Physics I For Dummies

An easy-to-follow guide to introductory physics, from the Big Bang to relativity

All science, technology, engineering, and math majors in college and university require some familiarity with physics. Other career paths, like medicine, are also only open to students who understand this fundamental science. But don’t worry if you find physics to be intimidating or confusing. You just need the right guide!

In Physics I For Dummies, you’ll find a roadmap to physics success that walks you through every major topic in introductory physics, including motion, energy, waves, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, relativity, and more. You’ll learn the basic principles and math formulas of physics through clear and straightforward examples and instruction, and without unnecessary jargon or complicated theory.

In this book, you’ll also find:

• Up-to-date examples and explanations appearing alongside the latest discoveries and research in physics, discussed at a level appropriate for beginning students
• All the info found in an intro physics course, arranged in an intuitive sequence that will give first-year students a head start in their high school or college physics class
• The latest teaching techniques to ensure that you remember and retain what you read and practice in the book

Physics I For Dummies is proof that physics can fun, accessible, challenging, and rewarding, all at the same time! Whether you’re a high school or undergraduate student looking for a leg-up on basic physics concepts or you’re just interested in how our universe works, this book will help you understand the thermodynamic, electromagnetic, relativistic, and everything in between.

Table of Contents

Part 1: Putting Physics into Motion

CHAPTER 1: Using Physics to Understand Your World

CHAPTER 2: Reviewing Physics Measurement and Math Fundamentals

CHAPTER 3: Exploring the Need for Speed

CHAPTER 4: Following Directions: Motion in Two Dimensions

Part 2: May the Forces of Physics Be with You

CHAPTER 5: When Push Comes to Shove: Force

CHAPTER 6: Getting Down with Gravity, Inclined Planes, and Friction

CHAPTER 7: Circling Around Rotational Motion and Orbits

CHAPTER 8: Go with the Flow: Looking at Pressure in Fluids

Part 3: Manifesting the Energy to Work

CHAPTER 9: Getting Some Work Out of Physics

CHAPTER 10: Putting Objects in Motion: Momentum and Impulse

CHAPTER 11: Winding Up with Angular Kinetics

CHAPTER 12: Round and Round with Rotational Dynamics

CHAPTER 13: Springs ’n’ Things: Simple Harmonic Motion

Part 4: Laying Down the Laws of Thermodynamics

CHAPTER 14: Turning Up the Heat with Thermodynamics

CHAPTER 15: Here, Take My Coat: How Heat Is Transferred

CHAPTER 16: In the Best of All Possible Worlds: The Ideal Gas Law

CHAPTER 17: Heat and Work: The Laws of Thermodynamics

Part 5: The Part of Tens

CHAPTER 18: Ten Physics Heroes

CHAPTER 19: Ten Wild Physics Theories

About the Author

Steven Holzner has written more than 40 books about physics and programming. He was a contributing editor at PC Magazine and was on the faculty at both MIT and Cornell. He has authored Dummies titles including Physics For Dummies and Physics Essentials For Dummies. Dr. Holzner received his PhD at Cornell.