General Awareness: Physics

Introduction to Physics

Physics

 It is the study of matter and its motion and behavior through space and time and that

studies the related entities of energy and force

 Matter:

 In the classical physics observed in everyday life, matter is any substance that

has mass and takes up space by having volume

 This includes atoms and anything made up of these, but not other energy

phenomena or waves such as light or sound

 Matter exists in

1. Solids

2. Liquids

3. Gases

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General Awareness: Physics

4. Plasma

5. Bose-Einstein Condensates

1. Solids:

 In a solid, constituent particles (ions, atoms, or molecules) are closely packed together

 The forces between particles are so strong that the particles cannot move freely but can

only vibrate. As a result, a solid has a stable, definite shape, and a definite volume

 Solids can only change their shape by force, as when broken or cut

 Solids can be transformed into liquids by melting. Solids can also change directly into

gases through the process of sublimation

 Examples include iron, wood, plastic, ice

2. Liquids:

 In liquids, the molecules are loosely packed than solids and have the ability to move

around and slide past each other

 A liquid will take on the shape of the container it is being held in

 While a liquid is easier to compress than a solid, it is still quite difficult – imagine trying

to compress water in a confined container

 Liquids can be transformed into solids by freezing and into gases through evaporation

 A liquid may be converted to a gas by heating at constant pressure to the boiling point,

or else by reducing the pressure at constant temperature

 Examples include water, oils, mercury

3. Gases:

 In gases, the atoms are much more spread out than in solids or liquids, and the

atoms collide randomly with one another

 A gas will fill any container, but if the container is not sealed, the gas will escape

 Gas can be compressed much more easily than a liquid or solid

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General Awareness: Physics

 Gases can be converted to solids through deposition and to liquids through

condensation

 Examples: oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen

4. Plasma:

 Like a gas, plasma does not have definite shape or volume

 Unlike gases, plasmas are electrically conductive, produce magnetic fields and electric

currents, and respond strongly to electromagnetic forces

 A gas is usually converted to a plasma in one of two ways. e.g. Either from a huge

voltage difference between two points, or by exposing it to extremely high temperatures.

Heating matter to high temperatures causes electrons to leave the atoms, resulting in the

presence of free electrons. This creates a so-called partially ionized plasma

Physics

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