Physics

Physics is the science of matter and its motion, as well as space and time. It uses concepts such as energy, force, mass, and charge. Physics is an experimental science, creating theories that are tested against observations. Broadly, it is the general scientific analysis of nature, with a goal of understanding how the universe behaves.

Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines, and through its modern subfield of astronomy, it may be the oldest of all. Experimental physics began in the Middle Ages and eventually emerged as a modern science during the early modern period. Those who work professionally in the field are known as physicists.

Today, physics is a broad and highly developed subject. Research is often divided into four subfields:

  • Condensed matter physics
  • Atomic, molecular, and optical physics
  • High-energy physics
  • Astronomy and astrophysics

Most physicists also specialize in either theoretical or experimental research, the former dealing with the development of new theories, and the latter dealing with the experimental testing of theories and the discovery of new phenomena. Despite important discoveries during the last four centuries, there are a number of unsolved problems in physics, and many areas of active research.

Did you find this review helpful?
90 Items found Print
Active Filters: Used Books & Materials
Adventures with Atoms and Molecules Book I
by Robert C. Mebane, Thomas R. Rybolt
from Enslow
for 4th-8th grade
in Chemistry (Location: SCI-CHEM)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Aerospace Engineering and the Principles of Flight
Engineering in Action
by Anne Rooney
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Flight & Aerodynamics (Location: SCI-PHYFA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
All About Fire
All About Books #53
by Raymond Holden
from Random House
for 6th-10th grade
in All About Books (Location: VIN-ALL)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
All About Light
by Melvin Berger, illustrated by Blanche Sims
from Scholastic Inc.
for 2nd-3rd grade
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Basher Science: Physics: Why Matter Matters
Basher Science
by Dan Green, Simon Basher
First Edition from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Basher Science (Location: SCI-BASH)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Bridges and Tunnels
Build It Yourself series
by Donna Latham, illustrated by Jen Vaughn
from Nomad Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Christian Kids Explore Physics (old)
by Robert & Elizabeth Ridlon
from Bright Ideas Press
for 4th-8th grade
in Old Edition Science (Location: OSCI)
$17.50 (1 in stock)
Classical Acts and Facts Science Cards: Ecology, Astronomy, and Physics
from Classical Conversations
for Kindergarten-8th grade
in Classical Acts & Facts Cards (Location: HISCUR-CC)
$28.20 $10.00 (1 in stock)
Color in Your Life
by Irving Adler, illustrated by Ruth Adler
from The John Day Company
for 5th-8th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Electricity
DK Eyewitness Series
by Steve Parker
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Energy
by Jack Challoner
from DK Publishing
for 4th-6th grade
in Energy, Forces & Motion (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Eyewitness: Light
DK Eyewitness Series
by David Burnie
from DK Publishing
Science Reference for 4th-8th grade
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK Findout! Engineering
by Emily Hunt
from DK Publishing
for 1st-4th grade
in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
DK See For Yourself: Energy
DK See For Yourself
by Chris Woodford
from DK Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Energy, Forces & Motion (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
E=mc2 Picture Book of Relativity
by Gerald Kahan, illustrated by Charles Prodey
from Tab Books
for 9th-Adult
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Einstein's Theory of Relativity
by Max Born with the collaboration of Gunther Leibfried and Walter Biem
2022 Reprint from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Einstein's Universe
by Nigel Calder
from Viking Press
for Adult
in History of Science & Mathematics (Location: SCI-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Electricity and Magnetism
Usborne Understanding Science
by Eliot Humberstone, Paul-Francis Law & Peter Adamczyk
from Usborne
for 3rd-7th grade
in Clearance: Science & Health (Location: ZCLE-SCI)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Electricity and Magnetism
by Peter Adamczyk, Paul Francis law
from Usborne
for 4th-8th grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Energy
by Chris Woodford
from DK Children
for 4th-6th grade
in Energy, Forces & Motion (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Energy
Build It Yourself
by Kathleen M. Reilly
from Nomad Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Energy, Forces & Motion (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Energy, Forces & Motion
Usborne Internet-Linked Library of Science
by Alastair Smith and Corinne Henderson
from Usborne
for 3rd-8th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Everyday STEM Science: Physics
by Dr. Shini Somara and Rona Skene, illustrated by Luna Valentine
KiwiCo from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Explore Light and Optics with 25 Great Projects
from Nomad Press
for 3rd-6th grade
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Exploring Creation With Chemistry & Physics
by Jeannie Fulbright
from Apologia Educational Ministries
for 3rd-6th grade
in Apologia Young Explorer (Location: SCICUR-AEM)
