A Universe of Atoms, An Atom in the Universe pp 181-202 | Cite as
And Yet It Moves: Exotic Atoms and the Invariance of Charge
Abstract
If I had to describe in a word what physics is all about, I am tempted to say “motion”—as construed, of course, in a suitably broad sense to include not only the movement of particles but also such phenomena as the flow of fluids, the propagation of waves, the conversion of heat to work, and the transitions between quantum states. The word “physics,” according to my unabridged English dictionary, traces its origin to a Greek term meaning “natural things,” which seems appropriate enough, as far as it goes. Actually, in some ways it goes too far, for one can accommodate all of the life sciences in that definition— and, in fact, the term “physic” once meant medicine or the art of healing. The Japanese refer to physics as “butsurigaku,” derived from “study of transformation.” That also has some good points, but reminds me too much of chemistry. I will stay with “motion.”
Keywords
Wave Packet Pulse Electric Field Linear Momentum Physical Review Letter Principal Quantum NumberPreview
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Notes
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