Physics in Relation to Technology and Society

Technology is physics put to practical use -- applying physical principles to invent products or solve problems. Physics and technology together shape society, directly and indirectly:

• The basic laws of electricity and magnetism led to wireless communication, shrinking distances across the globe.
• Launching satellites revolutionised how we communicate.
• Microelectronics, lasers, computers, superconductivity and nuclear energy have reshaped how people live and think.

Physics feeds every other science too:

• Chemistry -- understanding atomic structure, radioactivity and X-ray diffraction let chemists arrange elements in the periodic table by atomic number, and understand valence and chemical bonding; this overlap gave rise to physical chemistry and quantum chemistry.
• Biology -- the electron microscope (a physics-designed instrument) revealed the structure of the cell; X-ray and neutron diffraction revealed the structure of nucleic acids; X-rays are used diagnostically, and radio-isotopes in radiotherapy for cancer treatment.
• Mathematics -- physics is inherently quantitative, and mathematics is its essential tool for development and expression.
• Astronomy -- optical and radio telescopes, both built on physical principles, let astronomers study planets and probe the distant universe.
• Geology -- diffraction techniques reveal the crystal structure of rocks, and radioactive dating estimates the age of rocks, fossils and the Earth itself.
• Oceanography -- oceanographers use physical measurements (temperature, salinity, current speed, gas fluxes) to understand the ocean's physical and chemical processes. …