Fundamental Physics

Physics is the study of basic properties, materials, and forces in our Universe. Our new physics section will start off with some background material about space, time, and matter. It will also include sections on mechanics, electricity and magnetism, thermal physics, atomic physics and particle physics, and tools for math and science (vectors, coordinate systems, units of measurement, etc.).

The new physics section will also have links to many data sources relevant to Earth and space science. The links below provide access to some of the physics-related materials currently on the site. They are organized roughly into the categories we will use in the forthcoming physics section.

Starting Points for Science

Mechanics

Electricity and Magnetism

Thermal Physics

  • No entries here yet. The new physics section will include topics like heat, temperature, the laws of thermodynamics, conduction & convection, etc.

Atomic Physics and Particle Physics

Tools for Math and Science

  • No entries here yet. The new physics section will include topics like vectors, coordinate systems, units of measurement, etc.

Data

Podcast about a flexible, safe contact lens with an imprinted electronic circuit and lights
Last modified August 26, 2010 by Roberta Johnson.

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The Earth Scientist, Volume XXVI, Issue 1, Spring 2010

This very special issue of The Earth Scientist (our biggest ever!) is sponsored by the Cooperative Institute for Climate and Ocean Research at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and is focused on the world’s oceans....more

What is mass?

Would it be more difficult to pull an elephant or a mouse? If you pulled each animal with the same amount of force, the elephant would respond less to pulling, even if he didn’t pull back at all. That’s...more

Atomic Mass

"Atomic mass" is a term physicists use to describe the size (mass) of an atom of a specific type. Since the nucleus of an atom contains nearly all (more than 99%) of an atom's mass, "atomic mass" is more-or-less...more

Changes of State: Solids, Liquids, and Gases

Any substance, called matter, can exist as a solid material, liquid, or gas. These three different forms are called states. Matter can change its state when heated. As a solid, matter has a fixed volume...more

Solid

Solid is one of the four common states of matter. The three others are gas, liquid, and plasma. There are also some other exotic states of matter that have been discovered in recent years. Unlike liquids...more

The Plasma State

Plasma is known as the fourth state of matter (the first three states being solid, liquid and gas).Matter in ordinary conditions on Earth has electrons that orbit around the atomic nucleus. The electrons...more

Fundamental Forces

The interactions in the Universe are governed by four forces (strong, weak, electromagnetic and gravitational). Physicists are trying to derive a unified theory that would describe all the forces in nature...more

Kepler's Second Law: The Speeds of Planets

Kepler's second law he again discovered by trial and error. After some experimentation, Kepler realized that the line connecting the planet and the Sun sweeps out equal area in equal time. Look at the...more

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We now offer the Cool It! card game in our Science Store. Cool It! is the new card game from UCS that teaches kids about the choices we have when it comes to climate change.

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