Physics , romanized: physik , lit. 'knowledge of nature', from phsis ‘nature’)
Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines and, through its inclusion of astronomy, perhaps the oldest. Physics intersects with many interdisciplinary areas of research, such as biophysics and quantum chemistry, and the boundaries of physics are not rigidly defined.
For example, advances in the understanding of electromagnetism, solid-state physics, and nuclear physics led directly to the development of new products that have dramatically transformed modern-day society, such as television, computers, domestic appliances, and nuclear weapons; advances in thermodynamics led to the development of industrialization; and advances in mechanics inspired the development of calculus.
