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Steven Holzner. Physics I For Dummies
Physics I For Dummies® To view this book's Cheat Sheet, simply go to www.dummies.com and search for “Physics I For Dummies Cheat Sheet” in the Search box. Table of Contents
List of Tables
List of Illustrations
Guide
Pages
Introduction
About This Book
Conventions Used in This Book
What You're Not to Read
Foolish Assumptions
How This Book Is Organized
Part 1: Putting Physics into Motion
Part 2: May the Forces of Physics Be with You
Part 3: Manifesting the Energy to Work
Part 4: Laying Down the Laws of Thermodynamics
Part 5: The Part of Tens
Icons Used in This Book
Beyond the Book
Where to Go from Here
Putting Physics into Motion
Using Physics to Understand Your World
What Physics Is All About
Observing the world
Making predictions
Reaping the rewards
Observing Objects in Motion
Measuring speed, direction, velocity, and acceleration
Round and round: Rotational motion
Springs and pendulums: Simple harmonic motion
When Push Comes to Shove: Forces
Absorbing the energy around you
That’s heavy: Pressures in fluids
Feeling Hot but Not Bothered: Thermodynamics
Reviewing Physics Measurement and Math Fundamentals
Measuring the World around You and Making Predictions
Using systems of measurement
From meters to inches and back again: Converting between units
Using conversion factors
LOOKING AT THE UNITS WHEN NUMBERS MAKE YOUR HEAD SPIN
Eliminating Some Zeros: Using Scientific Notation
USING UNIT PREFIXES
Checking the Accuracy and Precision of Measurements
Knowing which digits are significant
Finding the number of significant digits
Rounding answers to the correct number of digits
Estimating accuracy
Arming Yourself with Basic Algebra
Tackling a Little Trig
Interpreting Equations as Real-World Ideas
BE A GENIUS: DON’T FOCUS ON THE MATH
Exploring the Need for Speed
Going the Distance with Displacement
Understanding displacement and position
Examining axes
Finding the distance
Determining direction
Speed Specifics: What Is Speed, Anyway?
Reading the speedometer: Instantaneous speed
Staying steady: Uniform speed
Shifting speeds: Nonuniform motion
Busting out the stopwatch: Average speed
Contrasting average and instantaneous speed
Distinguishing average speed and average velocity
Speeding Up (Or Down): Acceleration
Defining acceleration
Determining the units of acceleration
Looking at positive and negative acceleration
Changing speed
Accounting for direction
Looking at positive and negative acceleration
Examining average and instantaneous acceleration
Taking off: Putting the acceleration formula into practice
Understanding uniform and nonuniform acceleration
Relating Acceleration, Time, and Displacement
Not-so-distant relations: Deriving the formula
Calculating acceleration and distance
Finding acceleration
Figuring out time and distance
Finding distance with initial velocity
Linking Velocity, Acceleration, and Displacement
Finding acceleration
Solving for displacement
Finding final velocity
Following Directions: Motion in Two Dimensions
Visualizing Vectors
Asking for directions: Vector basics
Looking at vector addition from start to finish
Going head-to-head with vector subtraction
Putting Vectors on the Grid
Adding vectors by adding coordinates
Changing the length: Multiplying a vector by a number
A Little Trig: Breaking Up Vectors into Components
Finding vector components
Reassembling a vector from its components
Finding the magnitude
Finding and checking the angle
Featuring Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration in two dimensions
Displacement: Going the distance in two dimensions
Velocity: Speeding in a new direction
Acceleration: Getting a new angle on changes in velocity
Accelerating Downward: Motion under the Influence of Gravity
The golf-ball-off-the-cliff exercise
The how-far-can-you-kick-the-ball exercise
May the Forces of Physics Be with You
When Push Comes to Shove: Force
