Fysiken

Fysiken (Swedish for physics) is the natural science that studies matter, energy, and the fundamental interactions governing them. It seeks to understand how the universe behaves from subatomic particles to cosmic scales, and to develop models that predict natural phenomena.

Historically, fysiken emerged from ancient philosophers and evolved through classical mechanics to modern physics, including quantum mechanics and relativity. The discipline relies on the scientific method: observation, hypothesis, experiment, mathematical formulation, and validation.

Core subfields include classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, quantum physics, relativity, and specialized areas such as particle physics, condensed matter physics, atomic and optical physics, astrophysics, and nuclear physics.

Methods combine theoretical work with experimental techniques and technological instrumentation, such as accelerators, spectrometers, telescopes, and detectors. Physics informs technology and industry, enabling advances in electronics, communications, energy, medicine, and materials science.

In education and research, fysiken is a central subject in higher education and research institutions in Sweden and other countries. The field fosters critical thinking and quantitative reasoning, and often intersects with other disciplines such as chemistry, engineering, and computer science.