Physics is a science with a long history. As early as ancient times, people accumulated some physical knowledge in their daily life and production practice. Aristotle in ancient Greece once wrote a book called Physics, which described people's knowledge about the movement of objects at that time. Shen Kuo in ancient China also expounded many physical phenomena in "A Talk on Mengxi". However, the knowledge of ancient physics mainly depended on intuition and speculative summary, lacking strict experimental test. Physics really became a strict science only with the introduction of experimental methods and the application of mathematical tools. The development of physics roughly went through the following stages:
(1) In the 17th and 18th centuries, Newtonian mechanics and thermodynamics were established and developed, which greatly promoted the development of steam engines, heat engines and machinery industries, and made mankind start the first industrial revolution.
The invention of the steam engine played an important role in the industrial revolution in the 18th century. Its invention did not mainly rely on experience, but absorbed many research results of physics at that time. In 1643, Torricelli discovered a vacuum. In 1654, German Otto von Guericke further understood the nature of atmospheric pressure through the experiment of Madeborg Hemisphere, pointed out that atmospheric pressure can be transformed into mechanical force in vacuum state, and invented the vacuum pump. In 1662, under the influence of Otto von Guericke's experiment, British scientist Boyle further studied the properties of atmospheric pressure and discovered the famous Boyle's law. In 1695, under the guidance of Boyle, French physicist Papen finally invented the steam engine with piston. In 175, the performance of the steam engine was improved after the improvement of the British engineer Seville and the forging technician Niu Kemen. Later, Watt, a famous British inventor, made a great improvement on the performance of the button-door steam engine. In this process, Watt applied physical concepts such as specific heat of objects and latent heat of water converted into steam to calculate the steam consumption of steam engines of different sizes, and adopted key measures to separate the condenser from the main cylinder, which greatly improved the efficiency of the steam engine. In 1768, the modern steam engine appeared for the first time as the "universal prime mover" of the whole industry and was widely used in industry, which also became the symbol of the first industrial revolution.
In addition to the invention of the steam engine, mechanical technology was applied and developed in various fields in the 17th and 18th centuries, such as using mechanical technology to improve the thrust of ships in navigation; Determine the position of the ship in the ocean; Extraction of ore, exhaust and drainage in the mine; Crushing ore; In military affairs, the internal force of artillery, the calculation of air trajectory and air resistance, etc., are all developed on the basis of Newton's mechanics.
(2) In the 19th century, the classical electromagnetic theory was established and developed, which promoted the development of industrial electrification and radio communication, and enabled mankind to start the second industrial revolution and enter the era of applying electric energy.
after entering the 19th century, the characteristic of physics' influence on technology development is that the speed of transforming physical principles into material achievements is greatly accelerated. If it takes 1 ~ 2 years for Newtonian mechanics and thermodynamics to complete the infiltration and transformation from theory to technology, then the transformation from electromagnetic theory to electrical technology generally takes only several decades or even more than ten years. In 182, under the guidance of the philosophy of natural unity, Oster first linked the electrical and magnetic phenomena and discovered the magnetic effect of current. In 1831, inspired by Oster's discovery, Faraday discovered the inverse effect of current magnetic effect-the law of electromagnetic induction. As a direct result of these two great inventions, Pixie invented the generator in 1832, Jacoby invented the motor in 1837, Morse invented the telegraph in 1837, Stanley invented the transformer in 1885, and Trass invented the AC motor in 1888 ... With the development of motor technology, the application field of electric energy has been continuously expanded, thus the establishment of power stations and the development of power transmission technology began. In addition, with the deepening of the understanding of various effects of electricity and magnetism, a series of brand-new technical fields have emerged, such as electrolysis, electroplating, electrothermal, electrosmelting, electroacoustic, electric light source, and so on. On the basis of Faraday's concept of field and electromagnetic phenomena's empirical laws (Coulomb's law, Biot-Savart's law, Ampere's law, Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction ...), Maxwell summed up the electromagnetic field equation and predicted the existence of electromagnetic waves, which made the classical electromagnetic theory reach its peak. In 1888, Hertz verified this theory with experiments. On this basis, Marconi and popov respectively conducted the first radio communication in 1895.
In addition, physics not only made great contributions to macro-electrical technology, but also studied electrical phenomena in vacuum and classical electron theory, which laid the foundation for the appearance of electronic technology and atomic energy technology in the future. The study of electromagnetic phenomena in the medium opened the way for the development of condensed matter physics and corresponding material science.
