Abstract

Many significant problems in physics remain unsolved not merely for lack of clever mathematics or even a good theory, but for lack of a proper paradigm behind the mathematics. Therefore, this paper examines the definitions of several fundamental properties such as space, time, energy, field, force, mass, entropy and temperature, suggesting fundamentally new ways of understanding them all. Also the quadratic nature of energy defined as relationship naturally leads to a distinction between self energy within objects and interaction energy between objects. This distinction admits new definitions of entropy and temperature, based on the unavoidable cross terms inherent in any quadratic formulation. Further, the foundational concepts of the circuit and rotation are shown to be intimately connected with the very existence of particles and their structure. Certainly rotation plays a foundational and still overlooked role in explaining the energy relation E = mc² as well as the very nature of light as an interaction between particles.