Physics 'Knowledge of nature' Who named Physics? The History of Physics - Before Aristotle: Atomism and Natural Laws. Thales was the first physicist and his theories actually gave the discipline its name. He believed that the world, although fashioned from many materials, was really built of only one element, water, called Physis in Ancient Greek. Physics is considered to be one of the primitive subjects and academic disciplines to be discovered. It encompasses the study of matter, its motion and behaviour along with energy and force. As a vast discipline, it intersects with many different subjects and disciplines such as biophysics and quantum chemistry. Physics very often defines a wide range of principles and methodologies studied by other areas of sciences. It also suggests new areas of research for other academic fields, even mathematics and philosophy . Branches of Physics