Physics TWDK Physics doodle by Giles Meakin

Physics seeks to answer the question "Why?" - to describe all the things we see, as well as their motion, behaviour and interactions. The science covers the entire history and future of the universe, and all objects from the fundamental matter we’re made from to the structure of galaxies.

Physicists look for patterns by making observations of the natural world, and models are developed to describe and predict them. Instruments, observations and experiments are then used to test and refine these models. Physicists sometimes aim to describe new things, and other times to improve the accuracy of an existing model. Based on the approach taken, each branch of physics can be divided into two aspects: theoretical and experimental. A key goal is often to combine several models into one - the ultimate goal of physicists in this respect is to complete "the theory of everything", though some believe this to be impossible.

While Theoretical physicists use mathematics to first describe the observed behaviour and then to explain it, experimental physicists perform experiments to test their hypotheses. Scientists believe that no hypothesis can ever be proven, so experiments are instead designed to disprove one - and "failing" to disprove it strengthens our confidence in it. Once a hypothesis is supported by several different tests and becomes accepted, it gets called a "theory" - but experimental physicists will continue to try to find problems with it, so that the theorists can further improve their models.

We've published 23 articles and 37 specialist blog posts about physics so far, featuring 235 unanswered physics questions! But we're not done yet as we still have another 239 physics research areas in our database to write about, so come back soon!

Recent Physics News

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This New Map of 1.3 Million Quasars Is A Powerful Tool
18th March, 2024
A new quasar catalogue is our most precise and complete one yet. And it's a powerful tool to study dark matter.
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Could Earth Life Survive on a Red Dwarf Planet?
15th March, 2024
Red dwarf flaring is deadly. But new research shows some extremophiles could survive thanks to melanin. Did melanin help early life on Earth?
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Webb Continues to Confirm That Universe is Behaving Strangely
15th March, 2024
Over a century ago, astronomers Edwin Hubble and Georges Lemaitre independently discovered that the Universe was expanding. Since then, scientists have attempted to measure the rate of expansion (known as the Hubble-Lemaitre Constant) to determine the origin, age, and ultimate fate of the Universe. This has proved very daunting, as ground-based telescopes yielded huge uncertainties, … Conti…
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Another Hycean Planet Found? TOI-270 d
14th March, 2024
Hycean worlds are still largely hypothetical. But if they're out there, the JWST could be our key to confirming them.

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Image credit: ©via Wikipedia Commons
Lightning
We don’t know what causes lightning, how much of it there is, nor how to predict it. As global temperatures increase, so does lightning; as lightning increases, so do global temperatures. Its impact on atmospheric chemistry is still being explored.
Image credit: ©
Electrons
For subatomic particles, electrons are pretty well understood. But we still don’t know what they are, where they are, nor how they spin nor what spin is.
Image credit: ©Courtesy: The Institution of Mechanical Engineers, IPECHE
Geoengineering
Geoengineering the climate would mean venturing into new technology with huge consequences. But what might those consequences be and is there an alternative solution to anthropogenic climate change?
Image credit: ©Photo: R Fletcher-Wood, Artist: Jason Heppenstall
Ambient chemistry
Chemists are exploring ways to mimic nature’s selective, low-temperature biochemical reactions that make delicate and reactive structures. Previously, chemists had copied high temperature geological reactions.
Image credit: Public Domain via Alexas_Fotos (Pixabay)
Time
What is time? We can measure it in terms of regular events like the Earth moving round the sun, but it can change with perspective, known in relativity as time dilation, and depends upon our perspective.
Image credit: ©
Entropy
Entropy or disorder, is a scientific measure of things spreading out, of uncertainty, or of the information required to describe something. Entropy always increases, so what impact does it have on our universe, our materials, and our concept of exist

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Our latest physics blog posts

Our blog posts focus on a specialist topic.
Many are written by scientists about their ongoing research, others by the TWDK team.

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Wielding (quantum) fields!
Tuesday 14th of December 2021
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The smallest astronauts ever
Friday 30th of July 2021
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Categorising Things is “Evil”
Thursday 21st of May 2020
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Magnetic Monopoles and Geometry
Tuesday 1st of October 2019
More blog posts about physics...

Delve deeper into Physics

Can't find what you're looking for? Browse the branches of physics that interest you most.

TWDK magnifying glassAstronomy is one of the oldest subjects of study. It seeks to understand everything outside of our world and explain how it got there.

TWDK magnifying glassAtomic Physics is all about the interactions between matter (the stuff everything is made from) and more matter, or between matter and light.

TWDK magnifying glassBiophysics uses the principles of physics to study life at every level, from atoms and molecules, to cells, organisms and environments.

TWDK magnifying glassChemical Physics is the study of chemical processes in terms of the atoms and particles that make up a system.

TWDK magnifying glassClassical Physics deals with the physics of everyday things - from ice cubes to bicycles, or cups of tea. Things we take for granted, but often don't really understand.

TWDK magnifying glassElectromagnetism is the study of one of the four fundamental forces in nature - the electromagnetic force, which mediates interactions between charged particles.

TWDK magnifying glassGeophysics refers to the study of the physics of the Earth and its environment in space, including its gravitational and magnetic fields, and its atmosphere.

TWDK magnifying glassMaterials Science deals with the structure and properties of materials.

TWDK magnifying glassMedical Physics ranges from enhancing diagnostic imagery to developing new techniques and equipment with which to treat patients.

TWDK magnifying glassParticle Physics is the study of the smallest things in the universe and the forces that govern their behaviour.

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