Branches of Physics (Meaning and Explanation)

We explain what the branches of physics are, their characteristics and the disciplines that arise from their interaction with other sciences.

What are the branches of physics?

Physics is a scientific discipline belonging to the so-called natural sciences or “pure” sciences whose antecedents date back to classical antiquity. Along with chemistry and biology, it has profoundly revolutionized the way in which human beings understand and deal with the world around us.

While chemistry studies the composition of matter and biology studies living beings, physics is dedicated to the study and scientific description of the fundamental forces that govern the universe. According to the study of each of these forces, and to the points at which the study approaches the field of other sciences and disciplines, Physics is divided into numerous branches or fields each one with its own name and objectives.

However, since physics is one of the oldest sciences, and since other disciplines that exist today have not always existed, it is common to distinguish between the three great moments or the three major perspectives covered by the study of physics. Thus, we must first differentiate between:

classical physics. Whose background comes from classical antiquity, especially Ancient Greece, it focuses on the study of phenomena in the universe that have a speed lower than that of light, and whose spatial scales are greater than those of the atom and molecules. Its principles are based on classical mechanics or Newtonian mechanics, since Isaac Newton (1642-1727) was one of its great thinkers.
modern physics. Whose beginnings date back to the late 19th century and early 20th century, it has revolutionized different concepts of classical physics thanks to the studies of Max Planck (1858-1947) and the theories of Albert Einstein (1879-1955): the Theory of Relativity special and the theory of general relativity.
contemporary physics. The newest aspect of all, whose beginnings are located at the end of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st, is dedicated to non-linear systems, processes outside thermodynamic equilibrium and, in general, the most avant-garde and complex trends regarding description of the functioning of the unobservable universe.

Branches of physics

Throughout its three moments, physics has accumulated fields of study, each of which inaugurates or comprises one of the so-called branches of physics:

Classic mechanics. Focused on the notion of movement at speeds below that of light and the macroscopic behavior of bodies, it is characterized by considering time as an invariant notion and the universe as a determined entity. It is composed, in general, of vector mechanics, the result of the studies of Isaac Newton and his laws of motion, and analytical mechanics, of an abstract and mathematical nature, whose initiator is considered Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716).
Thermodynamics. Dedicated to the study of the energy balance of macroscopic systems, as well as their heat and energy transfer processes, the forms of energy and how it can be used to carry out work.
Electromagnetism. It is the branch of physics that studies both electricity and magnetism, and does so in a unified way, that is, through a single theory. This means that he is interested in the phenomena of electric and magnetic fields, as well as their correspondences and interactions, among which light is contemplated. Its beginnings date back to the studies of Michel Faraday (1791-1867) and James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879).
Acoustics. This is the name given to the physics of sound, dedicated to the study of the nature and propagation of sound waves, their behavior in different media and their manipulation possibilities. Its applications are vital to the world of musical instruments, but they go much further in our daily lives.
Optics. It is the physics of light, dedicated to understanding the complex nature of the visible (and invisible) electromagnetic spectrum and its ways of interacting with matter: different media, reflective materials and prisms. This discipline, which emerged in ancient times but was revolutionized during the Modern Age, allowed the creation of devices never before suspected by humanity, such as microscopes, photographic cameras and corrective (medical) optics.
fluid mechanics. It is focused on the study of the movement of fluids and their interactions with the environment. This means that it mainly studies liquids and gases, but also other complex forms of matter that are capable of flowing, that is, of becoming continuous media.
Quantum mechanics It is dedicated to the study of nature at very small spatial scales such as that of atoms and subatomic particles. It analyzes their dynamics and interactions and is the result of advances in physics at the beginning of the 20th century, which moved away from the postulates of classical mechanics to inaugurate a new field of study: that of the subatomic world and its possible manipulations.
chaos theory. Focused on the study of complex and dynamic physical systems, it uses Newton's differential equations and the contributions of physicists such as Pierre Simon de Laplace (1749-1827), Henri de Poincaré (1854-1912) and Edward Lonrenz (1917-2008). , among others.