NEWTON, EINSTEIN, AND THE LAWS OF PHYSICS
Newton’s First Law: Resisting with Inertia
Resisting change: Inertia and mass
Measuring mass
Newton’s Second Law: Relating Force, Mass, and Acceleration
Relating the formula to the real world
Naming units of force
Vector addition: Gathering net forces
Calculating displacement given a time and acceleration
STEP 1: FINDING NET FORCE
STEP 2: FINDING ACCELERATION
STEP 3: FINDING DISPLACEMENT
Calculating net force given a time and velocity
Newton’s Third Law: Looking at Equal and Opposite Forces
Seeing Newton’s third law in action
Pulling hard enough to overcome friction
Pulleys: Supporting double the force
Analyzing angles and force in Newton’s third law
Finding equilibrium
Getting Down with Gravity, Inclined Planes, and Friction
Acceleration Due to Gravity: One of Life’s Little Constants
Finding a New Angle on Gravity with Inclined Planes
Finding the force of gravity along a ramp
Figuring out the angle
Finding the component of the weight along a ramp
Figuring the speed along a ramp
Getting Sticky with Friction
Calculating friction and the normal force
Conquering the coefficient of friction
On the move: Understanding static and kinetic friction
Starting motion with static friction
Sustaining motion with kinetic friction
A not-so-slippery slope: Handling uphill and downhill friction
Figuring out the weight components parallel and perpendicular to the ramp
Determining the force of friction
Object on the loose: Calculating how far an object will slide
FIGURING THE ACCELERATION AND FINAL VELOCITY AT THE END OF THE RAMP
FIGURING THE DISTANCE TRAVELED
Let’s Get Fired Up! Sending Objects Airborne
Shooting an object straight up
Going up: Maximum height
Floating on air: Hang time
Going down: Factoring the total time
Projectile motion: Firing an object at an angle
Breaking down a cannonball’s motion into its components
Discovering the cannon’s maximum range
Circling Around Rotational Motion and Orbits
Centripetal Acceleration: Changing Direction to Move in a Circle
Keeping a constant speed with uniform circular motion
Describing the period
Accelerating toward the center
Finding the magnitude of the centripetal acceleration
Seeking the Center: Centripetal Force
Looking at the force you need
THE FICTITIOUS CENTRIFUGAL FORCE
Seeing how the mass, velocity, and radius affect centripetal force
Negotiating flat curves and banked turns
Relying on friction to turn on a flat road
Depending on the normal force to make a banked turn
Getting Angular with Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration
Measuring angles in radians
Relating linear and angular motion
Letting Gravity Supply Centripetal Force
Using Newton’s law of universal gravitation
Deriving the force of gravity on the Earth’s surface
Using the law of gravitation to examine circular orbits
Calculating a satellite’s speed
Calculating the period of a satellite
UNDERSTANDING KEPLER’S LAWS OF ORBITING BODIES
Looping the Loop: Vertical Circular Motion
Go with the Flow: Looking at Pressure in Fluids
Mass Density: Getting Some Inside Information
Calculating density
Comparing densities with specific gravity
Applying Pressure
Looking at units of pressure
Connecting pressure to changes in depth
Diving down
Varying blood pressure
Pumping water upward
Hydraulic machines: Passing on pressure with Pascal’s principle
Buoyancy: Float Your Boat with Archimedes’s Principle
Fluid Dynamics: Going with Fluids in Motion
Characterizing the type of flow
Evenness: Steady or unsteady flow
Squeezability: Compressible or incompressible flow
Thickness: Viscous or nonviscous flow
Spinning: Rotational or irrotational flow
Picturing flow with streamlines
Getting Up to Speed on Flow and Pressure
The equation of continuity: Relating pipe size and flow rates
Conserving mass with the equation of continuity
Incompressible liquids: Changing the pipe size to change the flow rate
Bernoulli’s equation: Relating speed and pressure
