Boltzmann.
Read commentary →Physics: Force
Force In physics, a force is an action that can cause an object to change its velocity or its shape, or to resist other forces, or to cause changes of pressure in a fluid.
Read commentary →Physics: Philip Anderson
Philip Anderson (1923) Michael Phillip Anderson (December 25, 1959 – February 1, 2003) was a United States Air Force officer and NASA astronaut.
Read commentary →Physics: Wave–particle duality
Wave–particle duality Wave–particle duality is the concept in quantum mechanics that fundamental entities of the universe, like photons and electrons, exhibit particle or wave properties according to the experimental circumstances.
Read commentary →Physics: Coulomb measures electric force law
1785: Coulomb measures electric force law Coulomb's inverse-square law, or simply Coulomb's law, is a scientific law of physics that describes the amount of force between two electrically charged particles at rest.
Read commentary →Physics: Torque
Torque Form: τ = rF In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational correspondent of linear force.
Read commentary →Physics: Newton publishes Principia Mathematica
1687: Newton publishes Principia Mathematica Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica (English: The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy), often called simply the Principia (), is a book by Sir Isaac Newton that expounds Newton's laws of motion and his law of universal gravitation.
Read commentary →Physics: Spring (device)
Spring (device) A spring is a device consisting of an elastic but largely rigid material (typically metal) bent or molded into a form (especially a coil) that can return into shape after being compressed, extended or twisted.
Read commentary →Physics: 1965 Nobel Prize in Physics
1965 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Sin-Itiro Tomonaga, Julian Schwinger, Richard P. Feynman Their fundamental work in quantum electrodynamics, with deep-ploughing consequences for the physics of elementary particles.
Read commentary →Physics: Pressure
Pressure Pressure (symbol: p or P) is the force applied perpendicular to the surface of an object per unit area over which that force is distributed.
Read commentary →Physics: Daniel Bernoulli publishes Hydrodynamica
1738: Daniel Bernoulli publishes Hydrodynamica Daniel Bernoulli (8 February [O.
Read commentary →Physics: Second law of thermodynamics
Second law of thermodynamics The second law of thermodynamics is a physical law based on universal empirical observation concerning heat and energy interconversions.
Read commentary →Physics: 2003 Nobel Prize in Physics
2003 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Alexei Alexeyevich Abrikosov, Vitaly Lazarevich Ginzburg, Anthony J. Leggett Pioneering contributions to the theory of superconductors and superfluids.
Read commentary →Physics: De Broglie hypothesis
De Broglie hypothesis Matter waves are a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics, being half of wave–particle duality.
Read commentary →Physics: Max Born
Max Born (1882) Max Born (German: [ˈmaks ˈbɔʁn] ; 11 December 1882 – 5 January 1970) was a German–British theoretical physicist who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics.
Read commentary →Physics: Third law of thermodynamics
Third law of thermodynamics The third law of thermodynamics states that the entropy of a closed system at thermodynamic equilibrium approaches a constant value when its temperature approaches absolute zero.
Read commentary →Physics: Maxwell unifies electricity, magnetism, and light
1864: Maxwell unifies electricity, magnetism, and light Maxwell's equations are a set of coupled partial differential equations that describe how electric and magnetic fields are generated by electric charges and currents.
Read commentary →Physics: de Broglie proposes matter waves
1924: de Broglie proposes matter waves Matter waves are a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics, being half of wave–particle duality.
Read commentary →Physics: John Clauser
John Clauser (1942) John Francis Clauser (; born December 1, 1942) is an American theoretical and experimental physicist known for contributions to the foundations of quantum mechanics, in particular the Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt inequality.
Read commentary →Physics: Capillary action
Capillary action Capillary action (sometimes called capillarity, capillary motion, capillary rise, capillary effect, or wicking) is the process of a liquid flowing in a narrow space without the assistance of external forces like gravity.
Read commentary →Physics: Pendulum
Pendulum A pendulum is a device made of a weight suspended from a pivot so that it can swing freely.
Read commentary →Physics: Standard Model
Standard Model The Standard Model of particle physics is the theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (electromagnetic, weak and strong interactions – excluding gravity) in the universe and classifying all known elementary particles.
Read commentary →Physics: Michelson–Morley experiment
Michelson–Morley experiment By: Michelson and Morley (1887) The Michelson–Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the motion of the Earth relative to the luminiferous aether, a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves.
Read commentary →Physics: Mach number
Mach number The Mach number (M or Ma), often only Mach (; German: [max]), is a dimensionless quantity in fluid dynamics representing the ratio of flow velocity past a boundary to the local speed of sound.
