http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Introduction to Physics
CHAPTER
(^1) Introduction to Physics
Chapter Outline
1.1 Definition of Physics
1.2 SCIENTIFICMETHOD
1.3 MEASUREMENT
1.4 MATHEMATICSTOOLS FORPHYSICS
1.5 REFERENCES
Aristotle (384–322 BCE) was an incredibly important thinker in his time; he made contributions to philosophy,
mathematics, physics, biology, politics, theater, and more. Nonetheless, he followed the tendency of his time to
make unsubstantiated claims based solely on logical reasoning, such as his false proclamation that men eat more
than women and therefore must have more teeth. The scientific method, which became common after Aristotle’s
time, made careful observations—rather than opinions—the basis of scientific inquiry. Without this method, the
hypotheses, theories, discoveries, and inventions we think of as “science” would not be possible. In this chapter, you
will be introduced to the field of physics, as well as the methodology of physics experiments.