PHYSICAL PHENOMENA: CHARACTERISTICS AND EXAMPLES - SCIENCE - 2026

The physical phenomenon is all that in which energy conversions, changes in electromagnetic waves occur when interacting with bodies, or changes in matter without affecting its composition or its chemical identity.

Thus, mechanical energy can be used to crush a nut, and not for that reason its molecules create or break bonds; while if the nut is heated by thermal energy, we will be facing a chemical phenomenon due to its combustion. Virtually all macro-scale interactions between bodies (not addressing quantum physics) are examples of physical phenomena.

The colors of the sky and its redness are due to the physical phenomenon known as Rayleigh scattering. Source: Azwar via Pexels.

Light interacts with the dust and ice particles that cover the atmosphere, causing the sky to appear bluish. The greater this interaction (larger particles or longer paths of light), the colors will turn reddish, as happens in sunrises and sunsets; that is, the Rayleigh scattering.

We can mention among other examples of physical phenomena: preparing a juice in the blender, slicing bread, the movement of windmills, the rise of rockets, melting snow, inhaling helium, the propagation of sound in different media, ferromagnetism, nuclear reactions, the Doppler effect, cloud condensation, and many more.

characteristics

In the physical phenomenon, changes can occur in the body, matter or substance during a process, without any changes in their composition.

The process that occurs during a physical phenomenon is reversible. Liquid water can be transformed into a solid (ice) by freezing, which is a physical phenomenon. This is accomplished by lowering the water temperature to 0 ° C or less.

If the ice is then heated, it is transformed back into liquid water, through fusion; other physical phenomenon. Therefore, it is concluded that a characteristic of this type of phenomenon is its reversibility.

The physical phenomenon is also repeatable. The example above indicates that the freeze and melt cycle can be repeated many times, without the water experiencing any structural or compositional change during the process.

The changes that occur during the occurrence of a physical phenomenon are perceptible. The man is aware that it is raining; casting your shadow, or looking at a rainbow.

Examples

The Rainbow

The interactions of light with water droplets are an example of a physical phenomenon as there are no changes in the identity of the water. Source: Pixabay.

When water drops are present in suspension in the atmosphere, it may happen that these drops serve as prisms, and that when the light falls on them at an appropriate angle, they decompose the visible light into the seven colors that form it. This is how the rainbow originates: a beautiful atmospheric phenomenon.

Refraction of light

Refraction of a pencil

When light passes from one medium to another it experiences a deviation in its direction, due to the fact that the speed of light is not the same in the two mediums. This phenomenon is manifested when an object is observed in the water, which suggests that it is closer and in a direction that is not the real one.

Opacity

It is the phenomenon of obstruction of the passage of light through a body, this phenomenon manifesting itself by the shadow that the body projects on a surface.

This phenomenon of absorption of light by substances in solution has been used to determine the concentration of substances by the absorption spectrophotometry method.

Rotation of the Earth

The Earth constantly rotates on itself in relation to an axis of rotation. This movement results in the existence of day and night. The day is characterized by the presence of sunlight and the night by its absence.

A top also rotates on itself and moves by drawing different paths. Source: Pexels.

Translation

At the same time that the Earth's rotation occurs, it moves around the Sun in a movement known as translation, which lasts for 365 days. The consequence of the translation movement is the existence of the seasons of the year: summer, autumn, winter and spring.

Elasticity

A body can be deformed by the application of a force. But if it is an elastic body, a force can be generated within it that opposes the deformation and causes the recovery of the original shape of the body, once the deformation force ceases.

Inflating a balloon supplies air. The air exerts pressure on the wall of the balloon, which is translated into a force that stretches the wall. But in turn, a force that opposes its distension grows on the wall of the globe.

This force tends to restore the balloon to its original shape, so when releasing the balloon, the restoring force, which appeared on the wall, causes the air to escape from inside the balloon and it returns to its original shape. A similar phenomenon occurs in the lungs during the phases of inspiration and expiration.

Earth's gravity force

It is an attractive force of the Earth that keeps the bodies on the surface of the same preventing them from floating, as it happens in outer space. The existence of this force is manifested when going up and down a ladder. The effort to climb the ladder is greater than that required to lower it.

This is explained because when climbing a ladder the movement occurs against gravity, while when lowering it the action is carried out in favor of gravity.

The greater the mass of a body, the greater the magnitude of the force of gravity acting on it.

Hydraulic energy

A stream of water is made up of a set of particles or molecules that are moving in one direction. These moving particles have a certain kinetic energy that together can have an energy of great magnitude.

Hydroelectric plants use energy from water from dams to generate electricity. This is a positive effect of hydropower. Negatively, acting in an uncontrolled way, it can cause serious damage to bridges, houses, roads, etc.

Evaporation

It is the passage of the molecules that constitute a liquid to the air that surrounds it. For this phenomenon to occur, the energy of the molecules of the moving liquid must be sufficient to overcome the intermolecular forces of attraction.

Evaporation is favored by an increase in temperature, since the energy of the liquid molecules increases. In this sense, sunlight when heating water increases evaporation and cloud formation.

References

1. Whitten, Davis, Peck & Stanley. (2008). Chemistry (8th ed.). CENGAGE Learning.
2. Serway & Jewett. (2009). Physics: for science and engineering with Modern Physics. Volume 2. (Seventh edition). Cengage Learning.
3. Wikipedia. (2019). List of natural phenomena. Recovered from: en.wikipedia.org
4. StudiousGuy. (2019). 10 Examples Of Physics In Everyday Life. Recovered from: studiousguy.com
5. Achintya Rao. (December 1, 2017). A day in the life. Physics World. Recovered from: physicsworld.com