Physics

What Is Physics?

Physics explores how and why the universe works, from subatomic to universe scales.

It is the basic science that underlies all the natural sciences. The behaviors of matter and energy govern applied situations in everyday life like wind energy, X-rays and MRI, Lake Superior, and satellites. Physics is also interested in esoteric states of matter from the most fundamental neutrinos and atoms to large and complex structures like supernovae and galaxies.

There are many subfields of physics. Our department has strengths in particle and nuclear physics, physical limnology and oceanography, condensed matter and soft matter, optics and spectroscopy, biological and medical applications, computational physics, astrophysics and cosmology.

Discoveries by physicists, like quantum phenomena and the theory of the big bang, transformed our view of the natural world compared to the 19^th century. Key inventions like the transistor and the laser, magnetic resonance imaging and nuclear energy, the internet, have fueled the technological revolutions of the 20^th century. Physics majors have also become business leaders and world leaders. The physics students of today will drive the inventions and discoveries of the 21^st century: in science, medicine, energy, the environment, and business.