The word physics is derived from the Latin word physica, which simply means 'natural thing.' According to the Oxford English Dictionary, physics is defined as:
The branch of science concerned with the nature and properties of matter and energy. The subject matter of physics includes mechanics, heat, light, radiation, sound, electricity, magnetism, and the structure of atoms.
In short, Physics deals with the properties of matter and energy and the relationship between them. It also tries to explain the material world and the natural phenomena of the universe.
The scope of physics is both wide and vast. It not only deals with the smallest particles at the atomic level, but also astronomical phenomenon like the galaxies, the milky way, solar and lunar eclipses, and more. While physics is a branch of science, there are many sub-branches within the field of physics. These include classical, modern, nuclear and atomic physics, as well as optics, acoustics, mechanics, thermodynamics and the hybridized form of astrophysics, biophysics and geophysics.
Our focus and area of interest though is in the realm of Quantum Physics, also known as Quantum Mechanics, which aims at describing the behavioral and advanced properties of nature on the atomic scale. Albert Einstein, the renown physicist who formulated the theory of relativity, one of two pillars of modern physics alongside quantum mechanics, gave his candid take on the latter:
Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the Old One. I, at any rate, am convinced that He does not roll dice.
Quantum physics is not an easy subject to explain or understand within a short framework of time. If we could put it simply in terms of what we can relate:
The first dimension is a straight line, the second a plane, the third a solid, and the fourth dimension is the third plus time.
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