Physics Related to Technology and Society

There are a number of examples in the world that show a close relationship between physics, technology and society. Such as, the steam engine is inseparable from the Industrial Revolution in England in the 18th century, which had a great impact on the course of human civilisation. Wireless communication technology and computers are some other examples.

Examples of the fact that physics generates new technology-

1. The Wireless Communication Technology -

The discovery of the basic laws of electricity and magnetism in the nineteenth century gave rise to a new technology named 'The Wireless Communication Technology'. We use so many gadgets and other apparatus like cellphones, Tablets, computers & internet, TV, Radio etc. through which we communicate easily.

2. Nuclear Technology -

The applications of physics are not always easy to foresee. The great physicist Ernest Rutherford dismissed the possibility of tapping energy from atoms in 1933. But only a few years later, in 1938, Hahn and Meitner discovered the phenomenon of neutron-induced fission of uranium, which became a fundamental principle of nuclear power reactors and nuclear weapons.

3. Silicon Chip Technology -

Yet another important example of physics giving rise to technology is the silicon chip, which triggered the computer revolution in the last three decades of the twentieth century.

4. Development of Alternative Energy Resources -

A most significant area to which physics has and will contribute is the development of alternative energy resources. The fossil fuels of the earth are ending fast, and there is an urgent need to discover new and affordable sources of energy. Considerable progress has already been made in this direction, e.g. conversion of solar energy, geothermal energy, etc., into electricity), but much more is still to be accomplished.

A list of some of the great physicists, their major contribution and their country of origin is given here, which are multi-cultural, international characters of the scientific endeavour.

A list of some the principles of physics and the important technologies that are based on respective principles.