Basic Concepts of Physics

Definition: The study of matter, energy, and the interactions between them.
Key Areas: Mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, quantum mechanics, and relativity.

Newton's Laws of Motion:
1. An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion unless acted upon by a force (Inertia).
2. F = ma (Force equals mass times acceleration).
3. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Kinematics: Describes motion without considering forces.
- Key equations relate distance, velocity, acceleration, and time.
Dynamics: Explores forces and their effects on motion.

Laws of Thermodynamics:
1. Energy cannot be created or destroyed; it can only change forms (First Law).
2. The entropy of an isolated system always increases (Second Law).
3. As temperature approaches absolute zero, the entropy approaches a minimum (Third Law).
Key Concepts:
- Heat, work, internal energy, and state functions.

Key Concepts:
- Electric charges, electric fields, magnetic fields, and the interaction between them.
Maxwell's Equations: Governs classical electrodynamics, optics, and electric circuits.

Wave Properties:
- Frequency, wavelength, amplitude, speed, and phase.
Types of Waves:
- Transverse waves (e.g., light) and longitudinal waves (e.g., sound).
Reflection, Refraction, and Diffraction: Fundamental behaviors of waves when encountering obstacles or changes in medium.

Quantum Mechanics:
- Describes physical phenomena at microscopic scales (e.g., wave-particle duality, uncertainty principle).
Relativity:
- Special Relativity (effects of speed approaching light) and General Relativity (gravity as curvature of spacetime).

Conservation Laws:
- Conservation of energy, momentum, and angular momentum.
Units and Measurements:
- SI Units: Meter (length), Kilogram (mass), Second (time), Joule (energy), Newton (force).

Dimensional Analysis: Checking the consistency of equations by analyzing the units.
Free Body Diagrams: Visual representations of forces acting on an object.

Real-world Applications: Engineering, technology, medical imaging, environmental science, and astrophysics.

Study and understand these foundations to build a strong grasp of physics principles and their applications in various fields.

Physics is the study of matter, energy, and the way they interact.
Key areas of physics include mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, optics, quantum mechanics, and relativity.
Physics strives to understand the fundamental laws governing the universe.

Mechanics deals with motion and its causes.
Newton's Laws of Motion are fundamental to classical mechanics.
- First Law: An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force (Inertia).
- Second Law: The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to the force acting upon it and inversely proportional to its mass. (F = ma)
- Third Law: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Kinematics describes motion without considering the forces involved.
- Key equations relate distance, velocity, acceleration, and time.
Dynamics explores the relationship between force and motion.

Thermodynamics studies heat, work, energy, and how they relate to physical systems.
Key Laws govern thermodynamic processes:
- The First Law of Thermodynamics states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed.
- The Second Law of Thermodynamics states that the entropy of an isolated system always increases over time.
- The Third Law of Thermodynamics states that the entropy of a system approaches a minimum value as the temperature approaches absolute zero.
Heat, work, internal energy are essential concepts in thermodynamics.
State functions are properties that depend only on the current state of the system.

Electromagnetism deals with the interaction of electric charges and magnetic fields.
Key concepts include: electric charges, electric fields, magnetic fields, and the relationship between them.
Maxwell's Equations are a set of fundamental equations that describe classical electrodynamics.

Waves are disturbances that transfer energy without transferring matter.
Important wave properties include: frequency, wavelength, amplitude, speed, and phase.
Transverse waves (e.g., light) have oscillations perpendicular to the direction of wave propagation.
Longitudinal waves (e.g., sound) have oscillations parallel to the direction of wave propagation.
Reflection, refraction, and diffraction are fundamental wave behaviors when encountering obstacles or changes in medium.

Quantum mechanics describes physical phenomena at the microscopic scale.
- Key topics include wave-particle duality and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
Relativity explores the effects of high speed and gravity on space and time.
- Special Relativity deals with effects of speed approaching the speed of light.
- General Relativity describes gravity as a curvature of spacetime.

Conservation Laws:
- Conservation of Energy: In an isolated system, the total amount of energy remains constant.
- Conservation of Momentum: The total momentum of a system remains constant if no external forces act on it.
- Conservation of Angular Momentum: The total angular momentum of a system remains constant if no net external torque acts on it.
Units and Measurements:
- The International System of Units (SI) is widely used.
- Key SI units include: Meter (m) for length, Kilogram (kg) for mass, Second (s) for time, Joule (J) for energy, and Newton (N) for force.

Dimensional Analysis: It involves checking the consistency of equations by analyzing the units of quantities.
Free Body Diagrams: These diagrams depict forces acting upon an object.