The Scope And Excitement Of Physics

Scope of Physics:
The scope of classical Physics deals with the following branches in Physics

Classical Mechanics
Thermodynamics
Electromagnetism
Optics

Modern day Physics (after the 19th century) deals with concepts of Relativity and Quantum Mechanics.
Relativity as we know was something explored by Albert Einstein. The scope of physics grew as the
theory of relativity changed the way we used think about the world and atmosphere. It is most probably
the most comprehensive theories which the whole world has acknowledged. The renowned physicist
Richard Feynman introduced the world to Quantum Mechanics. It is the study of motion and interaction
of subatomic particles, wave-particle duality with the help of suitable mathematical description.

The diagram given below illustrates the different domains based on speed and size of matter in
consideration.

Diagram of mechanics

Excitement of Physics:

Do you think teleportation is possible? If your answer is yes, how would that work? I’ll get back to this. If
your answer is no, why not? Did people living five hundred years ago know that there will exist a device
that can tell you the position of any planet or constellation or such celestial bodies in seconds, should
you wish to look for them? I’m talking about Sky Maps of course.

All this has been achieved only because of those people who were curious enough to know why
everything exists like it does. The way to teleport is already out there, we just have to find that way how.
Where there is a will there is a way, and the will is found through excitement!

Regarding my question on teleportation, we have already achieved the ability for quantum
teleportation. In this process, the quantum information (exact information about atom or photon) can
be transmitted from one location to another. We may be at this stage now, but who’s to say
macroscopic beings like us won’t be able to transport ourselves from one location to another in the
future!

Constellations And Constellation Of Stars

On a clear moonless night we can see thousands upon thousands of stars dotting the night sky. If we are
a little creative, we can imagine shapes and patterns these stars can make. Some of these patterns made
up of groups of bright stars are easy to recognize and we call such groups as a constellations.

The ancients named many of these recognizable constellation after the objects or animals they
resembled. They built stories around them too. For example, the constellation Perseus, Andromeda,
Cetus, Cassiopeia and Pegasus are all linked to the mythology of the Greeks. Common constellation
names are similar across cultures such as Pisces – the fish in Greek is also called Meena (also meaning
fish) in Sanskrit.

All the constellations appear to move in the sky from west to east because the earth rotates from west
to east. Moreover, all constellations in the southern hemisphere are not visible in the northern
hemisphere and vice versa. This is because the earth is round and some constellations do not fall in the
line of sight. A person in the equator can see almost all the constellations.

Zodiac constellations
There are 12 major constellations that line up along the sun’s path along the sky (called the ecliptic).
These are the Zodiac constellations: Aries (Mesha), Taurus (Vrushabha), Gemini (Mithuna), Crab/Cancer
(Karka), Leo (Simha), Virgo (Kanya), Libra (Tula), Scorpion (Vruschika), Saggitarius (Dhanusha), Capricorn
(Makara), Aquarius (Kumbha), Pisces (Meena). These constellations were used to track the movement of
the sun and track time in ancient times.
Image of the Big Dipper
The big dipper also called as Saptarishi in India is a group of seven stars visible in the northern
hemisphere. The constellation looks like a big ladle or like a wheel barrow and is part of a bigger
constellation called Ursa Major (The great Bear). Two of the stars on this constellation appear to point to
the pole star (Polaris/Dhruva). The pole star is the only star in the night sky that does not appear to
move east to west but appears fixed. This is because it is directly above the earth’s axis.

Orion

This is a constellation known as ‘the hunter’ or Mriga in India. It has a large number of bright stars in it.
Three bright stars that are in line make up the “belt” of the hunter. These three stars point to the
brightest star in the night sky – Sirius.

The next time you look up into the night sky try to identify these constellations. They are easy to find
and bright enough to see even in cities. You can also try to identify the zodiac constellations using a star
chart. To explore more on constellation, download Byju’s-the learning app.