(3) In the first half of the 2th century, the theory of relativity and quantum theory was established, which made human's understanding go deep into atoms and nuclei. On this basis, new technologies and processes such as atomic energy, semiconductors, computers and lasers appeared, which promoted the emergence of new disciplines such as quantum chemistry, molecular biology, quantum biology and modern cosmology, and started the third technological revolution.
roentgen discovered x-rays in p>1895. In 1896, Becquerel discovered electrons. In 1897, Thomson discovered electrons. These discoveries broke the concept that the atom is the smallest particle in the universe, and human understanding went deep into the atom, which was also the beginning of modern physics. In 19, Planck put forward quantum theory to solve the problem of blackbody radiation. In 195, Einstein established the theory of relativity in order to solve the "paradox" of electrodynamics in the high-speed field. Based on quantum theory and relativity, Einstein put forward the concept of photon in 195. In 1913, Bohr established the quantum theory of hydrogen atom. From 1924 to 1926, with the efforts of physicists such as Bonn, Heisenberg, De Broglie, Schrodinger, Dirac and Pauli, quantum mechanics, a physical theory reflecting the laws of material movement in the micro-world, was established, and from then on, modern physics was born. On the basis of quantum mechanics, atomic physics, electronic physics, particle physics, nuclear physics, semiconductor physics, solid state physics, metal physics, laser physics, astrophysics, low-temperature physics, non-equilibrium physics and other disciplines have emerged, and human material civilization has entered a brand-new period.
since the second half of the 2th century, physics has made positive progress in exploring the laws of the sub-nuclear world movement and the celestial body movement in the universe. If we succeed in studying the material structure at a deeper and broader level, it will inevitably have a great impact on the development of natural science and technical science, and at the same time, it will inevitably bring great progress to the material civilization of human society. On the basis of modern physics, a series of new technology groups have been formed, such as new energy technologies, including the utilization of nuclear fission energy and fusion energy, solar energy, geothermal energy, new chemical energy and other forms of energy; Laser technology, including the application of various lasers in many fields; Semiconductor technology, including transistors, integrated circuits, large-scale integrated circuits and semiconductor devices; Information technology, including various technologies such as information transmission, reception, storage, processing and feedback; Computer technology, including hardware and software; Material technology, including conductive materials, semiconductor materials, insulating materials, high-temperature resistant materials, radiation resistant materials, high-strength materials, piezoelectric materials, thermoelectric materials, photoelectric materials, acousto-optic materials, etc., all of which show that every progress in physics has brought the necessary foundation and conditions for social production progress.
physics, as a basic natural science, not only has a great influence on human material life through the process of transforming physical knowledge into material equipment, products and material means, but also it should be noted that physics is an important part of human culture. Since the 17th century, physics has been playing a leading role in natural science. Physics has become a very important part of world culture with its exploration of the most basic laws of movement in the objective world, and has made positive contributions to the progress of social life style and human thinking mode. All countries in the world regard physics as one of the cultural contents taught to the next generation.
It is worth pointing out that physics is still a science with methodological nature. Physics is closely related to philosophy that studies the universal laws of nature, society and thinking world. In the process of its emergence and development, physics is full of philosophical physical thoughts. The emergence and development of dialectical materialism has absorbed a lot of nutrition from physics, which provides a lot of evidence for the basic theory of dialectical materialism. It is beneficial to understand the basic principles of dialectical materialism by studying physics. Physics, together with mathematics, has created three scientific working methods: observation, experiment and theory. Observation is the purposeful and planned use of various sensory organs to understand the characteristics of things and phenomena and the conditions for their occurrence and development; Experiment is to highlight the main factors of physical phenomena in nature, industrial and agricultural production and daily life by using equipment and instruments under artificial control, so as to make them reappear repeatedly and facilitate observation and measurement. Observation and experiment are the source of information and data. On this basis, through analysis and synthesis, the main factors and secondary factors are distinguished, the essence of things and phenomena is highlighted, scientific abstraction and generalization are carried out, concepts and models are established, scientific judgments are made according to concepts, and then scientific reasoning is carried out, and theories are formed after repeated verification. In this way, we can not only sum up the past, but also guide the future. The methods commonly used in physics to deal with problems, such as equivalent method, isolation method, approximate treatment method and mathematical method, also have broad and universal significance. In a word, the methods and ideas of physics can promote and help to learn and understand other laws of motion, and its knowledge structure can be easily transferred to the study of other disciplines. In this sense, physics is educational.
The carved jade plate reflects the world view of the ancient people in China.
