Physics for Dummies

Filled with cool physics facts and real-world examples. The fun and easy way to get up to speed on the basic concepts of physics.

Does thermodynamics leave you cold? Are you vexed by vectors? Does electromagnetism seem like just a lot of static? Relax! This friendly guide puts the fun back into physics fundamentals. Author Steven Holzner walks you through all the topics typically covered in Physics 101 — and throws in some wild physics facts about relativity, time travel, quantum theory, and more.

Discover how to:

• Work with physics notation and math
• Measure force and energy
• Investigate heat, pressure, and sound
• Examine electricity, magnetism, and light
• Explore black holes, planetary rotation, and more

Uses examples from everyday life to explain the fundamentals of physics, covering such topics as motion, force, kinetic energy, heat and heat flow, magnetism, and gravity.

Does just thinking about the laws of motion make your head spin? Does studying electricity short your circuits? Do the complexities of thermodynamics cool your enthusiasm?

Thanks to this book, you don’t have to be Einstein to understand physics. As you read about Newton’s Laws, Kepler’s Laws, Hooke’s Law, Ohm’s Law, and others, you’ll appreciate the For Dummies law: The easier we make it, the faster people understand it and the more they enjoy it! Whether you’re taking a class, helping kids with homework, or trying to find out how the world works, this book helps you understand basic physics. It covers:

• Measurements, units, and significant figures
• Forces such as displacement, speed, and acceleration
• Vectors and physics notation
• Motion, energy, and waves (sound, light, wave-particle)
• Solids, liquids, and gases
• Thermodynamics
• Electromagnetism
• Relativity
• Atomic and nuclear structures

Steven Holzner, Ph.D. earned his B.S. at MIT and his Ph.D. at Cornell, where he taught Physics 101 and 102 for over 10 years. He livens things up with cool physics facts, real-world examples, and simple experiments that will heighten your enthusiasm for physics and science. The book ends with some out-of-this world physics that will set your mind in motion:

• The possibility of wormholes in space
• The Big Bang
• How the gravitational pull of black holes is too strong for even light to escape

May the Force be with you!

Steven Holzner is an award-winning author of 94 books that have sold over two million copies and been translated into 18 languages. He served on the Physics faculty at Cornell University for more than a decade, teaching both Physics 101 and Physics 102. Dr. Holzner received his Ph.D. in physics from Cornell and performed his undergrad work at MIT, where he has also served as a faculty member.

Introduction.

Part I: Putting Physics into Motion.

Chapter 1: Using Physics to Understand Your World.

Chapter 2: Understanding Physics Fundamentals.

Chapter 3: Exploring the Need for Speed.

Chapter 4: Following Directions: Which Way Are You Going?

Part II: May the Forces of Physics Be with You.

Chapter 5: When Push Comes to Shove: Force.

Chapter 6: What a Drag: Inclined Planes and Friction.

Chapter 7: Circling around Circular Motions and Orbits.

Part III: Manifesting the Energy to Work.

Chapter 8: Getting Some Work out of Physics.

Chapter 9: Putting Objects in Motion: Momentum and Impulse.

Chapter 10: Winding Up with Angular Kinetics.

Chapter 11: Round and Round with Rotational Dynamics.

Chapter 12: Springs-n-Things: Simple Harmonic Motion.

Part IV: Laying Down the Laws of Thermodynamics.

Chapter 13: Turning Up the Heat with Thermodynamics.

Chapter 14: Here, Take My Coat: Heat Transfer in Solids and Gases.

Chapter 15: When Heat and Work Collide: The Laws of Thermodynamics.

Part V: Getting a Charge out of Electricity and Magnetism.

Chapter 16: Zapping Away with Static Electricity.

Chapter 17: Giving Electrons a Push with Circuits.

Chapter 18: Magnetism: More than Attraction.

Chapter 19: Keeping the Current Going with Voltage.

Chapter 20: Shedding Some Light on Mirrors and Lenses.

Part VI: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 21: Ten Amazing Insights on Relativity.

Chapter 22: Ten Wild Physics Theories.

Glossary.

Index.