Summary of Classical Physics
Physics as it stood near the end of the 19th Century
Fundamental concepts:
- Time flows the same everywhere for all observers
- Space is described by 3 dimensions (Euclidean Geometry)
- Mass is never created nor destroyed (conserved)
- Charge (plus and minus) total is conserved
- Energy changes form but is conserved
- Momentum is conserved
Fundamental Objects and Laws:
- Particles have mass and move according to Newton’s laws
- Force originates in interactions between particles of matter
- Waves are moving patterns in a medium - e.g. light is described by Maxwell’s laws
Waves have interference -- Particles do not