Pipes and pressure: Putting it all together
GETTING A LIFT
Manifesting the Energy to Work
Getting Some Work Out of Physics
Looking for Work
Working on measurement systems
Pushing your weight: Applying force in the direction of movement
Using a tow rope: Applying force at an angle
Pulling harder to do the same amount of work
Cutting down on your work by reducing friction
Negative work: Applying force opposite the direction of motion
Making a Move: Kinetic Energy
The work-energy theorem: Turning work into kinetic energy
Using the kinetic energy equation
Calculating changes in kinetic energy by using net force
Energy in the Bank: Potential Energy
To new heights: Gaining potential energy by working against gravity
Achieving your potential: Converting potential energy into kinetic energy
Choose Your Path: Conservative versus Nonconservative Forces
Keeping the Energy Up: The Conservation of Mechanical Energy
Shifting between kinetic and potential energy
The mechanical-energy balance: Finding velocity and height
Determining final velocity with mechanical energy
Determining final height with mechanical energy
Powering Up: The Rate of Doing Work
Using common units of power
Doing alternate calculations of power
Putting Objects in Motion: Momentum and Impulse
Looking at the Impact of Impulse
Gathering Momentum
The Impulse-Momentum Theorem: Relating Impulse and Momentum
Shooting pool: Finding force from impulse and momentum
Singing in the rain: An impulsive activity
When Objects Go Bonk: Conserving Momentum
Deriving the conservation formula
Finding velocity with the conservation of momentum
Finding firing velocity with the conservation of momentum
When Worlds (Or Cars) Collide: Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
Determining whether a collision is elastic
Colliding elastically along a line
Bumping into a heavier mass
Bumping into a lighter mass
Colliding elastically in two dimensions
Winding Up with Angular Kinetics
Going from Linear to Rotational Motion
Understanding Tangential Motion
Finding tangential velocity
Finding tangential acceleration
Finding centripetal acceleration
Applying Vectors to Rotation
Calculating angular velocity
Figuring angular acceleration
Changing the speed and reversing direction
Tilting the axle
Doing the Twist: Torque
Mapping out the torque equation
Understanding lever arms
Figuring out the torque generated
Recognizing that torque is a vector
Spinning at Constant Velocity: Rotational Equilibrium
Determining how much weight Hercules can lift
Hanging a flag: A rotational equilibrium problem
Ladder safety: Introducing friction into rotational equilibrium
Round and Round with Rotational Dynamics
Rolling Up Newton’s Second Law into Angular Motion
Switching force to torque
Converting tangential acceleration to angular acceleration
Factoring in the moment of inertia
Moments of Inertia: Looking into Mass Distribution
Merry-go-rounds and torque: A spinning-disk inertia example
Angular acceleration and torque: A pulley inertia example
Wrapping Your Head around Rotational Work and Kinetic Energy
Putting a new spin on work
Moving along with rotational kinetic energy
Let’s roll! Finding rotational kinetic energy on a ramp
Can’t Stop This: Angular Momentum
Conserving angular momentum
Satellite orbits: A conservation-of-angular-momentum example
Springs ’n’ Things: Simple Harmonic Motion
Bouncing Back with Hooke’s Law
Stretching and compressing springs
Pushing or pulling back: The spring’s restoring force
Getting Around to Simple Harmonic Motion
Around equilibrium: Examining horizontal and vertical springs
Catching the wave: A sine of simple harmonic motion
Understanding sine waves with a reference circle
Getting periodic
Remembering not to speed away without the velocity
Including the acceleration
Finding the angular frequency of a mass on a spring
Factoring Energy into Simple Harmonic Motion
Swinging with Pendulums
