physics Archives - Probing the Universe

What is torque in physics? With real-life examples

Post published:November 28, 2021
Post category:Analysis

Force is casually defined in physics as a push or a pull. The effects of an applied force are obvious: to cause motion, to stop motion, and to deform an object. Torque is a special name given to a force that causes things to turn, twist, or bend. Such as when you are turning the steering wheel of your car. It would be weird – wouldn’t it, to say that you are pulling the steering wheel of your car to the right instead of turning the steering wheel. It gives an impression of someone trying to rip off the steering wheel, and nobody wants that! “Turn” is the word, and “Torque” is the technical word for it. In fact, the word “Torque” has its origins in the Latin language where it means to “twist” or “turn”.

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Laws of physics cannot be proven: Here is why.

Post published:May 5, 2021
Post category:Analysis

Has it ever occurred to you that the universe behaves in a systematic, profound, orderly way? It’s as if it subconsciously follows a hidden set of rules, privy to none other than itself. It becomes the job of the scientist then, to probe into nature and try find these little nuggets of truth. To accomplish this, a scientist makes observations, conducts experiments, and uses perhaps the greatest probing tool ever: mathematics. When scientists do discover these hidden truths of the universe they hand out names such as laws, principles, theorems, theories, etc. to these general behaviors of the universe. We get terms such “laws of physics”.

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January in physics history.

Post published:January 19, 2021
Post category:History

Physics, like all other disciplines, has a history. And like all other histories, it is made, shaped, and influenced by people and events. This being January 2022, I figured it’s a good time as any to revisit some key events that happened and helped shape physics as we know it today.

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What are vectors in Physics?

Post published:August 26, 2020
Post category:Making Sense series On Vectors

In physics, vectors are quantities completely specified by magnitude and direction only. But why would physicists and mathematicians be interested in such quantities?

In this article I will show that vectors arise naturally as we try to understand the physical universe. And that the special feature of direction is both fundamental and consequential in developing physical quantities.

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