At the same time physics and mathematics represent the ideal environment and the daily training of rational capacities based on logic-deductive intelligence, that is, however, simply one of the possible forms of intelligence, on analytical and inductive capacities of abstraction behind the observation and the representation of phenomena.
In modern physics it's quite impossible to separate physics from mathematics, insomuch as it's more correct not to speak of physics, but of mathematical physics.

And mathematics with different tools offered by infinitesimal calculus, by differential and integral calculus, as well as by algebra and geometry, constitutes the foundation not only for the formalization of physical systems, but also for logical systems, through suitable discrete structure, above all applied in theoric computer science and in the project of software systems.

Anyway, besides these general facts, it's good to be familiar with the evolution of physics, starting from classic physics, reaching with consciousness quantum physics and relativistic physics.

Mechanics

Mechanics represents the central discipline of physics, starting from classic mechanics, also known as Newton mechanics, though, beacause of historical accuracy, Newton represents simply the tip of the iceberg and the most famous name.
However, we don't have to forget that Newton laws were introduced in a just ready and fertile "land", prepared also by Galileo Galilei, that can be considered the pioneer of scientific method and that died just in birth year of Isaac Newton.

One of the currents of development for classical mechanics, important in the mechanical studies of materials, is reppresented by continuum mechanics.
Another fundamental expression for classical mechanics is fluidodynamics, that is connected to thermocinetics in a very interesting way and is also behind the study of acoustics.

And the development of modern physics goes on passing through the crisis of classic mechanics, that leads to radical changes, till the point of the fullfilment of quantum mechanincs, with different main players, such as Schroedinger, Planck and Einstein himself.
And when we speak of Albert Einstein, we suddenly think about relativistic mechanics, whether in the form of special relativity theory or in the form of general relativity theory.
However, to understand in depth modern relativistic mechanics we have to go back in time, facing the classic relativity theory, i.e. the Galileo relativity theory: to understand the development of theories we have to trace back to the origins, for a critic and active, not merely superficial, learning.

Electromagnetism

When we move to the study of quantum mechanics, the edge between mechanics and electromagnetism could seem, from some points of view, quite conventional and fruitlessly pedantic.
Anyway, besides these considerations with twines between philosophy and didactic themes, electromagnetism is a physical fundamental discipline, that has got to be known and understood deeply , in particular in the field of information engineering, considering the relative environments of electronic engineering and of telecommunication engineering.
Infact, electromagnetic fields represent a powerful formal tool for modeling different physical phenomena, that affect, for example, the design of electronic circuits or the design of antenna systems.
The same electric circuit theory, behind the electronic circuit design and the civil and industrial plant design, is a direct consequence of electromagnetics field theory, with particular hypothesis.

Thermodynamics and thermo-kinetics

An important thread of the weave of physical knowledge is represented by energy.
This concept is fundamental and is present in every physical discipline, from mechanics to electromagnetism.
Thermodynamics represents perhaps the physical discipline, where the concept of energy is faced in the most wide and incisive way, so completing mechanics and electromagnetism.
And we haven't to speak as much about energy, but rather about forms of energy.
Anyway, the relativity theory deals with the problem in an even more wide manner, walking into the "secrets" of physics of matter, binding the concepts of mass and energy, through the introduction of the principle of equivalence between mass and energy.
So, thermodynamics, together with quantum mechanics, is one of the main tools, studying fundamentals of chemistry.
Following different paths, thermodynamics, in conjuction with fluidodynamics, gives rise to thermo-kinetics, whose theory and application are fundamental to comprehend different natural phenomena, also behind climatology, and also to have engineering tools to be used in different contexts, such as in heat conduction.