1. What is Physics?
What's the difference between "astrophysics" and "aerospace"? -@cathylikescats
Astrophysics is a branch of astronomy that seeks to explain the fundamental workings of the universe through observation and theoretical frameworks. Astrophysicists employ principles of physics and chemistry to ascertain the nature of celestial bodies such as stars, planets, and galaxies.
Aerospace is an engineering discipline that employs engineering principles to design and build vehicles capable of exploring and operating in the atmosphere or extraterrestrial environments. Aerospace engineers design airplanes, rockets, and spaceships
In class, you said that physicists design and build structures and vehicles. Isn't that a job for engineers? -Sue
You're right. Engineers are the ones who design, build, and test the machines and structures we mentioned in class. Engineers are "applied physicists" who use the principles of physics along with mathematics and other sciences, to design and develop solutions to practical problems.
A physicist usually focuses on developing theories and models to explain the fundamental forces and particles of the universe. They seek to understand the "why" and "how" behind the way things work, using scientific methods to test hypotheses and advance knowledge. If the physicist starts innovating and creating new technologies or infrastructures, then we start calling them an engineer.
Does Physics cover how to make a hamster wheel phone charger? -Christina Weight
It sure does! We’ll learn more about how generators work in Physics 2 when we cover electromagnetism. But physics plays a key role in any invention that generates power.
And hamster wheels have been used to generate power before! A 16 year old once made a successful hamster wheel-powered phone charger for a science fair project. His hamster generated 30 minutes of phone charge from 2 minutes of running on its wheel!
What is the difference between nuclear physics and quantum physics? They both deal with small stuff? -Elijah Smith
It is true that both nuclear and quantum physics hone in on the small details in the universe. Nuclear physics focuses on the nuclei of atoms- how they are formed, what keeps them together, how they decay, etc. Nuclear physicists study the protons and neutrons that make up the nucleus, and how they interact to make fusion and fission reactions that result in nuclear energy.
Quantum physics covers how particles smaller than atoms, such as electrons and photons, behave. Quantum physicists theorize and experiment to learn if matter can be classified as a wave, a particle, or both. Tools such as GPS were created through discoveries in quantum physics.
http://www.physics4kids.com/files/mod_nuc.html