Research of the natural sciences began in ancient times. Some important discoveries in physics came from a theoretical approach, and on the other hand, some discoveries resulted from the experiment. Some discoveries occurred by an accident or as a result of an ordinary observation, which later had to be theoretically explained.
This tells us that theory and experiment are necessarily linked.
Basic methods of physical research are:
– Observation – the phenomena is being directly observed and based the conclusion is made based on the observation;
– Experiment – the phenomenon is studied in specially prepared conditions;
– Theoretical explanation – is developed based on the results of the previous two methods.
Laws relating to physical phenomena are called natural laws of physics. The laws of physics help to explain the natural phenomena and processes that are studied by physics.
