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Physics Essentials For Dummies (9781119590286) was previously published as Physics Essentials For Dummies (9780470618417). While this version features a new Dummies cover and design, the content is the same as the prior release and should not be considered a new or updated product.
For students who just need to know the vital concepts of physics, whether as a refresher, for exam prep, or as a reference, Physics Essentials For Dummies is a must-have guide. Free of ramp-up and ancillary material, Physics Essentials For Dummies contains content focused on key topics only. It provides discrete explanations of critical concepts taught in an introductory physics course, from force and motion to momentum and kinetics. This guide is also a perfect reference for parents who need to review critical physics concepts as they help high school students with homework assignments, as well as for adult learners headed back to the classroom who just need a refresher of the core concepts.
The Essentials For Dummies Series
Dummies is proud to present our new series, The Essentials For Dummies. Now students who are prepping for exams, preparing to study new material, or who just need a refresher can have a concise, easy-to-understand review guide that covers an entire course by concentrating solely on the most important concepts. From algebra and chemistry to grammar and Spanish, our expert authors focus on the skills students most need to succeed in a subject.
Steven Holzner, PhD, was a contributing editor at PC Magazine and was on the faculty of both MIT and Cornell University. He wrote Physics For Dummies, Physics II For Dummies, and Quantum Physics For Dummies.
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
Icons Used in This Book 3
Where to Go from Here 3
Chapter 1: Viewing the World through the Lens of Physics 5
Figuring Out What Physics is About 5
Paying Attention to Objects in Motion 6
Getting Energized 7
Moving as Fast as You Can: Special Relativity 8
Measuring Your World 9
Keeping physical units straight 9
Converting between units of measurement 10
Nixing some zeros with scientific notation 11
Knowing which digits are significant 12
Chapter 2: Taking Vectors Step by Step 15
Getting a Grip on Vectors 15
Looking for direction and magnitude 16
Adding vectors 17
Subtracting vectors 18
Waxing Numerical on Vectors 19
Working with Vector Components 20
Using magnitudes and angles to find vector components 20
Using vector components to find magnitudes and angles 22
Chapter 3: Going the Distance with Speed and Acceleration 25
From Here to There: Dissecting Displacement 26
Examining axes 27
Measuring speed 28
The Fast Track to Understanding Speed and Velocity 29
How fast am I right now? Instantaneous speed 30
Staying steady: Uniform speed 30
Changing your speed: Nonuniform motion 30
Doing some calculations: Average speed 31
Contrasting average speed and instantaneous speed 31
Speeding Up (or Slowing Down): Acceleration 33
Defining our terms 33
Recognizing positive and negative acceleration 33
Looking at average and instantaneous acceleration 34
Accounting for uniform and nonuniform acceleration 35
Bringing Acceleration, Time, and Displacement Together 35
Locating not-so-distant relations 36
Equating more speedy scenarios 37
Putting Speed, Acceleration, and Displacement Together 38
Chapter 4: Studying Circular Motions 41
Understanding Uniform Circular Motion 42
Creating Centripetal Acceleration 43
Seeing how centripetal acceleration controls velocity 44
Calculating centripetal acceleration 44
Finding Angular Equivalents for Linear Equations 45
Chapter 5: Push-Ups and Pull-Ups: Exercises in Force 49
Reckoning with Force 49
Objects at Rest and in Motion: Newton’s First Law 50
Calculating Net Force: Newton’s Second Law 51
Gathering net forces 52
Just relax: Dealing with tension 56
A balancing act: Finding equilibrium 57
Equal and Opposite Reactions: Newton’s Third Law 60
Chapter 6: Falling Slowly: Gravity and Friction 63
Dropping the Apple: Newton’s Law of Gravitation 63
Down to Earth: Dealing with Gravity 65
Leaning Vertically with Inclined Planes 66
Facing Friction 68
Figuring out the normal force 69
Finding the coefficient of friction 69
Bringing static and kinetic friction into the mix 71
Dealing with uphill friction 73
Chapter 7: Putting Physics to Work 77
Wrapping Your Mind around Work 77
Pushing your weight 78
Taking a drag 79
Working Backward: Negative Work 80
Working Up a Sweat: Kinetic Energy 81
Breaking down the kinetic energy equation 82
Using the kinetic energy equation 83
Calculating kinetic energy by using net force 85
Saving Up: Potential Energy 87
Working against gravity 87
Converting potential energy into kinetic energy 88
Pitting Conservative against Nonconservative Forces 89
No Work Required: The Conservation of Mechanical Energy 91
A Powerful Idea: The Rate of Doing Work 92
Chapter 8: Moving Objects with Impulse and Momentum 95
Feeling a Sudden Urge to Do Physics: Impulse 95
Mastering Momentum 97
Connecting Impulse and Momentum 98
Taking impulse and momentum to the pool hall 99
Getting impulsive in the rain 100
Watching Objects Go Bonk: The Conservation of Momentum 101
Measuring Firing Velocity 103
Examining Elastic and Inelastic Collisions 105
Flying apart: Elastic collisions 105
Sticking together: Inelastic collisions 105
Colliding along a line 106
Colliding in two dimensions 107
Chapter 9: Navigating the Twists and Turns of Angular Kinetics 111
Changing Gears (and Equations) from Linear to Rotational Motion 112
Tackling Tangential Motion 112
Calculating tangential speed 113
Figuring out tangential acceleration 114
Looking at centripetal acceleration 115
Applying Vectors to Rotation 116
Analyzing angular velocity 116
Working out angular acceleration 117
Doing the Twist with Torque 119
Walking through the torque equation 120
Mastering lever arms 122
Identifying the torque generated 122
Realizing that torque is a vector 124
No Spin, Just the Unbiased Truth: Rotational Equilibrium 125
Chapter 10: Taking a Spin with Rotational Dynamics 127
Converting Newton’s Second Law into Angular Motion 127
Moving from tangential to angular acceleration 129
Bringing the moment of inertia into play 129
Finding Moments of Inertia for Standard Shapes 131
Doing Rotational Work and Producing Kinetic Energy 132
Making the transition to rotational work 133
Solving for rotational kinetic energy 134
Going Round and Round with Angular Momentum 136
Chapter 11: There and Back Again: Simple Harmonic Motion 139
Homing in on Hooke’s Law 139
Staying within the elastic limit 140
Exerting a restoring force 141
Déjà Vu All Over Again: Simple Harmonic Motion 142
Browsing the basics of simple harmonic motion 142
Exploring some complexities of simple harmonic motion 144
Finding angular frequencies of masses on springs 151
Examining Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion 154
Going for a Swing with Pendulums 155
Chapter 12: Ten Marvels of Relativity 159
Nature Doesn’t Play Favorites 159
The Speed of Light is Constant 160
Time Contracts at High Speeds 161
Space Travel Slows Down Aging 162
Length Shortens at High Speeds 162
Matter and Energy are Equivalent: E = mc2 163
Matter + Antimatter Equals Boom 164
The Sun is Losing Mass 164
You Can’t Surpass the Speed of Light 164
Newton Was Right 165
Index 167
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