What is Physics
The interaction between
matter
and energy is found everywhere. In order for matter to move, it requires
some
form of energy.
Sports show many good examples of the relationship between matter and
energy.
For instance, a pitcher requires energy to throw a baseball at the
incredible speed
and accuracy that is needed to keep the batter from using his energy to
try and hit
the ball. The batter exhibits the need for a certain trajectory because
he/she needs
to hit the ball hard enough and keep it high enough to sail over the
outfield wall.
On the other hand, the batter must be certain to keep the trajectory low
enough so
that the ball will reach the fence. Trajectory is also seen in
basketball, where
players must shoot the ball with enough arch to get over the front of
the rim, and go
through the hoop. The energy required to do this comes from not only the
arms, but
the legs as well.
The medical field has seen enormous breakthroughs because of principles
of physics.
Doctors are now able to use lasers for surgery. Lasers are based on the
physical principle
of light, and are devices for the creation and amplification of a
narrow, intense beam of
coherent light. New laser microsurgery can actually alter the shape of
the cornea in the
eye so the patient’s eyesight can return to normal, and he/she will no
longer need those
bothersome glasses. Ultrasound is used in the medical field for
destroying various unwanted substances in the body such as kidney
stones. Ultrasound uses sound waves to dissolve these foreign bodies. If
not for physics, ultrasounds would never have been discovered and
utilized.
MRI scans, another new discovery, are
able to show a complete three dimensional picture of the interior
structure of the body, and are extremely valuable in hospitals. These
scans are based on the principles of electromagnetism, and the
phenomenon that nuclei of some atoms line up in the presence of an
electromagnetic field.
Understanding the dark matter of the
universe, which has remained a mystery for quite some time, is based
primarily on theories of physics. We have yet to see a black hole, but
physics has explained what one is, and why we cannot see it. Otherwise
we would have never known that it isan extremely small region of
space-time with a gravitational field so intense that nothing can
escape, not even light. Physics help to understand the dark matter of
the universe, because it applies theories to what the dark matter is. We
are also able to look at distant spots in the universe with new
telescopes because of the principles of magnification and amplification
of light.
Not only can physics better your baseball
game and explain the dark matter of the universe, but it can save lives.
It remains a very important part of us and our world.
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