Physics is the scientific study of matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. ³ It is one of the most fundamental scientific disciplines. ^{4 5 6} A scientist who specializes in the field of physics is called a physicist.

Physics is one of the oldest academic disciplines. ⁷ Over much of the past two millennia, physics, chemistry, biology, and certain branches of mathematics were part of natural philosophy, but during the Scientific Revolution in the 17th century, these natural sciences branched into separate research endeavors. Physics intersects with many interdisciplinary areas of research, such as biophysics and quantum chemistry, and the boundaries of physics are not rigidly defined. New ideas in physics often explain the fundamental mechanisms studied by other sciences ⁴ and suggest new avenues of research in these and other academic disciplines, such as mathematics and philosophy.

Advances in physics often enable new technologies. For example, advances in the understanding of electromagnetism, solid-state physics, and nuclear physics led directly to the development of technologies that have transformed modern society, such as television, computers, domestic appliances, and nuclear weapons; ⁴ advances in thermodynamics led to the development of industrialization; and advances in mechanics inspired the development of calculus.