IBDP – Sciences – Physics

It is widely known that Physics is the most fundamental of all sciences and experimental studies. Fields and domains as vast and diverse as astronomy and genetics, neuroscience to sociology can be distilled down in their essence to the world of Physics. Every object in the universe, ranging from the smallest of bacteria to the largest stars and galaxies are made up of the same elementary particles – electrons, neutrons and protons. Since Physics is concerned at its most fundamental level with the study and interaction between these subatomic, fundamental particles, it is present and widely used in every single subject.

The subject of Physics has undergone major revolution from ancient Greek and Roman times. Astronomy and the study of the heavens was the major focus of those people, which lead to some remarkable breakthroughs, though it was the work of Isaac Newton which laid the foundations for modern study of Physics. Newton’s Laws will then remain the absolute truth until 400 years later, when they were challenged first by Einstein’s theory of Relativity and then the development of Quantum Mechanics. These ushered in a new era of discoveries and inventions, culminating in today’s digital age, where semiconductors and microprocessors carry our data, satellites transmit them, while we sit in air-conditioned buildings taller than ever before, enjoying these transmissions through various mediums, all made possible because of Physics.