Map Of Physics
The umbrella of physics covers a lifetime’s worth of study. It
includes everything from black holes, waves, quantum mechanics, and the
elusive dark matter. That doesn’t even include the theoretical and
philosophical issues surrounding physics.
Without years of study, it can be difficult to piece each segment
together, especially if you specialize in another discipline. However,
one map combines and links each physics subset together.
YouTube user Dominic Walliman crafted a single, colorful and
illustrated map
to connect each branch of physics. It even moves historically from
classical physics, through Newton’s studies and up to modern quantum
physics.
“If you don’t already know physics, it’s difficult sometimes to see
how all of these subjects are related to each other,” Walliman said.
If the map still looks daunting, Walliman
created an eight minute video summarizing each section. It walks you
through the history of physics and its current applications with
animations.
Classical physics with Newtonian physics
and the laws of motion. The video helps link Newton’s laws of motion
with the law of universal gravitation, or how Earth’s rotation around
the sun correlates with the gravitational pull of objects on Earth’s
surface. Walliman even notes the need for mathematics in physics,
describing it as “the language of physics.”
It branches into electromagnetism, fluid
mechanics, and classical mechanics under the classical physics category.
Even chaos theory makes a distinct appearance, linking it with entropy
and its relation in thermodynamics.
“[Classical Physics] told us we live in a
universe where everything revolves sort of like clockwork, if you
measured something accurately enough, the future was predetermined,”
Walliman
noted.
However, we know few things in physics remain absolute, which Walliman discusses in his Relativity and Quantum physics sections.
Relativity focuses largely on Albert
Einstein’s theories of relativity, and Walliman’s explanations make
Einstein’s thoughts much more digestible to a layperson without
oversimplifying the topic. Rather than lumping the theories of
relativity together, Walliman breaks down the Special Theory of
Relativity and the General Theory of Relativity.
Quantum Physics is the last section
discussed, focusing on atomic theory and condensed matter physics.
Walliman even acknowledges the disconnect between quantum field theory
and the general theory of relativity, as field theory
ignores gravity.
But what of the chasm of ignorance? Who or
what falls into that gray area? The “chasm of ignorance” includes the
spots physicists still need to understand in order to fill gaps in the
map. It includes things like dark matter, something that could hopefully
be patched as CERN begins searching for a “dark photon.” However, the chasm clearly severs our
current understandings of physics from “the future.” Classical physics,
the relative realm of comfort, is like Middle Earth, the Chasm of
Ignorance like Mordor, and the Future could be the gained knowledge and
understanding of how the universe works.
Reference:
Interesting Engineering
dominic walliman
