Modern physics

High school (ages 12+)
Science & Technology

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Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/modern-physics

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the originating period?Early 20th century, marked by paradigm shifts around 1890 onwards
2. What is the foundational theories?Quantum mechanics (Planck, Bohr, Heisenberg, Schrödinger) and Relativity (Einstein: Special and General)
3. What is modern physics and why is it different from older physics?Modern physics looks at very small particles and very fast speeds, using new ideas like quantum mechanics and relativity that replace older, predictable rules.
4. Why did scientists need new theories like quantum mechanics and relativity?Experiments in the late 1800s, such as blackbody radiation and the photoelectric effect, didn't fit old theories, so new ideas were created.

Quantum Mechanics: A fundamental theory in physics describing the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles.
Special Relativity: Einstein's theory relating space and time, stating that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers.
General Relativity: Einstein's theory of gravitation, describing gravity as the curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy.
Standard Model: The theory describing three of the four known fundamental forces (electromagnetic, weak, and strong nuclear forces) and classifying all known elementary particles.