fbpx
Wikipedia

Experimental physics

March 27, 2023

Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub-disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments. Methods vary from discipline to discipline, from simple experiments and observations, such as Galileo's experiments, to more complicated ones, such as the Large Hadron Collider.

Overview

 
Sir Ernest Rutherford's laboratory, early 20th century. (9660575343)

Experimental physics encompasses all the disciplines of physics that are concerned with data acquisition, data-acquisition methods, and the detailed conceptualization (beyond simple thought experiments) and realization of laboratory experiments. It is often contrasted with theoretical physics, which is more concerned with predicting and explaining the physical behaviour of nature than the acquisition of empirical data.

Although experimental and theoretical physics are concerned with different aspects of nature, they both share the same goal of understanding it and have a symbiotic relationship. The former provides data about the universe, which can then be analyzed in order to be understood, while the latter provides explanations for the data and thus offers insight into how to better acquire data and set up experiments. Theoretical physics can also offer insight into what data is needed in order to gain a better understanding of the universe, and into what experiments to devise in order to obtain it.

History

As a distinct field, experimental physics was established in early modern Europe, during what is known as the Scientific Revolution, by physicists such as Galileo Galilei, Christiaan Huygens, Johannes Kepler, Blaise Pascal and Sir Isaac Newton. In the early 17th century, Galileo made extensive use of experimentation to validate physical theories, which is the key idea in the modern scientific method. Galileo formulated and successfully tested several results in dynamics, in particular the law of inertia, which later became the first law in Newton's laws of motion. In Galileo's Two New Sciences, a dialogue between the characters Simplicio and Salviati discuss the motion of a ship (as a moving frame) and how that ship's cargo is indifferent to its motion. Huygens used the motion of a boat along a Dutch canal to illustrate an early form of the conservation of momentum.

Experimental physics is considered to have reached a high point with the publication of the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687 by Sir Isaac Newton (1643–1727). In 1687, Newton published the Principia, detailing two comprehensive and successful physical laws: Newton's laws of motion, from which arise classical mechanics; and Newton's law of universal gravitation, which describes the fundamental force of gravity. Both laws agreed well with experiment. The Principia also included several theories in fluid dynamics.

From the late 17th century onward, thermodynamics was developed by physicist and chemist Boyle, Young, and many others. In 1733, Bernoulli used statistical arguments with classical mechanics to derive thermodynamic results, initiating the field of statistical mechanics. In 1798, Thompson demonstrated the conversion of mechanical work into heat, and in 1847 Joule stated the law of conservation of energy, in the form of heat as well as mechanical energy. Ludwig Boltzmann, in the nineteenth century, is responsible for the modern form of statistical mechanics.

Besides classical mechanics and thermodynamics, another great field of experimental inquiry within physics was the nature of electricity. Observations in the 17th and eighteenth century by scientists such as Robert Boyle, Stephen Gray, and Benjamin Franklin created a foundation for later work. These observations also established our basic understanding of electrical charge and current. By 1808 John Dalton had discovered that atoms of different elements have different weights and proposed the modern theory of the atom.

It was Hans Christian Ørsted who first proposed the connection between electricity and magnetism after observing the deflection of a compass needle by a nearby electric current. By the early 1830s Michael Faraday had demonstrated that magnetic fields and electricity could generate each other. In 1864 James Clerk Maxwell presented to the Royal Society a set of equations that described this relationship between electricity and magnetism. Maxwell's equations also predicted correctly that light is an electromagnetic wave. Starting with astronomy, the principles of natural philosophy crystallized into fundamental laws of physics which were enunciated and improved in the succeeding centuries. By the 19th century, the sciences had segmented into multiple fields with specialized researchers and the field of physics, although logically pre-eminent, no longer could claim sole ownership of the entire field of scientific research.

Current experiments

 
A view of the CMS detector, an experimental endeavour of the LHC at CERN.

