Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Foolish Assumptions 1
Icons Used in This Book 2
Beyond the Book 2
Where to Go from Here 3
Part 1: Getting Started With Physics 5
Chapter 1: Reviewing Physics Basics 7
Measuring the Universe 7
Putting Scientific Notation to Work 10
Converting between Units 11
Converting through Multiple Units 14
Converting Times 15
Counting Significant Figures 16
Coming Prepared with Some Algebra 18
Being Prepared with Trigonometry 19
Answers to Problems about Physics Basics 21
Chapter 2: The Big Three: Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration 25
From Point A to B: Displacement 25
Reading That Speedometer 27
Putting Pedal to Metal: Acceleration 29
Connecting Acceleration, Time, and Displacement 31
Connecting Velocity, Acceleration, and Displacement 33
Answers to Problems about Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration 35
Chapter 3: Vectors: Knowing Where You’re Headed 41
Creating a Vector 41
Understanding Vector Components 43
Finding a Vector’s Components 45
Finding a Vector’s Magnitude and Direction 46
Adding Vectors Together 48
Handling Velocity as a Vector 51
Answers to Problems about Vectors 54
Part 2: May The Forces Be With You 59
Chapter 4: Applying Force 61
Newton’s First Law of Motion 61
Newton’s Second Law of Motion 62
Force Is a Vector 65
Calculating Net Force and Acceleration 67
Sorting Out Weight and Mass 69
The Balancing Act of Equilibrium 71
Newton’s Third Law of Motion 73
Answers to Problems about Force 74
Chapter 5: Working with Inclined Planes 81
Breaking Ramps Up into Vectors 81
Acceleration and Inclined Planes 84
Running Down Ramps: Speed 85
Friction on Inclined Planes 87
Starting from zero: Static friction 88
Already in motion: Kinetic friction 89
Static Friction along Ramps 90
Kinetic Friction along Ramps 91
Acceleration along Ramps Including Friction 93
Answers to Problems about Inclined Planes 95
Chapter 6: Round and Round: Circular Motion 101
Converting between Angles 101
Period and Frequency 103
Getting into Angular Velocity 104
Whipping Around with Angular Acceleration 106
Connecting Angular Velocity and Angular Acceleration to Angles 108
Connecting Angular Acceleration and Angle to Angular Velocity 109
Handling Centripetal Acceleration 110
Getting Forceful: Centripetal Force 112
Answers to Problems about Circular Motion 114
Part 3: Being Energetic: Work 121
Chapter 7: Working the Physics Way 123
A Different Kind of Work 124
Dealing with the Net Force 125
Getting Energetic: Kinetic Energy 127
Getting Kinetic Energy from Work 129
Storing Your Energy: Potential Energy 132
Powering It Up 134
Answers to Problems about Work 136
Chapter 8: Getting Things to Move: Momentum and Kinetic Energy 147
Acting on Impulse 147
Getting Some Momentum 149
Relating Impulse and Momentum 150
Conserving Momentum 152
Conserving Kinetic Energy — or Not 154
Collisions in Two Dimensions 156
Answers to Problems about Momentum and Kinetic Energy 159
Chapter 9: Winding It Up: Rotational Motion and Torque 167
Finding Tangential Speed 167
Targeting Tangential Acceleration 170
Angular Velocity as a Vector 171
Angular Acceleration as a Vector 172
Doing the Twist: Torque 173
The Balancing Act: Rotational Equilibrium 176
Answers to Problems about Rotational Motion and Torque 180
Chapter 10: Getting Dizzy with Rotational Dynamics 185
Putting Newton on Wheels 185
Moments of Inertia for Everyone 187
Doing Some Rotational Work 190
Round and Round: Rotational Kinetic Energy 191
Working with Ramps Again 193
Can’t Stop This: Angular Momentum 195
Answers to Problems about Rotational Dynamics 197
Chapter 11: Simple Harmonic Motion 203
Hooking into Hooke’s Law 203
Simply Simple Harmonic Motion 205
Getting Periodic 207
Considering Velocity 208
Figuring the Acceleration 210
Bouncing Around with Springs 211
Talking about Energy 213
Following the Ticktock of Pendulums 214
Answers to Problems about Simple Harmonic Motion 216
Part 4: Obeying The Laws Of Thermodynamics 223
Chapter 12: You’re Getting Warm: Thermodynamics 225
Converting between Temperature Scales 225
Getting Bigger: Linear Expansion 227
Plumping It Up: Volume Expansion 230
Getting Specific with Heat Capacity 231
Changes of Phase: Latent Heat 234
Answers to Problems about Thermodynamics 236
Chapter 13: Under Pressure: From Solid to Liquid to Gas 243
How Heat Flows: Convection 244
How Heat Is Produced: Conduction 245
How Heat Is Produced: Radiation 248
A Biggie: Avogadro’s Number 250
Ideally Speaking: The Ideal Gas Law 251
Molecules in Motion 253
Answers to Problems about Pressure 255
Chapter 14: All about Heat and Work 261
The First Law of Thermodynamics 261
Constant Pressure: Isobaric Processes 262
Constant Volume: Isochoric Processes 265
Constant Temperature: Isothermal Processes 266
At Constant Heat: Adiabatic 268
The Direction of Heat: The Second Law of Thermodynamics 271
Making Heat Work: Heat Engines 271
Maximum Efficiency: Carnot Heat Engines 274
The Third Law of Thermodynamics 275
Answers to Problems about Heat and Work 276
Part 5: Zap: Electricity 283
Chapter 15: Static Electricity: Electrons at Rest 285
Talking about Electric Charges 285
Getting Forceful with Charges 286
Electrical Forces Are Vectors 288
Force at a Distance: Electric Fields 289
Easy Electric Field: Parallel Plate Capacitors 291
Ramping Up Some Voltage 293
Electric Potential from Point Charges 294
Answers to Problems about Static Electricity 297
Chapter 16: Electrons in Motion: Circuits 305
Electrons in a Whirl: Current 305
Giving You Some Resistance: Ohm’s Law 306
Powering It Up 308
One after the Other: Series Circuits 309
All for One: Parallel Circuits 311
The Whole Story: Kirchhoff’s Rules 314
Answers to Problems about Circuits 317
Part 6: The Part Of Tens 327
Chapter 17: Ten Common Mistakes People Make When Solving Problems 329
Mixing Units 329
Expressing the Answer in the Wrong Units 329
Swapping Radians and Degrees 330
Getting Sines and Cosines Mixed Up 330
Failing to Treat Vectors as Vectors 330
Neglecting Latent Heat 330
Getting the Direction of Forces Wrong 331
Getting the Signs Wrong in Kirchhoff Loops 331
Adding Resistors Incorrectly 332
Using the Wrong Temperature in the Ideal Gas Law 332
Chapter 18: Ten Wild Physics Theories 333
The Universal Speed Limit 333
Through the Looking Glass, and What Chien-Shiung Found There 334
Wanted: Dead and Alive 334
Quantum Objects Can Tunnel 334
Mass Is a Kind of Energy 334
Vacuum Is Not Just Empty Space 335
“Constants” in Physics Change 335
Stuck in the Middle of a Proton 335
The Expansion of the Universe Is Accelerating 336
Some Things Never Change 336
Index 337
