Physics and astronomy

Abstract

The chapter is about physics and astronomy. The chapter gives a background about the origins of physics in South Africa. After the CSIR was founded in 1945, physics emerged as a nationwide and unified discipline. The authors show how physics in South Africa took a turn after South Africa was expelled from the British Commonwealth for its policies of apartheid. It further tells a story of how a physics society such as the South African Institute of Physics (SAIP) was formed in 1955 at the University of Pretoria. Among other aspects of physics the authors address, Astrophysics and space science; Condensed matter physics and material science; Education; Lasers, optics and spectroscopy; Nuclear, particle and radiation physics; Theoretical physics and concludes by assessing physics and suggesting a way forward.