Read commentary →Physics: Magnetic flux quantum
Magnetic flux quantum Φ₀ = 2.068×10⁻¹⁵ Wb Quantum mechanics is the fundamental physical theory that describes the behavior of matter and of light; its unusual characteristics typically occur at and below the scale of atoms.
Read commentary →Physics: Velocity
Velocity Velocity is a measurement of speed in a certain direction of motion.
Read commentary →Physics: Werner Heisenberg
Werner Heisenberg (1901) Werner Karl Heisenberg (; German: [ˈvɛʁnɐ ˈhaɪzn̩bɛʁk] ; 5 December 1901 – 1 February 1976) was a German theoretical physicist, one of the main pioneers of the theory of quantum mechanics and a principal scientist in the German nuclear program during World War II.
Read commentary →Physics: Kinetic energy
Kinetic energy In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the form of energy that it possesses due to its motion.
Read commentary →Physics: Hooke's law
Hooke's law Form: F = kx In physics, Hooke's law is an empirical law which states that the force (F) needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance (x) scales linearly with respect to that distance—that is, Fs = kx, where k is a constant factor characteristic of the spring (i.
Read commentary →Physics: 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics
1970 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Hannes Olof Gösta Alfvén, Louis Eugène Félix Néel Fundamental work and discoveries in magnetohydro-dynamics with fruitful applications in different parts of plasma physics / for fundamental work and discoveries concerning antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism which have led to important applications in solid state physics.
Read commentary →Physics: Cavendish experiment
Cavendish experiment By: Henry Cavendish (1797) The Cavendish experiment, performed in 1797–1798 by English scientist Henry Cavendish, was the first experiment to measure the force of gravity between masses in the laboratory and the first to yield accurate values for the gravitational constant.
Read commentary →Physics: Electromagnetic induction
Electromagnetic induction Electromagnetic induction or magnetic induction is the production of an electromotive force (emf) across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic field.
Read commentary →Physics: Satyendra Nath Bose
Satyendra Nath Bose (1894) Satyendra Nath Bose (; 1 January 1894 – 4 February 1974) was an Indian theoretical physicist and mathematician.
Read commentary →Physics: Paul Dirac
Paul Dirac (1902) Paul Adrien Maurice Dirac ( dih-RAK; 8 August 1902 – 20 October 1984) was a British theoretical physicist who is considered to be one of the founders of quantum mechanics.
Read commentary →Physics: Black hole
Black hole A black hole is an astronomical body so compact that its gravity prevents anything, including light, from escaping.
Read commentary →Physics: Lorentz transformation
Lorentz transformation In physics, the Lorentz transformations are a six-parameter family of linear transformations from a coordinate frame in spacetime to another frame that moves at a constant velocity relative to the former.
Read commentary →Physics: 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics
2019 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: James Peebles, Michel Mayor, Didier Queloz Theoretical discoveries in physical cosmology / for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star.
Read commentary →Physics: Neutrino experimentally detected
1956: Neutrino experimentally detected A neutrino ( new-TREE-noh; denoted by the Greek letter ν) is an elementary particle that interacts via the weak interaction and gravity.
Read commentary →Physics: Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction
1831: Faraday discovers electromagnetic induction Electromagnetic induction or magnetic induction is the production of an electromotive force (emf) across an electrical conductor in a changing magnetic field.
Read commentary →Physics: Pauli exclusion principle
Pauli exclusion principle In quantum mechanics, the Pauli exclusion principle (German: Pauli-Ausschlussprinzip) states that two or more identical particles with half-integer spins (i.
Read commentary →Physics: Coulomb's law
Coulomb's law Form: q₁q₂/4πε₀r² Coulomb's inverse-square law, or simply Coulomb's law, is a scientific law of physics that describes the amount of force between two electrically charged particles at rest.
Read commentary →Physics: Resonance
Resonance Resonance is a phenomenon that occurs when an object or system is subjected to an external force or vibration whose frequency matches a resonant frequency (or resonance frequency) of the system, defined as a frequency that generates a maximum amplitude response in the system.
Read commentary →Physics: Conservation of angular momentum
Conservation of angular momentum Angular momentum (sometimes called moment of momentum or rotational momentum) is the rotational analog of linear momentum.
Read commentary →Physics: Einstein publishes special relativity
1905: Einstein publishes special relativity In physics, the special theory of relativity, or simply special relativity, is a scientific theory of the relationship between space and time.
