Uses and Applications of Physics

Physics is a subject that deals with natural phenomena. It is a practical, mathematical, and experimental subject with loads of logic.

Everything we study around the world, be it applications of Newton’s laws, in applications of quantum mechanics, or talk about examples for projectile motion, an example of circular motion, vector physics examples, scalar quantity examples, etc. We find the multiple applications of Physics in daily life. 

On this page, we will understand the role of physics in our daily life with Physics examples. 

Importance of Physics in Daily Life 

Talking about the significance of Physics in our daily life, we will talk about the following Physics in our daily life examples:

1. Types of motion with examples in physics

2. Scalar quantity examples

3. Vector Physics Examples

4. Newton's second law of motion example

5. Centripetal force examples

6. Example of non-uniform acceleration

7. Example of a derived quantity

8. Projectile motion examples

9. Zeroth law of thermodynamics examples

10.  Coulomb's law example

Now, we will understand the uses of Physics:

Uses of Physics

Types of Motion With Examples

Whenever there is movement or change in position of an object or body we say that the body is in motion.

Example: Moving train, flying airplane, etc.

We can classify motion into various types:

1. Rectilinear Motion: When an object possesses a linear path it is said to have a rectilinear motion. 

Example: a person walking on a straight road, a train moving inside a straight tunnel.

2. Circular Motion: When the distance (radius) of the object from a fixed point remains constant, it possesses circular motion. 

Example: A boy enjoying a rotary swing,  a moving fan.

3. Periodic Motion: When an object moves to and fro about a fixed point or the mean position, it possesses periodic motion. 

Example: moving pendulum, class timetable, multiplication tables (2 times table, each multiple initiates from 2).

4. Projectile Motion - A body making a locus of the parabola is said to be in a projectile motion. 

A few projectile motion examples are:

1. A gun recoiled from the top of the mountain

2. Passing ball games between two girls

3. Volleyball game

4. A basketball player throwing the ball in the basket

5. A trajectory of a fired cannonball

6. A football kicked by a man

Scalar Quantity Examples 

A physical quantity that can be measured or have a magnitude but doesn’t point to direction is said to be scalar by nature.

For example, we can measure mass, distance, the weight of a man on the moon, speed but cannot determine their direction.

Vectors Physics Examples

A quantity that can be measured numerically and we can determine its direction is said to be a vector.

For example, we can determine the displacement of the object with the direction an object takes.

Newton’s Laws of Motion Examples

Now, we will understand the applications of Newton's laws:

First law: It is the law of inertia, which states that the body remains at rest or in uniform motion. Some examples of the first law of motion are:

1. A needle of the wall clock continues to complete its cycle and the moment, the cells are taken out, the needles continue to remain at rest.

2. An employee continues to work on the project allotted by her manager until the manager (force) asks (pushes) him to do another task.

Second law: Whenever a body of mass ‘m’ undergoes a change in momentum with a changing time under the influence of the applied force, it is said to have the equation in the following form:

                F = mdP/dt = ma

Newton’s second law of motion example: During winters, we push our car to move it forward, as soon as it gains momentum, it starts moving with an acceleration ‘a.’

Third law: Here, we can consider examples for frictional force:

For example, a man trying to move on a floor elevator (moving forward) is pushed backwards because of the friction and the equal and the opposite force acting on his feet.

• Centripetal force examples

1. Spinning a cricket ball

2. Twirling a lasso

• Coulomb’s  Law Example

One of the best examples of Coulomb’s law is the electrostatic force of attraction between protons and electrons in an atom.

Application of Physics

Zeroth law of thermodynamics examples

Let’s suppose that two bodies are in contact with each other and are kept inside an adiabatic boundary, the wall between the two bodies is adiabatic as well.

Consider two vessels P and Q filled with fluid. Let P, V, T for vessel P and Q be Pa, Va, Ta, and Pb, Vb, Tb, respectively.

In an adiabatic process, no heat transfer takes place, i.e., in thermal equilibrium even if the temperatures T1 and T2 are different. 

Application of Quantum Mechanics

The quantum mechanical model of an atom was proposed by an Austrian Physicist named Erwin Schrödinger, according to his theory, electrons have some matter waves.

Quantum mechanics find formulation in terms of operators, probabilities, matrices, momentum, wavelength quantities, and in terms of energy. 

For the properties at a macroscopic scale-like force, there is very little treatment, so we study it in the following applications:

1. Wave-particle duality

2. Compton effect

3. Photoelectric effect

4. Moseley’s law

5. Planck’s radiation law