History of physics

Physics is a part of science that studies matter (what things are made of) and energy (how things move and change). Long ago, people in different cultures talked about these ideas, but they couldn't tell the difference between real causes of natural events and superstitions.

A Newton's cradle, named after physicist Isaac Newton

In the 1600s, during the Scientific revolution, scientists started to learn more about the world in a careful and organized way. The discovery of gravity helped start the field of physics as we know it today.

In the 1700s, new math ideas helped create classical mechanics, and doing more experiments led to better understanding of heat and energy (called thermodynamics).

In the 1800s, scientists discovered the basic rules of electricity, magnetism, and how large groups of particles behave (called statistical mechanics).

In the early 1900s, physics changed a lot with the discoveries of quantum mechanics, relativity, and atomic theory.

Today, physics is usually divided into two main parts: classical physics (older ideas) and modern physics (newer discoveries).

Related pages

• Philosophy of science

Other websites

• "Selected Works about Isaac Newton and His Thought" from The Newton Project.