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Overcome your study inertia and polish your knowledge of physics
Physics I: 501 Practice Problems For Dummies gives you 501 opportunities to practice solving problems from all the major topics covered you Physics I class—in the book and online! Get extra help with tricky subjects, solidify what you’ve already learned, and get in-depth walk-throughs for every problem with this useful book. These practice problems and detailed answer explanations will help you succeed in this tough-but-required class, no matter what your skill level. Thanks to Dummies, you have a resource to help you put key concepts into practice.
The material presented in Physics I: 501 Practice Problems For Dummies is an excellent resource for students, as well as parents and tutors looking to help supplement Physics I instruction.
Physics I: 501 Practice Problems For Dummies (9781119883715) was previously published as Physics I Practice Problems For Dummies (9781118853153). 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.
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Introduction 1
What You’ll Find 1
How This Workbook Is Organized 1
Part 1: The Questions 2
Part 2: The Answers 2
Beyond the Book 2
Where to Go for Additional Help 3
Part 1: The Questions 5
Chapter 1: Reviewing Math Fundamentals and Physics Measurements 7
The Problems You’ll Work On 7
What to Watch Out For 7
Equipping Yourself with Basic Algebra 8
Tackling a Little Trigonometry 8
Converting between Units 8
Practicing Scientific Notation 9
Understanding Unit Prefixes 9
Spotting the Number of Significant Digits 9
Rounding to the Correct Number of Digits 10
Chapter 2: Moving along with Kinematics 11
The Problems You’ll Work On 11
What to Watch Out For 11
Determining Displacement Using Positions in One Dimension 12
Getting Displacement in Two Dimensions with Axes 12
Traveling with Average Speed and at Instantaneous Speed 13
Distinguishing between Average Speed and Average Velocity 13
Speeding Up and Down with Acceleration 14
Finding Displacement with Acceleration and Time 14
Finding Displacement with Acceleration and Velocities 15
Finding Acceleration with Displacement and Time 15
Finding Acceleration with Velocities and Displacement 16
Finding Velocities with Acceleration and Displacement 16
Chapter 3: Moving in a Two-Dimensional World 17
The Problems You’ll Work On 17
What to Watch Out For 17
Getting to Know Vectors 18
Adding and Subtracting Vectors 18
Adding Vectors and Subtracting Vectors on the Grid 18
Breaking Vectors into Components 19
Reassembling a Vector from Its Components 19
Describing Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration in Two Dimensions 20
Moving under the Influence of Gravity: Projectile Launched Horizontally 21
Moving under the Influence of Gravity: Projectile Launched at an Angle 22
Chapter 4: Pushing and Pulling: The Forces around You 23
The Problems You’ll Work On 23
What to Watch Out For 23
Resisting Motion with Newton’s First Law 24
Forcing a Massive Object to Accelerate 24
Drawing Free-Body Diagrams 24
Adding Forces Together to Obtain the Net Force 25
Moving a Distance with the Net Force 26
Finding the Needed Force to Speed Up 26
Pairing Up Equal and Opposite Forces 27
Overcoming Friction by Pulling Hard 27
Pulling in a Different Direction with Pulleys 28
Balancing the Forces to Find Equilibrium 29
Chapter 5: Slipping and Sliding: Motion and Forces 31
The Problems You’ll Work On 31
What to Watch Out For 31
Finding the Gravity along a Slope 32
Moving Fast with Gravity down a Slippery Slope 32
Getting Unstuck with the Coefficient of Friction 33
Starting Motion with Static Friction 33
Keeping on Moving with Kinetic Friction 34
Pushing and Pulling on a Non-Slippery Slope 34
Covering the Distance on a Non-Slippery Slope 35
Shooting Objects Straight Up to the Maximum Height 36
Taking the Time to Go Up and Down 36
Shooting at an Angle: Separating the Motion in Components 37
Reaching Far with a Projectile 38
Chapter 6: Describing Rotational Motion 39
The Problems You’ll Work On 39
What to Watch Out For 39
Keeping a Constant Speed around a Circle 40
Measuring Angles in Radians 40
Traveling in a Circle with Angular Velocity 40
Speeding Up and Down around a Circle with Angular Acceleration 41
Accelerating toward the Center with Centripetal Acceleration 42
Providing the Centripetal Force Based on Mass, Velocity, and Radius 42
Chapter 7: Rotating Around in Different Loops 45
The Problems You’ll Work On 45
What to Watch Out For 45
Turning on a Flat Road with a Little Help from Friction 46
Making a Banked Turn in Debt to Normal Force 46
Applying the Law of Universal Gravitation to the Stars 47
