The Physics Portal

Physics (from Greek φυσική / physikê meaning science of nature) is the science concerned with the discovery and understanding of the laws and principles which govern the physical universe. Physics deals with the elementary constituents of the universe and their interactions. Therefore, it can be thought of as a foundational science, upon which stands "the central science" of chemistry, and the earth sciences, biological sciences, and social sciences. Discoveries in basic physics have important ramifications for all of science.

Physics, like all the sciences, is a work in progress. Experimental and theoretical physics researchers continue to find new phenomena and to create and refine new models and theories.

As the fundamental science its biggest and even main goal is to bring one unified theory to the universe.

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Cloud to Ground Lightning

Lightning is an atmospheric discharge of electricity accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms. In the atmospheric electrical discharge, a leader of a bolt of lightning can travel at speeds of 60,000 m/s (130,000 mph), and can reach temperatures approaching 30,000 °C (54,000 °F), hot enough to fuse silica sand into glass channels known as fulgurites which are normally hollow and can extend some distance into the ground. There are some 16 million lightning storms in the world every year.

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Did you know...

• ...that in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) (pictured) protons, accelerated to the energy of 8 TeV, move at 99.999999% of light speed and become 7,000 times (on grounds of mathematical calculations) heavier than at rest?
• ...that, at a speed of 299,792,458 m/s, light can travel to the Moon in 1.2 seconds?
• ...that the submarine telescope ANTARES, intended to detect neutrinos, may also be used to observe bioluminescent plankton and fish?
• ...that lasers can be used to separate two isotopes very efficiently?
• ...that neutron stars are so dense that a teaspoonful (5 mL) would have ten times the mass of all human world population?
• ...that every year, the Moon moves 3.82 cm away from Earth?
• ...that gold leaf is about 500 atoms thick?

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Physics news

• October 29, 2009 - Results from the Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope indicate that "either that space-time is smooth and continuous, as general relativity proposed, or that the grains of space-time are smaller than we ever thought possible, and are having only the most minuscule effect on light waves". Discovery
• October 28, 2009 - NASA's Ares I-X rocket is sucessfully test launched from Kennedy Space Center LC-39B.
• November 7, 2008 - Physicists revisited hydrogen production experiment, performed by Italian scientist G. D. Botto in 1833 (PhysOrg.com)
• September 10, 2008 - The first particle beam is successfully steered around the Large Hadron Collider accelerator ring at CERN near Geneva, Switzerland.
• May 1, 2008 - A team of nanoscientists have grown twisted nanowires that look like pine trees by twisting the original wire from which the trees were grown. (Science, [1] [2])
• April 13, 2008 - John Wheeler died aged 96. "For me, he was the last Titan, the only physics superhero still standing." (Max Tegmark, New York Times)
• December 11, 2007 - NASA's voyager 2 probe's recent measurements prove that the solar system is asymmetrical. Several scientists suggest that this is caused by galactic magnetic fields. (CNN)
• November 24, 2007 - Speculation about space based solar power plants continues, and with oil prices rising, they might be economical too. (New Scientist)

More physics news is available from Wikinews and the Current Events portal

November anniversaries

• November 1915 – Albert Einstein formulates General relativity
• 9 November 1934 – Carl Sagan's birthday
• 9 November 1676 – using his first quantitative measurement of the speed of light, Ole Rømer accurately predicts the delay of eclipse of Io

Things you can do

Summary

• Edit a physics article

Whether you are an expert or a novice, be bold, improve an article by editing it. Practice in the sandbox if you must. But hurry back to fix that glaring error that has been bothering you.

• Join WikiProject Physics.
  • Watch the WikiProject Physics talk page for physics-related issues on Wikipedia.
• Improve Physics Portal
  • Add to Did you know, and Upcoming anniversaries.
  • Add new Selected articles and Selected pictures to the queues.
  • Add to Physics news.
• Review articles
  • Assign importance and quality to unassessed articles (See Physics quality control)
  • Review an article for techno babble and report confusing sections in articles talk page. (Give enough detail to help the editors.)
• Advanced Editing
  • Expand a physics stub.
  • Fix a page needing attention: Modern physics, Classical physics, Other physics topics.
  • Create a requested article.
• Add a requested image.
• Check out other physics-related WikiProjects: WikiProject Science, WikiProject Fluid dynamics, WikiProject Elements.

Check list for physics novices and experts new to wikipedia

• Edit a physics article

Whether you are an expert or a novice, be bold, improve an article by editing it. Practice in the sandbox if you must. But hurry back to fix that glaring error that has been bothering you.

• Register with wikipedia for a user name. (See the username policy)
• Visit the help page
• Add articles to your watch list.
• Check your watchlist on regular basis
• Revert an obvious vandalism edit
• Edit your user page to tell wikipedia enough about you to help other editors get to know you
• Review an article and make a useful comment on the talk page
• Add your name to the WikiProject Physics members list

Activities for physics novices and experts familiar with wikipedia

• Edit a physics article
• Add your name to the WikiProject Physics members list
• Revert Vandalism
• Add or improve diagrams and figures
• Assign importance and quality to unassessed articles (See Physics quality control)
• Review article for techno babble and suggest areas that need improving on talk page (or add clean up tag.)
• Fix a page needing attention: Modern physics, Classical physics, Other physics topics.

Related portals

Associated Wikimedia