September 18, 2009
- physics (noun)
- \FIZZ-iks\
- What does it mean?
- 1 : a science that deals with matter and energy and their actions upon each other in the fields of mechanics, heat, light, electricity, sound, and the atomic nucleus2 : physical composition, characteristics, or processes
- How do you use it?
- In order to demonstrate the physics of the first part of Newton's First Law of Motion, Ms. Carter quickly pulled a tablecloth out from underneath a set of dishes, showing us that things at rest tend to stay at rest.
- Are you a word wiz?
We have the Greeks to thank for our word "physics." Which of the following do you think is the meaning of the Greek ancestor of "physics"?
You're a word wiz if you chose B! We won't teach any physics, but will instead tell the story of the word "physics." "Physics" traces to the Latin "physica," meaning "natural science." "Physica" comes from the Greek "physika," which ultimately comes from the Greek root "phyein" meaning "to bring forth." "Physic" -- also a descendant of "phyein" -- was used in English as far back as the 1300s. At one time, it meant "natural science." Eventually it came to mean "the art or practice of healing disease." In the early 1700s, "physics" came on the scene to refer to the science of matter and energy and it has retained its meaning ever since.
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