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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Dark energy camera shows ghostly remains of massive zombie star explosion
26th March, 2024
This incredible image captures the ghost of a supernova 100 light-years across.
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Ice is Starting to Cloud Euclid's Optics
24th March, 2024
On July 1st, 2023, the European Space Agency (ESA) launched the Euclid Observatory, a mission that will spend the next six years investigating the composition and evolution of the Universe. In particular, Euclid will observe how the Universe has expanded over the past 10 billion years to test theories about Dark Energy. While fine-tuning and … Continue reading "Ice is Starting to Cloud Eucl…
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Red Giants Offer a New Way to Measure Distance in the Universe
23rd March, 2024
For nearly three decades now, it’s been clear that the expansion of the Universe is speeding up. Some unknown quantity, dramatically dubbed ‘dark energy’, is pushing the Universe apart. But the rate at which the Universe’s expansion is increasing – called the Hubble Constant – hasn’t yet been nailed down to a single number. Not … Continue reading "Red Giants Offer a New Wa…
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Finding Atmospheres on Red Dwarf Planets Will Take Hundreds of Hours of Webb Time
22nd March, 2024
A new paper argues that the JWST needs to spend more time doing 'deep habitability reconnaissance' on exoplanets it's already observed.

Our latest physics articles

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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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