Vehicle Physics

Lore & Background

Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines. Over much of the past two millennia, physics, chemistry, biology, and certain branches of mathematics were part of natural philosophy, but during the Scientific Revolution in the 17th century, these natural sciences branched into separate research endeavors. Physics intersects with many interdisciplinary areas of research, such as biophysics and quantum chemistry, and the boundaries of physics are not rigidly defined.

Reader's Guide

Advances in physics often enable new technologies. For example, advances in the understanding of electromagnetism, solid-state physics, and nuclear physics led directly to the development of technologies that have transformed modern society, such as television, computers, domestic appliances, and nuclear weapons; advances in thermodynamics led to the development of industrialization; and advances in mechanics inspired the development of calculus.

Did You Know?

• The word physics comes from the Latin 'physica' ('study of nature'), which itself is a borrowing of the Greek 'phusikē' ('natural science'), a term derived from 'phusis' ('origin, nature, property').
• Aristotle wrote a substantial treatise on 'Physics' in the 4th century BC, and his approach mixed some limited observation with logical deductive arguments, but did not rely on experimental verification.
• Ibn al-Haytham presented the idea of light rays as an alternative to the ancient Greek idea about visual rays in his Book of Optics.