$44.00 $32.00 (2 in stock)
Exploring Creation With Physical Science - Textbook (really old)
by Jay Wile
2nd edition from Apologia Educational Ministries
for 8th-9th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Apologia Science (Old Versions only) (Location: OSCI-AEM)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Exploring Creation With Physics - Textbook
by Jay Wile
2nd edition from Apologia Educational Ministries
for 11th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Apologia Exploring Creation (Location: SCICUR-AEM)
$45.00 (3 in stock)
Exploring Creation With Physics - Textbook
by Jay Wile
2nd edition from Apologia Educational Ministries
for 11th-12th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Apologia Exploring Creation (Location: SCICUR-AEM)
$71.20 $45.00 (1 in stock)
Fabric of the Cosmos
by Brian Greene
from Vintage Books
for Adult
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
God's Design for the Physical World - Student Book
by Debbie & Richard Lawrence
Master Books Edition from Master Books
for 4th-8th grade
in Master Books God's Design (Location: SCICUR-MB)
$43.19 $35.00 (1 in stock)
Gravity at Work and Play
by Sune Engelbrektson, illustrated by Eric Carle
from Holt, Rinehart and Winston
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
How We Hear
by Judith Fryer, illustrated by George Overlie
from Medical Books for Children
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Illustrated Dictionary of Physics
by Chris Oxlade, Corinne Stockley, Jane Wertheim
from Usborne
for 5th-9th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$7.00 (2 in stock)
Introduction to Energy (old)
by Mindi Eldredge
from The Good and the Beautiful
for Kindergarten-6th grade
in Old Edition Science (Location: OSCI)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Janice VanCleave's Engineering for Every Kid
by Janice VanCleave
from Jossey-Bass
for 3rd-6th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Janice VanCleave's Magnets
by Janice VanCleave
1st edition from Wiley-Interscience
for 6th-10th grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Janice VanCleave's Physics for Every Kid
Janice VanCleave's Science for Every Kid Series
by Janice VanCleave
from John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
for 4th-8th grade
Cathy Duffy's 100 Top Picks
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Kingfisher Flight
by Ian Graham
from Kingfisher
for 3rd-6th grade
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Learning About the Way Things Move
by Heidi Gold-Dworkin & Robert K. Ullman
1st edition from McGraw-Hill
for Preschool-3rd Grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Life of Fred: Elementary Physics
from Polka Dot Publishing
for 7th-9th grade
in Life of Fred Math (Location: MAT-FRED)
$19.00 (1 in stock)
Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 0 with Physics
from Polka Dot Publishing
for 7th-9th grade
in Life of Fred Math (Location: MAT-FRED)
$39.00 $26.00 (2 in stock)
Light and Radiation
Random House Science Library
by Ira M Freeman
from Random House
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$30.00 (1 in stock)
Light is All Around Us
Let's Read and Find Out Level 2
by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by Paul Meisel
from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Lighthouses of North America!
by Lisa Trumbauer, illustrated by Michael Kline
from Williamson Books
for 3rd-6th grade
in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW)
$6.50 (2 in stock)
Magnet Movers
STEM Explorers
from Learning Resources
for Kindergarten-2nd grade
in Science Manipulatives & Lab Supplies (Location: SCIREF-LAB)
$14.00 (1 in stock)
Magnetism
Golden Library of Knowledge
by Raymond Holden, illustrated by Weimer Pursell
from Golden Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$8.00 (2 in stock)
Magnets
by Rocco V. Feravolo, illustrated by Evelyn Urbanowich
from Living Library Press
for 2nd-8th grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.50 (2 in stock)
Magnets and How to Use Them
by Tillie S. Pine and Joseph Levine, illustrated by Bernice Myers
from Scholastic Book Services
for 1st-3rd grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$2.50 (1 in stock)
Newton's Laws: A Fairy Tale
Fairytale Physics
by Sarah Allen
from Sarah McCarthy
for 4th-8th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
Next Wave
Scientists in the Field
by Elizabeth Rusch
from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
for 3rd-6th grade
in Energy, Forces & Motion (Location: SCI-PHY)
$9.50 (1 in stock)
Novare Physics: Modeling Nature - Solutions Manual
by John D. Mays
from Novare
for 12th grade
in Novare Science & Math (Location: SCICUR-NOV)
$46.95 $33.00 (1 in stock)
Now Try This
A Second "Let's Find Out" Picture Science Book
by Herman & Nina Schneider, illustrated by Bill Ballantine
from E.M. Hale and Company
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Physics 101
by Wes Olson
from 101 Series
for 9th-12th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$45.00 (1 in stock)
Physics Experiments for Children
by Muriel Mandell
from Dover Publications
for 4th-6th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$7.95 $4.00 (2 in stock)
Physics for the Grammar Stage - Set (old)
by Paige Hudson
2nd edition from Elemental Science
for 3rd-5th grade
in Old Edition Science (Location: OSCI)
$24.00 (2 in stock)
Physics Level I - Set
by Rebecca W. Keller
from Gravitas Publications, Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Real Science-4-Kids (old editions) (Location: OSCI-RS4K)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Physics Level I - Teacher's Manual (old)
