nuclear physics

American  

[noo-klee-er fiz-iks, nyoo-] / ˈnu kli ər ˈfɪz ɪks, ˈnyu- /

noun

(used with a singular verb)

1. the branch of physics that deals with the behavior, structure, and component parts of atomic nuclei.

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nuclear physics British  

noun

1. (functioning as singular) the branch of physics concerned with the structure and behaviour of the nucleus and the particles of which it consists

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nuclear physics Scientific  

1. The scientific study of the structure and behavior atomic nuclei.

2. See also neutron proton strong force

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Pronunciation

See nuclear ( def. ).

Other Word Forms

• nuclear physicist noun

Etymology

Origin of nuclear physics

First recorded in 1930–35

Example Sentences

“There’s a clear pattern of why and what has happened here. This is not nuclear physics.”

From Los Angeles Times

With her family's support, she returned to complete her degree and later earned an MSc in nuclear physics at the University of the Western Cape, graduating with distinction.

From BBC

The experiment involved bombarding a thin sheet of gold foil with alpha particles, and earned Rutherford, from Bridgewater on New Zealand's South Island, the moniker the "father of nuclear physics".

From BBC

While in the Navy, Carter took graduate courses in nuclear physics and served as a submariner on the USS Pomfret.

From Los Angeles Times

Mapping out the entanglement among quarks and gluons inside protons could offer insight into other complex questions in nuclear physics, including how being part of a larger nucleus affects proton properties.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• particle physics
• quantum mechanics