We can also find similar records in its later books. "Zhou Li Chun Guan Da Zong Bo": "Jade is used as a six-vessel, and it is a gift to the world. Li Tian with Cang Bi, Li Di with Huang Yan, Li Dong with Huang Gui, Li Nan with Chi Zhang, Li Xi with White Tiger and Li Bei with Xuan Huang. " "Zhou Li": "Big sacrifices, big trips, all guests' affairs, * * * their jade articles are offered." Jin Teng, a Book of History, records that the Duke of Zhou prayed for the jade to be presented to the gods after the first king. However, these customs did not originate from Shang and Zhou Dynasties, but had a deeper cultural origin. Modern scholars also have textual research on the uses of various jade articles. For example, Mr. Zhang Guangzhi thinks that cong should be a tool used by wizards to connect heaven and earth. It is a symbol of wealth and pow. In view of the animal face decoration on the cong, Zhang quoted the relevant materials in Zuo Zhuan and Daozang, and pointed out that the wizard's work of connecting heaven and earth was helped by animals. This is very similar to shaman witchcraft. Shaman-style witchcraft means that wizards communicate with heaven and earth, people and gods, and life and death with the help of animals. This witchcraft can be traced back to the late Paleolithic period from archaeology [4]. Mr. Zhou Nanquan believes that jade jade originates from people's belief in heaven, and then imitates the circle of heaven to create. It is a reflection of people's primitive beliefs and cosmology.
Copernicus
In p>1543, Copernicus published his Theory of the Movement of Celestial Bodies, which put forward the sun-centered theory for the first time, replacing Ptolemy's "heliocentric theory" which followed the Millennium.
Galileo
The scientific thought represented by Galileo comprehensively questioned and challenged the ancient Aristotle's ideological system. From Aristotle's "theory of occurrence" to "theory of impulse", from "nature avoids vacuum" to "falling speed is proportional to weight", almost all ancient philosophical creeds have to be tested by scientific experiments, thus laying the foundation of experimental physics. As a giant of modern science, Galileo made more than a dozen epoch-making scientific discoveries and inventions in his life. Galileo's thorough scientific revolutionary spirit led to a major confrontation between science and religion. In February 1632, Galileo was summoned and sent to Rome in June for trial by the Inquisition. In order to avoid torture, the old scientist was forced to sign the printed confession. However, after Galileo knelt down, he muttered to himself, "What can I do? The earth is still moving!"
Galileo blazed a trail for Newtonian mechanics with perseverance and toughness. Pioneers wave upon wave, ushered in the dawn of modern natural science.
Newton
As the predecessor of the Royal Society, the Invisible Society, inspired by the bourgeois revolution, passed its "golden age" in the history of science. At that time, the trinity of "free research", "personal struggle" and "private knowledge" paid attention to the close connection between research and actual production and life. For example, they focused on some major technical problems at that time (such as pumping machines, artillery and navigation), which was strongly supported and welcomed by the bourgeoisie. With the strong support of the bourgeoisie, Hooke did many excellent experiments, which made him almost one of the main pillars of the Royal Society. At the same time, Boyle discovered the gas law; Hooke discovered the law of elasticity; Newton and Leibniz of Germany founded calculus. Newton, in particular, collected the achievements of his predecessors and won more than a dozen major scientific achievements in his life, laying the foundation of modern physics represented by Newtonian mechanics. These achievements are undoubtedly the crystallization of scientists' wisdom and the product of modern British scientific revolution. The active period of "Invisible Society" is a revolutionary period in which scientific experiments are full of vitality in western history. Scientific experiments rely on the productive forces liberated by social revolution and gain a solid material foundation. The rise of British science has created extremely important conditions for British industrial revolution and economic development.
Einstein
Albert Einstein (1879-1955), the greatest scientist in the 2th century, is famous for establishing the theory of relativity. The establishment of the principle of relativity is a leap in the process of human understanding of nature, which successfully includes traditional physics in its own theoretical system. The general theory of relativity broadens the horizon of human beings and makes the scope of scientific research from the infinitesimal micro-world to the infinite macro-world. Today, the theory of relativity has become the theoretical basis of atomic energy science, space navigation and astronomy, and is widely used in theoretical science and applied science. Einstein's great achievement, the theory of relativity, is an epoch-making milestone in the history of natural science development.
Einstein was born in a Jewish family in Germany on March 14th, 1879. He received his doctorate in physics in 195 and published his special theory of relativity in the same year. In 1921, he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. In 1933, he left the motherland and moved to the United States because of the persecution of German Nazi anti-Semitism. He died in Princeton on April 18th, 1955.
Einstein was not only a great scientist but also a social activist with a sense of justice. He cares about human civilization and progress. During World War II, he publicly condemned the atrocities of German fascists, so he became the target of German Nazis. Einstein also condemned the Japanese imperialist aggression against China. In his later years, he advocated the prohibition of nuclear weapons and opposed the nuclear arms race. On his deathbed, he was still obsessed with civil liberties and world peace.
late 19th century and early 2th century.