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Physics is a subject that everyone should know about. Of course, there is the opportunity for students to take it as a major in college, but physics also affects everyone in their daily lives. Understanding physics can help you get a job in many different career paths, and it can also help you to problem-solve various issues in life, such as removing your car from a ditch. Physics is the study of matter and movement and allows us to understand better how the world functions. Below, we will look at a few of the top physics subjects that everyone should know, with information featured from an article on Brainscape.

Classical mechanics

This fundamental topic depicts the various laws of motion. First defined by Sir Isaac Newton, classical mechanics can help us to figure out how such items such as balls, cars, boats, and more will move on different surfaces. The laws of motion contain three different laws, written by Newton himself. As noted from the article linked above, these include: 

  • Objects at rest will remain at rest, and objects in motion will remain in motion at the same velocity unless the object is acted on by an external force. 
  • Force equals mass times acceleration (F=ma). 
  • When one object exerts a force on another object, the second object exerts an equal and opposite force on the first.

Electromagnetism

According to the article linked above, electromagnetism refers to the forces generated by the electrons that are found in certain types of matter throughout the universe. Without understanding this basic force, you will not understand what light is. Electromagnetic radiation makes up a lot of our daily lives. They are found in x-rays, electricity, radio waves, and more. Electromagnetic force consists of electronics and charged particles and how they interact with each other. 

Thermodynamics

Thermodynamics is the details of the relationship between heat, mechanical work, and energy. Thermodynamics revolves around four laws emerging from the understanding of heat as a movement. Temperature refers to atomic movement, with solar energy affecting the atoms in the Earth’s atmosphere. Heat is caused by atoms moving more rapidly, whereas cold is caused by atoms moving slowly.