Physical World
Classical Science
- In classical science, the physical world was considered real and exists if it is perceived through the senses.
-This is based on the philosophical concept of realism; where all the things we can see by our naked eyes are part
of the physical world; in other words, to see is what you expect or believe to be as a part of the physical world.
-This excludes things that are invisible or we cannot see by our naked eye
In modern science
-the classical science definition of the physical world was reconfigured by introducing the concept of model-
dependent realism
-the model-dependent realism makes use of models and representations of objects to define the physical
properties of the world or the things that makes up the world/things (dimension, mass, density, etc), also explain their
interactions with other objects (reveal their other properties such as chemical properties)
-things that are not seen with our naked eye, such as atoms and molecules, can now be represented by models or
representations that will aid us in studying their properties and interactions. In turn, these models or
representations help us to better interpret and understand the wholeness of the physical world
-Basically, the physical world refers to the inanimate objects in the universe the components of the physical
world range from elementary particles to light and heavy elements, stars, galaxies, and planetary systems; from
molecules to supramolecules, from the earth to its spheres - geospheres, atmospheres, and hydrosphere.
How do we study the Physical World
Cosmic Calendar
-The chronology corresponds to the best evidence now available.
-this serves as a list of events represented by 365 days in a year as how the universe aged through time;
encapsulated for everyone to comprehend and understand in simpler terms
-The cosmic calendar was based on the following information:
-Geological stratification and radioactive dating provide information on archaeological, paleontological and
geological events; and astrophysical theory provides data on the ages of planetary surfaces, stars, and the Milky
Way Galaxy, as well as an estimate of the time that has elapsed since that extraordinary event called the Big
Bang-an explosion that involved all of the matter and energy in the present universe
The Big Bang maybe the beginning of the universe, the earliest event being recorded and still used in today's
current theories
Important dates to remember in the Cosmic Calendar
Big Bang - January 1
Origin of the Milky Way - May 1
Origin of the Solar System - September 9
Formation of life on Earth - September 14
Origin of life on Earth - September 25
The physical world can be classified using temporal scales and spatial scales.
-temporal scales presents the chronological order of the formation of the components of the physical world
-temporal scales are best represented with the cosmic calendar, gives us the idea of time-intervals within these
physical components of the universe
-spatial scales classifies components of the physical world according to its dimensions - from submicroscopic
scale to cosmological scale
This type of classification provides information which field of science studies a corresponding component of the
physical world and how these fields are interconnected
All three fields of science use probes in studying the physical world - these probes are in the
form of theories and technologies
- a number of theories have been formulated to explain and develop a better understanding of our physical world
The theories are tested through scientific discoveries and experiments which can either reject or support them
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formulating theory and doing an experiment are part of what we know as the scientific method
Physical World Analysis through the lens of Science
Thursday, 12 September 2024
9:04 pm
Science Page 1
