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What is the difference between physical physics and modern physics?
By physical physics, you're probably talking about continuum mechanics and classical mechanics. And by modern physics you are probably talking about quantum mechanics and spec…ial and general relativity. Which includes some relatively new theories about sub-atomic particles like quarks, and strings. Classical mechanics is the study of the motion of objects which are above the size of the atom. It is called classical, because it is based on the older classic ideas developed by scientists like Isaac Newton. Hence the term Newtonian mechanics which is the term for the ideas about motion Newton is said to have developed. Continuum mechanics is the idea of dealing with the movement of objects ignoring the idea that they are made out of atoms, but instead treating objects as continuous materials. It includes solid and fluid mechanics. Archimedes, Evangelista Torricelli, Isaac Newton, Blaise Pascal, Claude-Louis Navier and George Gabriel Stokes all developed ideas on fluid mechanics. Solid mechanics deals with how solid materials behave when forces are applied to them. These ideas still work for most normal sized physical objects today. Modern Physics likely includes fields like relativity and quantum mechanics, the study of sub-atomic behaviour like waves and sub-atomic particles such as Hadrons. And the building blocks of hadrons, quarks and their various types (up, down, charm, strange, top, bottom). Bosons (force particles) like gluons and photons. Modern physics would include new theories of unification such as string theory. Unification is the aim of creating a general theory that describes the behaviour of objects both above and below the size of an atom. Effectively unifying classical and quantum mechanics. Part of the aim of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is to try to further investigate areas of physics such as quantum mechanics and string theory. In conclusion most ideas after the dawn of the 20th Century would be considered Modern Physics. The ideas before the discovery of atoms would probably be considered 'physical' physics. (MORE)