Some examples of prominent experimental physics projects are:

  • Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider which collides heavy ions such as gold ions (it is the first heavy ion collider) and protons, it is located at Brookhaven National Laboratory, on Long Island, USA.
  • HERA, which collides electrons or positrons and protons, and is part of DESY, located in Hamburg, Germany.
  • LHC, or the Large Hadron Collider, which completed construction in 2008 but suffered a series of setbacks. The LHC began operations in 2008, but was shut down for maintenance until the summer of 2009. It is the world's most energetic collider upon completion, it is located at CERN, on the French-Swiss border near Geneva. The collider became fully operational March 29, 2010 a year and a half later than originally planned.[1]
  • LIGO, the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory, is a large-scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational-wave observations as an astronomical tool. Currently two LIGO observatories exist: LIGO Livingston Observatory in Livingston, Louisiana, and LIGO Hanford Observatory near Richland, Washington.
  • JWST, or the James Webb Space Telescope, launched in 2021. It will be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope. It will survey the sky in the infrared region. The main goals of the JWST will be in order to understand the initial stages of the universe, galaxy formation as well as the formations of stars and planets, and the origins of life.

Method

Main article: Experiment

Experimental physics uses two main methods of experimental research, controlled experiments, and natural experiments. Controlled experiments are often used in laboratories as laboratories can offer a controlled environment. Natural experiments are used, for example, in astrophysics when observing celestial objects where control of the variables in effect is impossible.

Famous experiments

Famous experiments include:

Experimental techniques

Some well-known experimental techniques include:

Prominent experimental physicists

Famous experimental physicists include:

Timelines

See the timelines below for listings of physics experiments.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Yes, we did it!". CERN. 2010-03-29. Retrieved 2010-04-16.

Further reading

  • Taylor, John R. (1987). An Introduction to Error Analysis (2nd ed.). University Science Books. ISBN 978-0-935702-75-0.

