Physics €" for many people, this term strikes instant terror in their hearts, and is regarded as something that, if not mildly unpleasant, is utterly incomprehensible. But not to fear, physics is actually surprisingly easy if you have the right tools to understand it. It is basically the scientific description of the way things work in the world, and with a thorough graphical demonstration of the laws being described, most people find that physics actually makes a great deal of sense. And with the wide array of science related networks on satellite TV, there's never been a better time to tune in to learn a bit more about the science of our world.

One of the best places to start in physics are Newton's laws. Named for famous physicist Isaac Newton, they describe the basic laws that govern the motion of objects in space. The first of Newton's laws is that the velocity of an object remains constant unless acted upon by an external force. This may at first seem to be incorrect, since many objects seem to come to a stop on their own without any external force. This was in fact exactly what Newton was challenging with this law. His law states that objects appear to come to rest because they are acted on by friction, an external force. For a more thorough demonstration of this law, check your satellite TV connection for science related material.

Newton's second law states that the acceleration of an object is directly related to the force acting on it in relation to the mass of the object itself. This may seem like a difficult one to swallow at first. But when you think about it a bit, it becomes surprisingly simple. When you push harder on an object, it tends to move faster. On the other hand, if you push on a smaller object with the same force as with a larger object, it takes off at a faster rate. Newton summed up this law with the equation f=ma; in other words, the force applied to an object is equal to the mass of the object, times the rate at which it will accelerate. But all you have to know is, greater forces and less mass lead to greater acceleration. There are plenty great demonstrations of this on satellite TV to help you wrap your head around it.

Finally, Newton's third law states that every action will have an equal and opposing reaction. What he means by this is that when two objects are in contact and one pushes in one direction, the natural reaction of the other part is to move the other direction. To understand this better, picture a balloon full of air that has been released, fluttering around a room. As the air escapes from the balloon in one direction, the balloon itself is pushed in the other direction. Satellite TV will help you out on this one if you need further demonstrations.