Laying Down the Laws of Thermodynamics
Turning Up the Heat with Thermodynamics
Measuring Temperature
Fahrenheit and Celsius: Working in degrees
Zeroing in on the Kelvin scale
Analyzing absolute zero
Making kelvin conversions
The Heat Is On: Thermal Expansion
Linear expansion: Getting longer
Relating temperature changes to changes in length
Workin’ on the railroad: A linear expansion example
Volume expansion: Taking up more space
Tanker trucks: Looking at expanding liquids
Radiators: Seeing expanding liquids and containers
Heat: Going with the Flow (Of Thermal Energy)
Getting specific with temperature changes
Just a new phase: Adding heat without changing temperature
Breaking the ice with phase-change graphs
Understanding latent heat
Here, Take My Coat: How Heat Is Transferred
Convection: Letting the Heat Flow
Hot fluid rises: Putting fluid in motion with natural convection
Controlling the flow with forced convection
Too Hot to Handle: Getting in Touch with Conduction
HOW THE ELEPHANT GOT ITS EARS: A PHYSICS LESSON IN BODY DESIGN
Finding the conduction equation
Working with thermal conductivity
Camping with the Johnsons: A conduction example
Considering conductors and insulators
COOL TO THE TOUCH
Radiation: Riding the (Electromagnetic) Wave
Mutual radiation: Giving and receiving heat
Blackbodies: Absorbing and reflecting radiation
The Stefan-Boltzmann constant
The Stefan-Boltzmann law of radiation
FINDING HEAT FROM THE HUMAN BODY
DOING STAR CALCULATIONS
In the Best of All Possible Worlds: The Ideal Gas Law
Digging into Molecules and Moles with Avogadro’s Number
Relating Pressure, Volume, and Temperature with the Ideal Gas Law
Forging the ideal gas law
Working with standard temperature and pressure
A breathing problem: Checking your oxygen
Boyle’s and Charles’s laws: Alternative expressions of the ideal gas law
Tracking Ideal Gas Molecules with the Kinetic Energy Formula
Predicting air molecule speed
Calculating kinetic energy in an ideal gas
Heat and Work: The Laws of Thermodynamics
Getting Temperature with Thermal Equilibrium: the Zeroth Law
Conserving Energy: The First Law of Thermodynamics
Calculating with conservation of energy
Practicing the sign conventions
Trying a first-law-of-thermodynamics sample problem
Staying constant: Isobaric, isochoric, isothermal, and adiabatic processes
At constant pressure: Isobaric
WORKING WITH CONSTANT WATER PRESSURE
INCREASING STEAM’S ENERGY WITHOUT CHANGING THE PRESSURE
At constant volume: Isochoric
At constant temperature: Isothermal
At constant heat: Adiabatic
FIGURING OUT MOLAR SPECIFIC HEAT CAPACITIES
FINDING A NEW PRESSURE AFTER AN ADIABATIC CHANGE
BUILDING A BIGGER LAB: AN ADIABATIC-CHANGE PRACTICE PROBLEM
Flowing from Hot to Cold: The Second Law of Thermodynamics
Heat engines: Putting heat to work
Evaluating heat’s work: Heat engine efficiency
Finding heat from a car engine
Finding heat from your race car
Limiting efficiency: Carnot says you can’t have it all
Finding efficiency in Carnot’s engine
Using the equation for a Carnot engine
Going against the flow with heat pumps
Heating with less work
Checking a heat pump’s performance
Going Cold: The Third (And Absolute Last) Law of Thermodynamics
The Part of Tens
Ten Physics Heroes
Galileo Galilei
Sir Isaac Newton
Charles-Augustin de Coulomb
William Thomson (Lord Kelvin)
Marie Salomea Skłodowska Curie
Albert Einstein
Emmy Noether
Maria Goeppert Mayer
Chen-Shiung Wu
Jocelyn Bell Burnell
Ten Wild Physics Theories
Time Slows Down
Moving Objects Contract
Heisenberg Says You Can’t Be Certain
Black Holes Don’t Let Light Out
Gravity Curves Space
Matter and Antimatter Destroy Each Other
Supernovas Are the Most Powerful Explosions
The Universe Starts with the Big Bang and Ends with the Gnab Gib
Microwave Ovens Are Hot Physics
Most Matter is Invisible
Glossary
Index. A
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About the Author
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