by Rebecca W. Keller
from Gravitas Publications, Inc.
for 5th-8th grade
in Real Science-4-Kids (old editions) (Location: OSCI-RS4K)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Physics Matters - Textbook (old)
by Charles Chew, et al.
from Marshall Cavendish Education
for 11th-12th grade
in Singapore Science Matters (Location: SCICUR-SMSM)
$20.00 (1 in stock)
Physics of Superheroes
by James Kakalios
2nd edition from Avery
for 9th-Adult
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Physics of the Impossible
by Michio Kaku
from Anchor Books
for 10th-Adult
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Physics: Its Marvels and Mysteries
by Daniel Q. Posin
from Albert Whitman & Company
for 4th-7th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Properties of Atoms & Molecules (old)
God's Design for Chemistry & Ecology
by Debbie and Richard Lawrence
3rd edition from Answers in Genesis
for 4th-8th grade
$7.50 (2 in stock)
Quest for Personal Best: Individual Sports
by Lisa Greathouse
from Teacher Created Materials, Inc.
for 3rd-6th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Relativity
by Albert Einstein, translated by Robert W. Lawson
from Crown Publishers
for 10th-Adult
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Running on Sunshine
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Level 2
by Carolyn Cinami DeCristofano, illustrated by Giovana Medeiros
from Harper
for 1st-3rd grade
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Safe & Simple Projects with Electricity
by Charles D. Neal
from Children's Press
for 3rd-8th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Safe and Simple Electrical Experiments
by Rudolf F. Graf
from Dover Publications
for 9th grade-adult
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Saxon Physics - Home Study Kit
1st edition from Saxon Publishers
for 11th-12th grade
in Saxon Math (Location: MAT-SAX)
$165.20 $90.00 (2 in stock)
Saxon Physics - Textbook
by John Saxon
1st edition from Saxon Publishers
for 11th-12th grade
in Saxon Math (Location: MAT-SAX)
$75.00 (2 in stock)
Shape: The Purpose of Forms
Science At Work
by Eric Laithwaite
from Franklin Watts
for 3rd-6th grade
in How Things Work (Location: SCIREF-HOW)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Signposts Aloft DVD
from Moody Press
for 7th-12th grade
in Moody Science DVDs (Location: SCI-MOODY)
$4.00 (2 in stock)
Sky Pioneers
by Jeanne LeMonnier Gardner, illustrated by Douglas Gorsline
from Harcourt, Brace & World
for 3rd-6th grade
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Smash!
by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Christian Cornia
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Sounds All Around
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Level 1
by Wendy Pfeffer, illustrated by Anna Chernyshova
2nd edition from Harper
for Preschool-Kindergarten
in Light & Sound (Location: SCI-PHY)
$4.50 (1 in stock)
Story of Flight
by Mary Lee Settle
from Random House
for 4th-7th grade
in Step Up Books (Location: VIN-STEP)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Story of Thomas Alva Edison, Inventor
Scholastic Biographies
by Margaret Davidson
from Scholastic Inc.
for 4th-7th grade
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$2.00 (2 in stock)
Things That Float and Things That Don't
from Holiday House
for Preschool-2nd grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Thinking Physics
by Lewis Carroll Epstein
3rd edition from Insight Press
for 6th-9th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$21.00 (1 in stock)
Thud!
by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Christian Cornia
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Tops: Building and Experimenting with Spinning Toys
Boston Children's Museum Activity Book
by Bernie Zubrowski, illustrated by Roy Doty
from Morrow Eagle
for 3rd-6th grade
in Science Experiments & Activities (Location: SCI-EXP)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
Universe in a Nutshell
by Stephen Hawking
from Bantam Books
for Adult
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Usborne Book of Batteries and Magnets
from Usborne
for 3rd-6th grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Visual Dictionary of Physics
DK Visual Dictionaries
by Jack Challoner
from DK Publishing
for 8th-Adult
in Oversized Science Books (Location: SCI-OVER)
$12.00 (1 in stock)
We Read About Sounds and How They Are Made
Webster Junior Science Series
by Harold E. Tannenbaum, Nathan Stillman, illustrated by Gene Foote
from Webster Publishing Co.
for 2nd-4th grade
in Vintage Science & Math (Location: VIN-SCI)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
What Are Waves? (Catch a Wave)
by Heather Hudak
from Crabtree Publishing
for 3rd-6th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
What Makes a Magnet?
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Stage 2
by Franklyn M. Branley, Illustrated by True Kelley
Revised from HarperCollins
for Kindergarten-3rd grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Whoosh!
by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Alan Brown
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Wind at Work
by Gretchen Woelfle
from Chicago Review Press
for 3rd-7th grade
in Energy, Forces & Motion (Location: SCI-PHY)
$8.50 (1 in stock)
Young Scientist Book of Electricity
by Philip Chapman
from Usborne
for 4th-6th grade
in Electricity & Magnetism (Location: SCI-PHY)
$2.50 (2 in stock)
Zoom!
by Mark Weakland, illustrated by Paco Sordo
from Capstone Press
for 2nd-5th grade
in Physics (Location: SCI-PHY)
$5.00 (1 in stock)