Accelerating with Gravity Near a Planet’s Surface 48
Finding the Speed of the Satellites in Circular Orbits 48
Taking the Time to Travel around Celestial Bodies 49
Moving Fast to Avoid Falling Off in a Vertical Loop 50
Chapter 8: Going with the Flow: Fluids 51
The Problems You’ll Work On 51
What to Watch Out For 51
Getting Denser with More Mass Packed Together 52
Comparing Densities Using Specific Gravity 52
Applying Pressure with a Force 52
Working under Pressure: Calculating the Pressure at a Depth 52
Passing on Pressure with Pascal’s Principle 53
Floating with Archimedes’ Principle 53
Distinguishing Different Types of Flow 54
Flowing Faster with a Smaller Pipe 54
Relating Pressure and Speed with Bernoulli’s Equation 55
Putting It All Together with Pipes 55
Chapter 9: Getting Some Work Done 57
The Problems You’ll Work On 57
What to Watch Out For 57
Applying Force in the Direction of Movement 58
Applying Force at an Angle 58
Applying Force in the Opposite Direction of Motion 59
Finding the Kinetic Energy of a Moving Object 59
Turning Work into Kinetic Energy 60
Banking on Potential Energy by Working against Gravity 61
Cashing Out Potential Energy to Kinetic Energy 62
Maintaining the Total Mechanical Energy 62
Gaining Power by Doing More Work Faster 63
Powering Up with Speed 64
Chapter 10: Picking Up Some Momentum with Impulse 65
The Problems You’ll Work On 65
What to Watch Out For 65
Applying Force for a Period of Time: Impulse 66
Gathering Momentum in All Directions 66
Supplying Impulse to Change Momentum 67
Finding Force from Impulse and Momentum 67
Conserving Momentum during Collisions 67
Sticking Together: Finding the Velocity in Inelastic Collisions 68
Finding the Initial Velocity of Collisions 69
Colliding Elastically along a Line 70
Colliding Pool Balls: Elastic Collisions in Two Dimensions 71
Chapter 11: Rolling Around with Rotational Kinetics and Dynamics 73
The Problems You’ll Work On 73
What to Watch Out For 73
Linking Linear and Tangential Motion with Radius 74
Finding Centripetal Acceleration 74
Figuring Out Angular Velocity and Acceleration 74
Twisting Around with Torque 75
Lifting Some Weights: An Exercise in Rotational Equilibrium 76
Hanging Signs up and Keeping the Torques Balanced 76
Leaning against the Wall with Help from Friction 78
Converting Tangential Acceleration to Angular Acceleration in Newton’s Second Law 79
Looking into Mass Distribution to Find Moments of Inertia 80
Relating Torque, Angular Acceleration, and Moments of Inertia 80
Putting a Spin on Work 81
Rolling with Rotational Kinetic Energy 82
Finding Rotational Kinetic Energy on a Ramp 83
Conserving Angular Momentum 84
Chapter 12: Bouncing with a Spring: Simple Harmonic Motion 87
The Problems You’ll Work On 87
What to Watch Out For 87
Compressing and Stretching Springs: The Spring’s Restoring Force 88
Getting around the Equilibrium 88
Riding the Sine Wave of Simple Harmonic Motion 88
Finding Period and Frequency 89
Linking Position, Velocity, and Acceleration 89
Finding the Period of a Mass on a Spring 90
Taking Energy into Account in Simple Harmonic Motion 90
Swinging with Pendulums 91
Chapter 13: Heating Up with Thermodynamics and Heat Transfer 93
The Problems You’ll Work On 93
What to Watch Out For 93
Measuring Temperature in Different Ways 94
Getting to the Coldest Zone 94
Expanding with the Heat: Getting Longer 94
Expanding with the Heat: Taking Up More Space 95
Changing the Temperature with Energy Flow 95
Gaining or Losing Energy to Change into a New Phase 96
Rising with the Hot Fluid in Convection 97
Getting in Touch with Thermal Conduction 97
Working with Thermal Conductivity 97
Radiating with Black Bodies 98
Chapter 14: Living in an Ideal World with the Ideal Gas Law 99
The Problems You’ll Work On 99
What to Watch Out For 99
Finding Number of Molecules in Moles with Avogadro’s Number 100
Working with Boyle’s Law When Temperature Is Constant 100
Working with Charles’s Law When Pressure Is Constant 100
Relating Pressure, Volume, and Temperature with the Ideal Gas Law 101
Calculating the Kinetic Energy of the Ideal Gas Molecules 101
Chapter 15: Experiencing the Laws of Thermodynamics 103
The Problems You’ll Work On 103
What to Watch Out For 103
Conserving Energy Using the First Law: Heat and Work 104
Staying at Constant Pressure in Isobaric Processes 104
Staying at Constant Temperature in Isothermal Processes 105
Staying at Constant Volume in Isochoric Processes 105
Staying at Constant Heat in Adiabatic Processes 106
Putting Heat to Work with Heat Engines 106
Evaluating Efficiency of Heat Engines 107
Going against the Flow with Heat Pumps 107
Part 2: The Answers 109
Chapter 16: Answers 111
Index 413
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