Read commentary →Physics: Hooke's law
Hooke's law In physics, Hooke's law is an empirical law which states that the force (F) needed to extend or compress a spring by some distance (x) scales linearly with respect to that distance—that is, Fs = kx, where k is a constant factor characteristic of the spring (i.
Read commentary →Physics: Temperature
Temperature In classical thermodynamics and kinetic theory, temperature reflects the average kinetic energy of the particles in a system, providing a quantitative measure of how energy is distributed among microscopic degrees of freedom.
Read commentary →Physics: Kinematic equation
Kinematic equation Form: v² = u² + 2as In physics, classical mechanics is a theory that describes the effect of forces on the motion of macroscopic objects and bulk matter, without considering quantum effects, and often without incorporating relativistic effects either.
Read commentary →Physics: Kinetic energy
Kinetic energy Form: KE = ½mv² In physics, the kinetic energy of an object is the form of energy that it possesses due to its motion.
Read commentary →Physics: Michelson-Morley tests luminiferous aether
1887: Michelson-Morley tests luminiferous aether The Michelson–Morley experiment was an attempt to measure the motion of the Earth relative to the luminiferous aether, a supposed medium permeating space that was thought to be the carrier of light waves.
Read commentary →Physics: Eötvös experiment
Eötvös experiment By: Lorand Eotvos (1885) The Eötvös experiment was a physics experiment that measured the correlation between inertial mass and gravitational mass, demonstrating that the two were one and the same, something that had long been suspected but never demonstrated with the same accuracy.
Read commentary →Physics: Kepler states first two laws of planetary motion
1609: Kepler states first two laws of planetary motion In astronomy, Kepler's laws of planetary motion give good approximations for the orbits of planets around the Sun.
Read commentary →Physics: 1932 Nobel Prize in Physics
1932 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Werner Karl Heisenberg The creation of quantum mechanics, the application of which has, inter alia, led to the discovery of the allotropic forms of hydrogen.
Read commentary →Physics: Heat
Heat In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary.
Read commentary →Physics: Newton's laws of motion
Newton's laws of motion Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that describe the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it.
Read commentary →Physics: Electroweak unification developed
1967: Electroweak unification developed In particle physics, the electroweak interaction or electroweak force is the unified description of two of the fundamental interactions of nature: electromagnetism (electromagnetic interaction) and the weak interaction.
Read commentary →Physics: Work (physics)
Work (physics) In science, work is the energy transferred to or from an object via the application of force along a displacement.
Read commentary →Physics: Terminal velocity
Terminal velocity Terminal velocity is the maximum speed attainable by an object as it falls through a fluid (air is the most common example).
Read commentary →Physics: Newton's law of universal gravitation
Newton's law of universal gravitation Newton's law of universal gravitation describes gravity as a force by stating that every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers of mass.
Read commentary →Physics: Superfluidity
Superfluidity Superfluidity is the characteristic property of a fluid with zero viscosity which therefore flows without any loss of kinetic energy.
Read commentary →Physics: Kepler's laws of planetary motion
Kepler's laws of planetary motion In astronomy, Kepler's laws of planetary motion give good approximations for the orbits of planets around the Sun.
Read commentary →Physics: 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics
1954 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Max Born, Walther Bothe His fundamental research in quantum mechanics, especially for his statistical interpretation of the wavefunction / for the coincidence method and his discoveries made therewith.
Read commentary →Physics: Laws of thermodynamics
Laws of thermodynamics The laws of thermodynamics are a set of scientific laws which define a group of physical quantities, such as temperature, energy, and entropy, that characterize thermodynamic systems in thermodynamic equilibrium.
Read commentary →Physics: First law of thermodynamics
First law of thermodynamics The first law of thermodynamics is a formulation of the law of conservation of energy in the context of thermodynamic processes.
Read commentary →Physics: Lamb shift measured
1947: Lamb shift measured In physics, the Lamb shift, named after Willis Lamb, is an anomalous difference in energy between two electron orbitals in a hydrogen atom.
Read commentary →Physics: Bell's theorem
Bell's theorem Bell's theorem is a term encompassing a number of closely related results in physics, all of which determine that quantum mechanics is incompatible with local hidden-variable theories, given some basic assumptions about the nature of measurement.
Read commentary →Physics: Gravity Probe B
Gravity Probe B By: NASA / Stanford (2004) Gravity Probe B (GP-B) was a satellite-based experiment whose objective was to test two previously-unverified predictions of general relativity: the geodetic effect and frame-dragging.