External links

  •   Media related to Experimental physics at Wikimedia Commons

March 27, 2023
experimental, physics, category, disciplines, disciplines, field, physics, that, concerned, with, observation, physical, phenomena, experiments, methods, vary, from, discipline, discipline, from, simple, experiments, observations, such, galileo, experiments, m. Experimental physics is the category of disciplines and sub disciplines in the field of physics that are concerned with the observation of physical phenomena and experiments Methods vary from discipline to discipline from simple experiments and observations such as Galileo s experiments to more complicated ones such as the Large Hadron Collider Contents 1 Overview 2 History 3 Current experiments 4 Method 5 Famous experiments 6 Experimental techniques 7 Prominent experimental physicists 8 Timelines 9 See also 10 References 11 Further reading 12 External linksOverview Edit Sir Ernest Rutherford s laboratory early 20th century 9660575343 Experimental physics encompasses all the disciplines of physics that are concerned with data acquisition data acquisition methods and the detailed conceptualization beyond simple thought experiments and realization of laboratory experiments It is often contrasted with theoretical physics which is more concerned with predicting and explaining the physical behaviour of nature than the acquisition of empirical data Although experimental and theoretical physics are concerned with different aspects of nature they both share the same goal of understanding it and have a symbiotic relationship The former provides data about the universe which can then be analyzed in order to be understood while the latter provides explanations for the data and thus offers insight into how to better acquire data and set up experiments Theoretical physics can also offer insight into what data is needed in order to gain a better understanding of the universe and into what experiments to devise in order to obtain it History EditAs a distinct field experimental physics was established in early modern Europe during what is known as the Scientific Revolution by physicists such as Galileo Galilei Christiaan Huygens Johannes Kepler Blaise Pascal and Sir Isaac Newton In the early 17th century Galileo made extensive use of experimentation to validate physical theories which is the key idea in the modern scientific method Galileo formulated and successfully tested several results in dynamics in particular the law of inertia which later became the first law in Newton s laws of motion In Galileo s Two New Sciences a dialogue between the characters Simplicio and Salviati discuss the motion of a ship as a moving frame and how that ship s cargo is indifferent to its motion Huygens used the motion of a boat along a Dutch canal to illustrate an early form of the conservation of momentum Experimental physics is considered to have reached a high point with the publication of the Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica in 1687 by Sir Isaac Newton 1643 1727 In 1687 Newton published the Principia detailing two comprehensive and successful physical laws Newton s laws of motion from which arise classical mechanics and Newton s law of universal gravitation which describes the fundamental force of gravity Both laws agreed well with experiment The Principia also included several theories in fluid dynamics From the late 17th century onward thermodynamics was developed by physicist and chemist Boyle Young and many others In 1733 Bernoulli used statistical arguments with classical mechanics to derive thermodynamic results initiating the field of statistical mechanics In 1798 Thompson demonstrated the conversion of mechanical work into heat and in 1847 Joule stated the law of conservation of energy in the form of heat as well as mechanical energy Ludwig Boltzmann in the nineteenth century is responsible for the modern form of statistical mechanics Besides classical mechanics and thermodynamics another great field of experimental inquiry within physics was the nature of electricity Observations in the 17th and eighteenth century by scientists such as Robert Boyle Stephen Gray and Benjamin Franklin created a foundation for later work These observations also established our basic understanding of electrical charge and current By 1808 John Dalton had discovered that atoms of different elements have different weights and proposed the modern theory of the atom It was Hans Christian Orsted who first proposed the connection between electricity and magnetism after observing the deflection of a compass needle by a nearby electric current By the early 1830s Michael Faraday had demonstrated that magnetic fields and electricity could generate each other In 1864 James Clerk Maxwell presented to the Royal Society a set of equations that described this relationship between electricity and magnetism Maxwell s equations also predicted correctly that light is an electromagnetic wave Starting with astronomy the principles of natural philosophy crystallized into fundamental laws of physics which were enunciated and improved in the succeeding centuries By the 19th century the sciences had segmented into multiple fields with specialized researchers and the field of physics although logically pre eminent no longer could claim sole ownership of the entire field of scientific research Current experiments Edit A view of the CMS detector an experimental endeavour of the LHC at CERN Some examples of prominent experimental physics projects are Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider which collides heavy ions such as gold ions it is the first heavy ion collider and protons it is located at Brookhaven National Laboratory on Long Island USA HERA which collides electrons or positrons and protons and is part of DESY located in Hamburg Germany LHC or the Large Hadron Collider which completed construction in 2008 but suffered a series of setbacks