TEN CRUCIAL PHYSICS THEORIES
Falling objects of different sizes
accelerate at the same rate
Who: Galileo galilei
When: 1589
to disprove Aristotle’s theory of gravity, Galileo dropped two balls of different weights from the top of italy’s leaning tower of Pisa.
Everything is composed of atoms
Who: Leucippus and Democritus
When: 5th century bc
Atomism proposes that everything is composed of an infinite variety of indestructible, immutable ‘atoms’ that collide or link up to form clusters.
Atoms are composed of smaller particles Who: Joseph John thomson
When: 1897
By demonstrating that cathode rays are composed of negatively charged particles, thomson effectively found the electron – the first of the subatomic particles to be discovered.
Every event has a natural cause
Who: Thales
When: c 580BC
Greek philosopher thales attempted to explain natural phenomena without reference to mythology. He was among the first to try to identify a substance from which all things are composed (water, he thought)
Buoyant force equals displaced fluid weight
Who: archimedes
When: c 250BC
Archimedes’ principle states that: “Any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.”
Atoms of an element are identical in size and mass
Who: John Dalton
When: 1803
our modern concept of atoms is based on a lecture in which Dalton proposed that matter is made of indestructible atoms, and that all atoms of the same element are identical.
Energy can’t be created or destroyed
Who: Julius von Mayer
When: 1842
German scientist Julius von mayer established the law of the conservation of energy within a closed system (though it can be converted between different types – for example, between heat and kinetic).
Objects move at a constant velocity unless acted on by external force
Who: Isaac newton
When: 1687
newton’s three laws of motion, including this first law, form the foundation of classical mechanics as we now understand it.
Mass has an associated energy
Who: Albert einstein
When: 1905
Arising from his theory of special relativity, einstein’s most famous equation (e=mc2: energy equals mass times speed of light squared) shows that the mass of an object is a measure of its energy.
Hadrons are composed of quarks
Who: Murray Gell-Mann and George Zweig When: 1964
Hadrons (subatomic particles including neutrons and protons that comprise atoms) are themselves composed of smaller particles called quarks.
accelerate at the same rate
Who: Galileo galilei
When: 1589
to disprove Aristotle’s theory of gravity, Galileo dropped two balls of different weights from the top of italy’s leaning tower of Pisa.
Everything is composed of atoms
Who: Leucippus and Democritus
When: 5th century bc
Atomism proposes that everything is composed of an infinite variety of indestructible, immutable ‘atoms’ that collide or link up to form clusters.
Atoms are composed of smaller particles Who: Joseph John thomson
When: 1897
By demonstrating that cathode rays are composed of negatively charged particles, thomson effectively found the electron – the first of the subatomic particles to be discovered.
Every event has a natural cause
Who: Thales
When: c 580BC
Greek philosopher thales attempted to explain natural phenomena without reference to mythology. He was among the first to try to identify a substance from which all things are composed (water, he thought)
Buoyant force equals displaced fluid weight
Who: archimedes
When: c 250BC
Archimedes’ principle states that: “Any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the fluid displaced by the object.”
Atoms of an element are identical in size and mass
Who: John Dalton
When: 1803
our modern concept of atoms is based on a lecture in which Dalton proposed that matter is made of indestructible atoms, and that all atoms of the same element are identical.
Energy can’t be created or destroyed
Who: Julius von Mayer
When: 1842
German scientist Julius von mayer established the law of the conservation of energy within a closed system (though it can be converted between different types – for example, between heat and kinetic).
Objects move at a constant velocity unless acted on by external force
Who: Isaac newton
When: 1687
newton’s three laws of motion, including this first law, form the foundation of classical mechanics as we now understand it.
Mass has an associated energy
Who: Albert einstein
When: 1905
Arising from his theory of special relativity, einstein’s most famous equation (e=mc2: energy equals mass times speed of light squared) shows that the mass of an object is a measure of its energy.
Hadrons are composed of quarks
Who: Murray Gell-Mann and George Zweig When: 1964
Hadrons (subatomic particles including neutrons and protons that comprise atoms) are themselves composed of smaller particles called quarks.
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