por We explain some of the most important events that have happened in the history of physics
Some important events in physics They were the discovery of the law of falling bodies by Galileo Galilei, the law of universal gravitation, by Isaac Newton, the laws of thermodynamics or the law of relativity, by Albert Einstein.
Physics as a discipline is defined as the natural science that, supported by mathematics, tries to discover how the universe works taking into account four fundamental aspects: matter, time, space and energy. Likewise, it analyzes how these four elements are related to each other.
This scientific discipline is considered one of the oldest. Its roots go back to the beginnings of civilizations, since within its field of study is astronomy. Babylonians, Egyptians or Mayans dedicated themselves to observing the universe and trying to extract laws that explained their behavior.
The first great impulse of the matter was carried out by the ancient Greeks, although most experts consider that the real birth of physics as a scientific discipline occurred in the seventeenth century, with the work of Galileo Galilei. At that time, in addition to the discoveries made, the foundations of the scientific method were laid.
Important events in physics since Galileo
1- Law of falling bodies (1604) – Galileo Galilei
Galileo Galilei is considered the father of classical physics. This Italian astronomer came to the conclusion that all bodies accelerate at the same rate regardless of their size or mass. In addition, he determined that any object had rest or uniform motion as its natural state.
2- Law of universal gravitation (1666) – Isaac Newton
In his work Mathematical Principle, Newton developed the bases of mechanics and established the laws that explained the force of universal gravity. In 1668, moreover, he created the first reflecting telescope, now known as the Newtonian telescope.
3- Alcohol (1709) and mercury (1714) thermometers – Daniel Fahrenheit
Among other devices, this physicist was the inventor of the alcohol and mercury thermometers. Another of his great contributions was the creation of the temperature scale that bears his name and is still widely used in the United States.
4- Centigrade scale (1742) – Ander Celsius
Celsius was the creator of the temperature scale divided into degrees Celsius or Celsius, named after him. At first, the Swedish physicist and astronomer placed the boiling point of water at 0º Celsius, while the freezing point occurred at 100º. After his death, in 1744, the scale was inverted until it became the one used today.
5- Theory of electricity (mid-18th century) – Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin began his experiments with electricity in 1747. One of his conclusions was that storms were an electrical phenomenon. His theory was published before he confirmed his finding with a well-known kite experiment, in 1752. His theory of electricity was based on particles repelling each other.
6- The atomic theory (1805) – John Dalton
The British John Dalton showed that matter was made up of tiny particles called atoms. These, in turn, joined to form molecules.
7- Law of conservation of energy (1847) – James Prescott Joule
The physicist Jamen Prescott Joule was the discoverer of one of the best-known maxims of matter: «Energy is neither created nor destroyed, it is transformed.»
8- Doppler Effect (1842) – Christian Doppler
The Doppler effect is defined as “the apparent frequency change of a wave produced by the relative motion of the source with respect to its observer”. In its sound aspect, it explains the sound produced by an ambulance siren, for example, when it is in motion.
9- First Law of Thermodynamics (1824) – Nicolas Léonard Sadi Cornot
The First Law of Thermodynamics states that the energy produced in any system that is subjected to a thermodynamic cycle will be equal to the work received by it. It is a demonstration of the maxim that says that energy is transformed and is neither created nor destroyed.
10 – Demonstration of the rotation of the Earth (1851) – Leon Foucault
Although it was already well known, the French physicist Leon Foucault demonstrated the rotation of the Earth in an experiment in which he used a pendulum.
11- Statistical definition of entropy (1877) – Ludwig Boltzmann
Statistical entropy is a physical magnitude that measures to what extent a system is organized. Likewise, it responds to the reason why the internal energy increases when the temperature of the system increases.
12- First light bulb (1870) – Thomas Alva Edison
In reality, Edison was not the inventor of the light bulb itself. On the other hand, it was the one who patented the first carbon filament incandescent light bulb with features that allowed it to be used outside the laboratory.
13- Discovery of radioactivity (1896) – Henri Becquerel
The discovery of radioactivity, like so many others, was made almost by chance when Becquerel was studying the fluorescence of double sulphate of potassium and uranium.
14 – Discovery of the electron (1897) – Joseph John Thomson
In addition to discovering the electron, which he called a corpuscle, Thomson showed that it was lighter than the rest of the elements known to date and that it was part of all atoms.
15 – Quantum Mechanics (1900) – Max Planck
Quantum physics is a part of the discipline that is still developing. The first to describe its fundamental principles was Max Planck, who stated that energy is transmitted in packets called quanta and not continuously.
16- Transoceanic transmission and reception of radio waves (1901) – Guillermo Marconi
The study of radio waves took a qualitative leap when Marconi managed to transmit them across the ocean.
17- Motor-Propelled Biplane (1903) – Wright Brothers
The human dream of flight had a breakthrough in 1903. That year, Wilmur and Orville Wright became the first to defeat gravity in a motor-powered biplane.
18- Special Theory of Relativity (1905) – Albert Einstein
The physicist Albert Einstein formulated in 1905 the Special Theory of Relativity, based on the principle of relativity and on the fact that light maintains a constant speed. That same year, he also discovered that light could behave like a stream of energetic particles under some circumstances. The physicist called these particles photons.
19- Fission of the atom (1938) – Otto Hahn and Fritz Stranman
The discovery that atoms could be broken was fundamental to the development of atomic weapons and nuclear power.
20- Microscopic fibers (2004) – Technical University of Liberec
Scientists at the university center discovered in 2004 a technology that made it possible to weave microscopic fibers or nanofibers. This discovery may have great applications in the field of medicine.
21- Discovery of the Higgs boson (2012) – CERN
This particle is the one that gives mass to all the others. Called the God particle, its discovery enabled the completion of the Standard Model of Particle Physics.
References
Sanchez Quintanilla, Miguel Angel. Brief history of Physics. Retrieved from fisica.us.es
Zita, Ana. History of physics. Retrieved from todamateria.com
Pérez, R. The ten physics experiments that changed history. Retrieved from elconfidencial.com
Alonso, Natalie. Galileo Galilei’s Invention & Contributions. Retrieved from science.com
Wikipedia. Timeline of fundamental physics discoveries. Retrieved from en.wikipedia.org
McKie, Robin. The 10 best physicists. Retrieved from theguardian.com