The LHC began operations in 2008 but was shut down for maintenance until the summer of 2009 It is the world s most energetic collider upon completion it is located at CERN on the French Swiss border near Geneva The collider became fully operational March 29 2010 a year and a half later than originally planned 1 LIGO the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory is a large scale physics experiment and observatory to detect cosmic gravitational waves and to develop gravitational wave observations as an astronomical tool Currently two LIGO observatories exist LIGO Livingston Observatory in Livingston Louisiana and LIGO Hanford Observatory near Richland Washington JWST or the James Webb Space Telescope launched in 2021 It will be the successor to the Hubble Space Telescope It will survey the sky in the infrared region The main goals of the JWST will be in order to understand the initial stages of the universe galaxy formation as well as the formations of stars and planets and the origins of life Method EditMain article Experiment Experimental physics uses two main methods of experimental research controlled experiments and natural experiments Controlled experiments are often used in laboratories as laboratories can offer a controlled environment Natural experiments are used for example in astrophysics when observing celestial objects where control of the variables in effect is impossible Famous experiments EditFamous experiments include 2 degree Field Galaxy Redshift Survey 2 Micron All Sky Survey 2MASS Bell test experiments BOOMERanG experiment Camera obscura experiments Cavendish experiment Chicago Pile 1 Cosmic Background Explorer Cowan Reines neutrino experiment Davisson Germer experiment Delayed choice quantum eraser Double slit experiment Eddington experiment Eotvos experiment Fizeau experiment Foucault pendulum Franck Hertz experiment Galileo s Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment Geiger Marsden experiment Gravity Probe A Gravity Probe B Hafele Keating experiment Homestake experiment Kepler space telescope Kite experiment LIGO Oil drop experiment Michelson Morley experiment Romer s determination of the speed of light Sloan Digital Sky Survey Stern Gerlach experiment Torricelli s experiment Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe Wu experimentExperimental techniques EditSome well known experimental techniques include Crystallography Ellipsometry Faraday cage Interferometry NMR Laser cooling Laser spectroscopy Raman spectroscopy Signal processing Spectroscopy STM Vacuum technique X ray spectroscopy Inelastic neutron scatteringProminent experimental physicists EditFamous experimental physicists include Archimedes c 287 BC c 212 BC Alhazen 965 1039 Al Biruni 973 1043 Al Khazini fl 1115 1130 Galileo Galilei 1564 1642 Evangelista Torricelli 1608 1647 Robert Boyle 1627 1691 Christiaan Huygens 1629 1695 Robert Hooke 1635 1703 Isaac Newton 1643 1727 Ole Romer 1644 1710 Stephen Gray 1666 1736 Daniel Bernoulli 1700 1782 Benjamin Franklin 1706 1790 Laura Bassi 1711 1778 Henry Cavendish 1731 1810 Joseph Priestley 1733 1804 William Herschel 1738 1822 Alessandro Volta 1745 1827 Pierre Simon Laplace 1749 1827 Benjamin Thompson 1753 1814 John Dalton 1766 1844 Thomas Young 1773 1829 Carl Friedrich Gauss 1777 1855 Hans Christian Orsted 1777 1851 Humphry Davy 1778 1829 Augustin Jean Fresnel 1788 1827 Michael Faraday 1791 1867 James Prescott Joule 1818 1889 William Thomson Lord Kelvin 1824 1907 James Clerk Maxwell 1831 1879 Ernst Mach 1838 1916 John William Strutt 3rd Baron Rayleigh 1842 1919 Wilhelm Rontgen 1845 1923 Karl Ferdinand Braun 1850 1918 Henri Becquerel 1852 1908 Albert Abraham Michelson 1852 1931 Heike Kamerlingh Onnes 1853 1926 J J Thomson 1856 1940 Heinrich Hertz 1857 1894 Jagadish Chandra Bose 1858 1937 Pierre Curie 1859 1906 William Henry Bragg 1862 1942 Marie Curie 1867 1934 Robert Andrews Millikan 1868 1953 Ernest Rutherford 1871 1937 Lise Meitner 1878 1968 Max von Laue 1879 1960 Clinton Davisson 1881 1958 Hans Geiger 1882 1945 C V Raman 1888 1970 William Lawrence Bragg 1890 1971 James Chadwick 1891 1974 Arthur Compton 1892 1962 Pyotr Kapitsa 1894 1984 Charles Drummond Ellis 1895 1980 John Cockcroft 1897 1967 Patrick Blackett Baron Blackett 1897 1974 Ukichiro Nakaya 1900 1962 Enrico Fermi 1901 1954 Ernest Lawrence 1901 1958 Walter Houser Brattain 1902 1987 Pavel Cherenkov 1904 1990 Carl David Anderson 1905 1991 Felix Bloch 1905 1983 Ernst Ruska 1906 1988 John Bardeen 1908 1991 William Shockley 1910 1989 Dorothy Hodgkin 1910 1994 Luis Walter Alvarez 1911 1988 Chien Shiung Wu 1912 1997 Willis Lamb 1913 2008 Charles Hard Townes 1915 2015 Rosalind Franklin 1920 1958 Owen Chamberlain 1920 2006 Nicolaas Bloembergen 1920 2017 Vera Rubin 1928 2016 Mildred Dresselhaus 1930 2017 Rainer Weiss 1932 Carlo Rubbia 1934 Barry Barish 1936 Samar Mubarakmand 1942 Serge Haroche 1944 Anton Zeilinger 1945 Alain Aspect 1947 Gerd Binnig 1947 Steven Chu 1948 Wolfgang Ketterle 1957 Andre Geim 1958 Lene Hau 1959 Timelines EditSee the timelines below for listings of physics experiments Timeline of atomic and subatomic physics Timeline of classical mechanics Timeline of electromagnetism and classical optics Timeline of gravitational physics and relativity Timeline of nuclear fusion Timeline of particle discoveries Timeline of particle physics technology Timeline of states of matter and phase transitions Timeline of thermodynamicsSee also Edit Physics portalPhysics Engineering Experimental science Measuring instrument Pulse programmingReferences Edit Yes we did it CERN 2010 03 29 Retrieved 2010 04 16 Further reading EditTaylor John R 1987 An Introduction to Error Analysis 2nd ed University Science Books ISBN 978 0 935702 75 0 External links Edit Media related to Experimental physics at Wikimedia Commons Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Experimental physics amp oldid 1106635651, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.