5 More Physics Equations Everyone Should Know

The article presents five essential physics equations that everyone should know to better understand the world, emphasizing their conceptual meaning rather than mathematical derivations. The first is the Work-Energy Principle, which states that the change in a system’s energy equals the work done on it. Using the example of a bowling ball, the article illustrates how applying work increases kinetic energy, which then transfers to the pins, causing a strike. This principle underpins the conservation of energy and has led to significant discoveries, such as the neutrino particle in nuclear reactions. The second equation discussed is the Ideal Gas Law, which relates pressure, volume, temperature, and particle number in a gas. It explains everyday phenomena like why a bike tire heats up when pumped or why a balloon shrinks in cold weather. The article notes that this law can be understood both as a continuous medium model and as a collection of moving molecules. The third equation introduced is Boltzmann’s Entropy Equation, which connects entropy—a measure of disorder or randomness