I’m currently going all in on studying the universe, but I’m a total noob. I have some math skills and perhaps a slightly above-average understanding of physics from YouTube videos, courses, and a handful of books that I read, but all in all, I’m very much at the beginning of my pursuit of truth.
There is, obviously, a whole lot that comes to seeking the truth, but a firm understanding of physics should certainly be useful rather than harmful in that regard.
That’s why this will be an exploration of what physics even is as a discipline, and what it actually studies. Let’s begin.
The Universe
Physics studies the observable truths of the universe. There is, unfortunately, no way to study truths that aren’t observable, and thus, physics is the most based approach to the pursuit of truth.
Now, it’s important to note that biology, for example, studies something that is in the universe, but it doesn’t study the universe directly - it doesn’t study it as its object of focus. Biology studies living things, and living things exist within the universe, but physics studies the fundamental nature of the universe itself. Ultimately, physics can explain all of biology, but not the other way around. Same with chemistry.
So at least as a foundation physics shouldn’t be neglected. To build real understanding you obviously need to study existence holistically though.
Objects of Focus
The following is a list of the things physicists focus on, or have been able to identify as broadly categorized occurrences in the universe:
Fundamental laws
Matter
Energy
Interactions
Space
Time
Fundamental constants
Emergent phenomena
I’ll dive deeper into each item on this list, but first, I want to emphasize the general object of focus in physics once again. Physics is looking for how “everything that exists” exists.
In the words of Richard Feynman:
“What we’re looking for, is how everything works.
What makes Everything, work.”
Another important thing to add to this is the possibility that there might be a non-physical reality outside of the universe, or that the universe might exist in a completely different way than we initially thought. A multiverse, for example, would simply be a different word for a universe we initially underestimated. Or, there might be a consciousness-based reality that transcends physical reality. This is hard to grasp since there is no “outside” really - space is a property of the universe - but that doesn’t mean that physical reality is the only reality. Our definition of “universe” might just have to adjust to what is actually “everything that exists”.
But now, let me dive a bit deeper into what physicists have been able to categorize broadly as the things that exist.
Fundamental Laws
Expressed in the language of mathematics, a few patterns or laws have been found. These laws have predictive power - meaning: they describe definite behavior within reality, and when you make an experiment where you test the validity of this description, the results prove that the description has been accurate.
These can then be used to find further truths by comparing them with all the other laws and philosophizing until a new hypothesis has been formed, to then make new experiments and continually expand your understanding of the patterns of reality.
Let me give a brief overview of the 7 most fundamental laws of physics:
Newton’s Laws of Motion: Three laws. 1) Inertia - an object remains at rest or in uniform motion unless an external force acts on it. 2) Force and acceleration - an object accelerates in direct proportion to the net force acting on it and in inverse proportion to its mass (force accelerates and mass hinders acceleration). 3) Action-reaction - for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction (when you punch a face, your fist experiences the same force as the face it punches).