Physics not only helps people understand how objects move, but how they change form, how they make noise, how hot or cold they will be, and what they are made of at the smallest level. In short, physics is the branch of science that deals with properties of matter and energy along with the interaction between them.

Galileo has been called the "father of modern observational astronomy", the "father of modern physics", the "father of science", and "the father of modern science".

Some would argue that physics began in Western Europe during the Renaissance with the work of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, and Newton. Others would trace the beginnings back to the early Greeks and credit the Ionian, Thales, with being the world's first physicist.