:PROPERTIES: :ID: ece8bf94-4e3c-4939-a77a-9949c1ec0dc6 :END: #+title: physics #+author: Preston Pan #+html_head: #+html_head: #+html_head: #+options: broken-links:t * Laws of Nature By engaging in physics modeling, we are postulating that there are rules that "nature" follows, and that these rules are logically consistent. At least, mathematical models postulate this, and non-mathematical models of the universe have been relegated to the study of metaphysics. * Fields in Physics ** Classical Mechanics Classical mechanics deals with fields of physics that do not deal with time dilation or quantum weirdness. It is called classical mechanics because most of these theories were invented before their quantum or relativistic counterparts, and usually serve as a baseline understanding for the later topics. *** Newtonian Mechanics It all started when Newton created three (but really two) fundamental laws of the universe that governed all things. *** Lagrangian Mechanics This is a different strain of classical mechanics. Instead of looking at direction and vectors, it looks at a single fundamental principle, even more fundamental than inertia and conservation of momentum: optimization. We believe that nature always optimizes for some parameters in all physical phenomena. *** Classical Electrodynamics Classical electrodynamics attempts to explain the electromagnetic force from a classical perspective. What is light? How does electricity actually work? All these questions you will find (half) answered in the study of electrodynamics. **** [[id:32f0b8b1-17bc-4c91-a824-2f2a3bbbdbd1][Electrostatics]] This is a study of the force of particles with charge on another in a motionless context. It is the baseline for studying more complicated electromagnetic theory.