Physicists have been referred to as the explorers of our time. Physics is an extraordinarily diverse field that has SO much left to be uncovered. And while the Earth itself has been pretty fully discovered, we’re still trying to figure out how everything works and even how it was created. There have been some truly marvelous discoveries about the universe and the world we live in, some recent, and some a little older. Here are some of the physics discoveries that changed the world.
- The Theory of Relativity
The Theory of Relativity was created by Albert Einstein in the early 1900s, and published in 1916. It can be separated into two sections: General and Special Relativity. General Relativity is the more mathematically challenging of the two and explains that what we perceive as the force of gravity actually arises from the curvature in space and time. The central idea here is that space and time are two separate aspects of ‘spacetime’. Spacetime curves when there is gravity, matter, energy, and momentum. Special Relativity is, in many ways, the bedrock upon which all modern physics theories are built. It states that the speed of light is the same for all those who are looking at it, even those moving differently to each other. In simple terms, this theory states that space is the same everywhere at all times.
However, since the 1990’s, Magueijo and Ashfordi have determined that they may be able to disprove the theory that the speed of light is constant. They think that after the creation of the universe, light moved at infinite speeds before slowing to variable ones. They could even find out if light really did outpace gravity in the early universe. It’s an exciting theory and one to watch closely.
- The Higgs Boson
The Higgs Boson particle is an essential part of what is known as the Standard Model in physics. This is because it signals the existence of the Higgs field: an invisible energy field that is present throughout the entire universe. It imbues other particles with mass, and has been making huge waves in the physics world. It is also known as the God Particle because they give mass to the building blocks of the universe. Without the Higgs Boson, nothing would exist!
- Gravity
Sir Isaac Newton discovered gravity in the 1600s after an apple fell on his head – or so the legend goes. Gravity itself is a central force on the Earth, it is the thing that keeps us all in place and stops us from floating around. It is defined as a force that attracts a body towards the centre of the Earth, or towards any other physical body that has mass. Gravity is all over the universe, and it helps hold things like planets and stars together.
- Quantum teleportation
Teleportation has been described as a “Frankenstein” technology – one that terrifies us even as it inspires us. In 2004, scientists successfully teleported atoms for the first time – a revolutionary achievement. The definition of teleportation in terms of physics is the movement of the quantum state of an atom – or, more simply, the transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them.
This has lead to the creation of new and more powerful superfast computers, among other things. Three possible kinds of teleportation in quantum mechanics and quantum electrodynamics have been proposed: state teleportation, energy teleportation, and particle teleportation. The most recent theory on particle teleportation was proposed by Y. Wei as recently as this year!
To Conclude
If these examples show anything it’s that the discovery of the smallest particle can have a huge impact on our understanding of the world. These physics discoveries have changed our understanding of the forces at play on Earth, and there are many more just waiting to be found whose implications could change the way we live forever.