Unification of theories in physics

Unification of theories about observable fundamental phenomena of nature is one of the primary goals of physics. Isaac Newton’s unification of terrestrial and celestial mechanics into one theory of gravity in the 17th century and James Clerk Maxwell’s unification of electricity with magnetism into electromagnetism in the 19th were the first two unifications. In the 20th century the focus shifted to the unification of fundamental interactions (also called forces), beginning with the unification of electromagnetic forces with the weak force to create electroweak interaction. This process of "unifying" forces continues today, with the ultimate goal of finding a theory of everything.

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