Portal:Physics/2015 Selected pictures
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January
[edit]Difference between classical and modern physics
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Modernphysicsfields.svg/375px-Modernphysicsfields.svg.png)
While physics aims to discover universal laws, its theories lie in explicit domains of applicability. Loosely speaking, the laws of classical physics accurately describe systems whose important length scales are greater than the atomic scale and whose motions are much slower than the speed of light. Outside of this domain, observations do not match their predictions. Albert Einstein contributed the framework of special relativity, which replaced notions of absolute time and space with spacetime and allowed an accurate description of systems whose components have speeds approaching the speed of light. Max Planck, Erwin Schrödinger, and others introduced quantum mechanics, a probabilistic notion of particles and interactions that allowed an accurate description of atomic and subatomic scales. Later, quantum field theory unified quantum mechanics and special relativity. General relativity allowed for a dynamical, curved spacetime, with which highly massive systems and the large-scale structure of the universe can be well-described. General relativity has not yet been unified with the other fundamental descriptions; several candidate theories of quantum gravity are being developed.
February
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/February 2015
March
[edit]Difference between classical and modern physics
[edit]![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/56/Modernphysicsfields.svg/375px-Modernphysicsfields.svg.png)
While physics aims to discover universal laws, its theories lie in explicit domains of applicability. Loosely speaking, the laws of classical physics accurately describe systems whose important length scales are greater than the atomic scale and whose motions are much slower than the speed of light. Outside of this domain, observations do not match their predictions. Albert Einstein contributed the framework of special relativity, which replaced notions of absolute time and space with spacetime and allowed an accurate description of systems whose components have speeds approaching the speed of light. Max Planck, Erwin Schrödinger, and others introduced quantum mechanics, a probabilistic notion of particles and interactions that allowed an accurate description of atomic and subatomic scales. Later, quantum field theory unified quantum mechanics and special relativity. General relativity allowed for a dynamical, curved spacetime, with which highly massive systems and the large-scale structure of the universe can be well-described. General relativity has not yet been unified with the other fundamental descriptions; several candidate theories of quantum gravity are being developed.
April
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/April 2015
May
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/May 2015
June
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/June 2015
July
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/July 2015
August
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/August 2015
September
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/September 2015
October
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/October 2015
November
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/November 2015
December
[edit]Portal:Physics/Selected picture/December 2015