Very Brief History of Physics & Physical Chemistry
- Newtonian Mechanics
- Isaac Newton (1642-1727),
Cambridge England
- notions of mass, force, velocity, acceleration
- physical laws, mathematical methods -- superb for much
of the macroscopic world
- developed laws for optics, too
- Start of Modern Chemistry
- Elements of Chemistry by Antoine Lavoisier
(1743-1794)
- effective us of the burning glass and balance
- established the nature of air and water
- explained the role of oxygen in combustion and oxidations
- Confusion about Atoms / Debates about Atomic Weights
- Avagadro Hypothesis (1811):
Equal volumes of gasses
at the same T and P have equal numbers of particles
- Many arguments about the reality of atoms throughout
the 19th century
- Electricity, Magnetism, & Light
- Michael Faraday (1791-1867), English. Outstanding
experimentalist; established connections between
electricity and magnetism
- James Clerk Maxwell (1831-1879), Scottish. Developed
fundamental equations for classical electromagnetic fields
- Thermodynamics
- Relationships between heat, work, and energy.
Developed thoughout most of the
19th century
- Heat as "caloric" (a fluid substance) was eventually
replaced by heat as motion
- Relief from endless debates about atoms (no atomic
hypotheses needed)
- Provided foundations for studying chemical equilibrium
and chemical affinity (reactions)
- Kinetic Theory / Statistical Mechanics
- 1870s: Maxwell & Boltzmann found
ways to combine
Newtonian mechanics with large numbers of particles
- Explained thermodynamic and other properties of materials
- 1880s: More debates -- are atoms
real or just convenient
mathematical devices?
- Early 20th Century Physics
- 1905-1915:Einstein's Relativity Theories
(space/time/energy/mass/gravity connections)
- 1920-30:Quantum Mechanics Revolution
- 1900-1940:Structure of atoms and
nuclei revealed --
beams hitting targets
- Chemical bond explained