Read commentary →Physics: Noether's theorem
Noether's theorem Noether's theorem states that every continuous symmetry of the action of a physical system with conservative forces has a corresponding conservation law.
Read commentary →Physics: Entropy
Entropy Entropy is a scientific concept, most commonly associated with states of disorder, randomness, or uncertainty.
Read commentary →Physics: Synchrotron radiation
Synchrotron radiation Synchrotron radiation (also known as magnetobremsstrahlung) is the electromagnetic radiation emitted when relativistic charged particles are subject to an acceleration perpendicular to their velocity (a ⊥ v).
Read commentary →Physics: Aspect's experiment
Aspect's experiment By: Alain Aspect (1982) Aspect's experiment was the first quantum mechanics experiment to demonstrate the violation of Bell's inequalities with photons using distant detectors.
Read commentary →Physics: Work (physics)
Work (physics) Form: W = Fd In science, work is the energy transferred to or from an object via the application of force along a displacement.
Read commentary →Physics: Uncertainty principle
Uncertainty principle The uncertainty principle, also known as Heisenberg's indeterminacy principle, is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics.
Read commentary →Physics: Accelerating expansion of universe discovered
1998: Accelerating expansion of universe discovered Observations show that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, such that the velocity at which a distant galaxy recedes from the observer is continuously increasing with time.
Read commentary →Physics: Coulomb's law
Coulomb's law Coulomb's inverse-square law, or simply Coulomb's law, is an experimental law of physics that calculates the amount of force between two electrically charged particles at rest.
Read commentary →Physics: 1998 Nobel Prize in Physics
1998 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: Robert B. Laughlin, Horst L. Störmer, Daniel C. Tsui Their discovery of a new form of quantum fluid with fractionally charged excitations.
Read commentary →Physics: Daniel Bernoulli
Daniel Bernoulli (1700) Daniel Bernoulli ( bur-NOO-lee; Swiss Standard German: [ˈdaːni̯eːl bɛrˈnʊli]; 8 February [O.
Read commentary →Physics: Time dilation
Time dilation Time dilation is the difference in elapsed time as measured by two clocks, either because of a relative velocity, a consequence of special relativity, or a difference in gravitational potential between their locations due to gravitational time dilation.
Read commentary →Physics: Newton's second law
Newton's second law Form: F = ma Newton's laws of motion are three physical laws that describe the relationship between the motion of an object and the forces acting on it.
Read commentary →Physics: 1996 Nobel Prize in Physics
1996 Nobel Prize in Physics Awarded to: David M. Lee, Douglas D. Osheroff, Robert C. Richardson Their discovery of superfluidity in helium-3.
Read commentary →Physics: Zeroth law of thermodynamics
Zeroth law of thermodynamics The zeroth law of thermodynamics is one of the four principal laws of thermodynamics.
Read commentary →Physics: Kinematic equation
Kinematic equation Form: v = u + at In physics, classical mechanics is a theory that describes the effect of forces on the motion of macroscopic objects and bulk matter, without considering quantum effects, and often without incorporating relativistic effects either.
Read commentary →Physics: Torque
Torque In physics and mechanics, torque is the rotational correspondent of linear force.
Read commentary →Physics: Law of universal gravitation
Law of universal gravitation Form: F = Gm₁m₂/r² Newton's law of universal gravitation describes gravity as a force by stating that every particle attracts every other particle in the universe with a force that is proportional to the product of their masses and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between their centers of mass.
Read commentary →Physics: Uncertainty principle formalized
1927: Uncertainty principle formalized The uncertainty principle, also known as Heisenberg's indeterminacy principle, is a fundamental concept in quantum mechanics.
Read commentary →Physics: Simple harmonic motion
Simple harmonic motion In mechanics and physics, simple harmonic motion (sometimes abbreviated as SHM) is a special type of periodic motion an object experiences by means of a restoring force whose magnitude is directly proportional to the distance of the object from an equilibrium position and acts towards the equilibrium position.
Read commentary →Physics: Pascal's law
Pascal's law Pascal's law (also Pascal's principle or the principle of transmission of fluid-pressure) is a principle in fluid mechanics that states that a pressure change at any point in a confined incompressible fluid is transmitted throughout the fluid such that the same change occurs everywhere.
Read commentary →Physics: Stokes' law
Stokes' law In fluid dynamics, Stokes' law gives the frictional force – also called drag force – exerted on spherical objects moving at very small Reynolds numbers in a viscous fluid.
Read commentary →Physics: Galaxy
Galaxy A galaxy is a system of stars, stellar remnants, interstellar gas, dust, and dark matter bound together by gravity.
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