Physics Workbook for Dummies

Steve Holzner Ph.D.0470169095, 978-0-470-16909-4

Overview: Do you have a handle on basic physics terms and concepts, but your problem-solving skills could use some static friction? Physics Workbook for Dummies helps you build upon what you already know to learn how to solve the most common physics problems with confidence and ease. Physics Workbook for Dummies gets the ball rolling with a brief overview of the nuts and bolts (i.e., converting measures, counting significant figures,

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Table of contents :
Physics Workbook for Dummies……Page 4
Author’s Acknowledgments……Page 6
Contents at a Glance……Page 8
Table of Contents……Page 10
Foolish Assumptions……Page 14
How This Book Is Organized……Page 15
Where to Go from Here……Page 16
Part I: Applying Physics……Page 18
Measuring the Universe……Page 20
Putting Scientific Notation to Work……Page 23
Converting between Units……Page 25
Converting Distances……Page 27
Converting Times……Page 29
Counting Significant Figures……Page 30
Coming Prepared with Some Algebra……Page 31
Being Prepared with Trigonometry……Page 33
Answers to Problems about Getting Started with Physics……Page 35
From Point A to B: Displacement……Page 38
Reading That Speedometer……Page 40
Putting Pedal to Metal: Acceleration……Page 41
Connecting Acceleration, Time, and Displacement……Page 44
Connecting Speed, Acceleration, and Displacement……Page 47
Answers to Problems about Acceleration, Distance, and Time……Page 49
Creating a Vector……Page 54
Understanding Vector Components……Page 56
Finding a Vector’s Components……Page 58
Finding a Vector’s Magnitude and Direction……Page 60
Adding Vectors Together……Page 62
Handling Motion As a Vector……Page 66
Answers to Problems about Vectors……Page 68
Part II: May the Forces Be with You……Page 72
Newton’s First Law of Motion……Page 74
Newton’s Second Law of Motion……Page 75
Force Is a Vector……Page 78
Calculating Net Force and Acceleration……Page 80
Sorting Out Weight and Mass……Page 82
Newton’s Third Law of Motion……Page 85
Answers to Problems about Force……Page 87
Breaking Ramps Up into Vectors……Page 94
Acceleration and Inclined Planes……Page 97
Running Down Ramps: Speed……Page 98
It’s a Drag: The Coefficient of Friction……Page 100
Static Friction along Ramps……Page 103
Kinetic Friction along Ramps……Page 105
Acceleration along Ramps Including Friction……Page 107
Answers to Problems about Inclined Planes……Page 109
Converting between Angles……Page 114
Period and Frequency……Page 116
Getting into Angular Velocity……Page 117
Whipping Around with Angular Acceleration……Page 120
Connecting Angular Velocity and Angular Acceleration to Angles……Page 122
Connecting Angular Acceleration and Angle to Angular Velocity……Page 124
Handling Centripetal Acceleration……Page 125
Getting Forceful: Centripetal Force……Page 127
Answers to Problems about Circular Motion……Page 129
Part III: Being Energetic: Work……Page 134
A Different Kind of Work……Page 136
Dealing with the Net Force……Page 139
Getting Energetic: Kinetic Energy……Page 140
Getting Kinetic Energy from Work……Page 142
Storing Your Energy: Potential Energy……Page 144
Powering It Up……Page 146
Answers to Problems about Work……Page 148
Acting on Impulse……Page 156
Getting Some Momentum……Page 158
Relating Impulse and Momentum……Page 159
Conserving Momentum……Page 161
Conserving Kinetic Energy—or Not……Page 162
Collisions in Two Dimensions……Page 164
Answers to Problems about Momentum and Kinetic Energy……Page 167
Finding Tangential Speed……Page 174
Targeting Tangential Acceleration……Page 177
Angular Velocity as a Vector……Page 178
Angular Acceleration as a Vector……Page 179
Doing the Twist: Torque……Page 181
The Balancing Act: Rotational Equilibrium……Page 183
Answers to Problems about Rotational Kinematics……Page 186
Putting Newton on Wheels……Page 190
Moments of Inertia for Everyone……Page 192
Doing Some Rotational Work……Page 195
Round and Round: Rotational Kinetic Energy……Page 196
Getting Working with Ramps Again……Page 198
Can’t Stop This: Angular Momentum……Page 200
Answers to Problems about Rotational Dynamics……Page 202
Hooking into Hooke’s Law……Page 208
Simply Simple Harmonic Motion……Page 210
Getting Periodic……Page 212
Considering Velocity……Page 214
Figuring the Acceleration……Page 216
Bouncing Around with Springs……Page 217
Talking about Energy……Page 219
Following the Ticktock of Pendulums……Page 220
Answers to Problems about Simple Harmonic Motion……Page 222
Part IV: Obeying the Laws of Thermodynamics……Page 228
Converting Between Temperature Scales……Page 230
Getting Bigger: Linear Expansion……Page 232
Plumping It Up: Volume Expansion……Page 234
Getting Specific with Heat Capacity……Page 236
Changes of Phase: Latent Heat……Page 239
Answers to Problems about Thermodynamics……Page 241
How Heat Travels: Convection……Page 246
How Heat Travels: Conduction……Page 247
How Heat Travels: Radiation……Page 250
A Biggie: Avogadro’s Number……Page 252
Ideally Speaking: The Ideal Gas Law……Page 254
Molecules in Motion……Page 256
Answers to Problems about Pressure……Page 257
The First Law of Thermodynamics……Page 262
Constant Pressure: Isobaric Processes……Page 263
Constant Volume: Isochoric Processes……Page 266
Constant Temperature: Isothermal Processes……Page 267
At Constant Heat: Adiabatic……Page 269
Making Heat Work: Heat Engines……Page 272
Maximum Efficiency: Carnot Heat Engines……Page 275
The Third Law of Thermodynamics……Page 276
Answers to Problems about Heat and Work……Page 277
Part V: Zap: Electricity and Magnetism……Page 282
Talking about Electric Charges……Page 284
Getting Forceful with Charges……Page 285
Electrical Forces Are Vectors……Page 287
Force at a Distance: Electric Fields……Page 288
Easy Electric Field: Parallel Plate Capacitors……Page 290
Ramping Up Some Voltage……Page 292
Electric Potential from Point Charges……Page 294
Answers to Problems about Static Electricity……Page 296
Electrons in a Whirl: Current……Page 302
Giving You Some Resistance: Ohm’s Law……Page 303
Powering It Up……Page 305
One after the Other: Series Circuits……Page 306
All for One: Parallel Circuits……Page 308
The Whole Story: Kirchhoff’s Rules……Page 310
Answers to Problems about Circuits……Page 313
Part VI: The Part of Tens……Page 320
Swapping Radians and Degrees……Page 322
Getting Refraction Angles Wrong……Page 323
Adding Resistors Incorrectly……Page 324
Using the Wrong Rays in Ray Diagrams……Page 325
Roman Goc’s Physics Tutorial……Page 326
Vector Resolver……Page 327
Index……Page 328