Physics, Technology and Society
Common Examples
Link between Technology and Physics
| Technology | Scientific principle(s) |
|---|---|
| Steam engine | Laws of thermodynamics |
| Nuclear reactor | Controlled nuclear fission |
| Radio and Television | Generation, propagation, and detection of electromagnetic waves |
| Computers | Digital logic |
| Lasers | Light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation |
| Production of ultra-high magnetic fields | Superconductivity |
| Rocket propulsion | Newton’s laws of motion |
| Electric generator | Faraday’s laws of electromagnetic induction |
| Hydroelectric power | Conversion of gravitational potential energy into electrical energy |
| Aeroplane | Bernoulli’s principle in fluid dynamics |
| Particle accelerators | Motion of charged particles in electromagnetic fields |
| Sonar | Reflection of ultrasonic waves |
| Optical fibres | Total internal reflection of light |
| Non-reflecting coatings | Thin film optical interference |
| Electron microscope | Wave nature of electrons |
| Photocell | Photoelectric effect |
| Fusion test reactor (Tokamak) | Magnetic confinement of plasma |
| Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope (GMRT) | Detection of cosmic radio waves |
| Bose-Einstein condensate | Trapping and cooling of atoms by laser beams and magnetic fields. |
Some Important Physicist from India
| Important Physicist | Contribution to Physics |
|---|---|
| J. C. Bose | Ultra short radio wave |
| C. V. Raman | Inelastic scattering of light by molecules – Raman effect – won him Nobel Prize |
| M. N. Saha | Thermal Ionisation |
| S. N. Bose | Quantum Statistics |
| Homi Jehangir Bhabha | Cascade process of cosmic radiation |
| S. Chandrashekhar | Chandrashekhar Limit, structure, and evolution of stars |
