What is Physics?

Physics is the study of matter and energy, basically what the universe is made of and how it works.

Why is Physics so hard?

You need some basic understanding of maths and equations in physics. This frightens some people, but it's really not that difficult.

What is everything made of?

Everything is made of atoms, which are tiny particles. Atoms come in different types which all have different properties.

What is the sky made of?

We all live on Earth, which is a large lump of rock floating in space. It is one of the planets orbiting the Sun. The Earth has an atmosphere which is the air we breath. Above us is the sky. During the day this looks blue, because of the way the light from the Sun reacts with the air. We also see clouds which are made of tiny water droplets. At night the sky gets darker, allowing us to see stars which are other Suns which are really far away. If we look carefully enough we can also find the other planets orbiting the Sun.

How do things move?

On Earth, things move in a strange way. If we throw an object, it falls to the ground (because of gravity), and usually slow down to a stop within a few seconds (due to friction with the air or wind or the ground). We mustn't think that this is how things move everywhere. If we were in deep space we would see it move in a straight line and not stop moving or even slow down at all. This is described in Newton's laws of motion. We can also define the terms we use to describe the physics of motion and write them into equations of motion.

What is light?

Light is a form of energy linked to electromagnetism, which travels in the form of waves.

What is energy?

Energy can come in many forms. For example, objects that are moving have kinetic energy, objects that are hot have thermal energy.

Energy can be converted to other forms of energy, but is never lost.