Essential Physics

Science connections
Chapter 1 - Science of Physics
A wave carries information Additive primary colors (RGB) Comparing physics, chemistry, and biology Einstein and the year of the miracles Electric charge is a property of all matter Galileo's observations of the moon How the eye responds to colored light Intersecting science, technology, engineering and mathematics Quantum physics Science and physics behind optometry Scientific objectivity and repeatability Scientific theory and hypothesis Subtractive primary colors (CMYK)
Chapter 2 - Physical Quantities and Measurement
Absolute and relative time Average density of various astronomical objects Examples of converting units Fundamental quantities in the SI Inertia and mass Matter is fundamental Size scale in the universe Space is measured in units of length Units of mass Weightlessness
Chapter 3 - Position and Velocity
Average and instantaneous velocity Michelson-Morley experiment Modeling motion Slope of a graph and its application in physics Special and general relativity Technique for solving physics problems Vector and scalar quantities Velocity is a vector quantity while speed is a scalar quantity Was Einstein influenced by the Michelson-Morley experiment?
Chapter 4 - Acceleration
Acceleration of more than one “g” Acceleration versus time graphs Apollo 15's free fall experiment on the Moon Free fall examples Interpreting position vs. time and velocity vs. time graphs Positive and negative acceleration
Chapter 5 - Forces and Newton’s Laws
Center of mass Coefficient of static friction Difference between weight and mass Drag on sprinter Usain Bolt Fluid friction (or drag) at high velocities Force of gravity and the constant “g” Friction forces Momentum Newton's first law Newton's laws of motion Newton's second law Newton's third law Normal forces Origin of the conversion factor between pounds and newtons Rolling friction Sliding friction Static friction Stokes's law for drag at low velocities Units of force are the newton (N) Weight is force due to gravity and is measured in newtons or pounds
Chapter 6 - Motion in Two and Three Dimensions
Acceleration as a vector Coordinate system for the celestial sphere Displacement vector and its components Inclined planes and ramps Maximum range of a projectile Range equation for projectile motion Rolling friction and the inclined plane Trajectory in projectile motion Vectors and scalars Velocity and displacement as vector quantities
Chapter 7 - Circular Motion
Astronomical unit Centripetal acceleration Circular and elliptical orbits Copernicus and the heliocentric model Equivalence principle First confirmation of general relativity Galileo's observations of Jupiter's moons Kepler's three laws of planetary motion Law of universal gravitation Ptolemaic model of the universe Satellites, both natural and man-made Schwarzschild and the concept of a black hole Supermassive black holes Transfer orbits, or how to send a spacecraft to Mars
Chapter 8 - Static Equilibrium and Torque
Right-hand rule for the direction of the torque vector Rotational inertia and tightrope walking Static problems and equilibrium Torque as a force that causes rotational motion
Chapter 9 - Work and Energy
Choosing origin for potential energy reference frame Einstein's famous equation and nuclear fusion Einstein's theory of relativity Elastic potential energy Elastic potential energy in your muscles Energy and work Energy content of power sources Faster than light travel? Forms of energy Gravitational potential energy Hooke’s Law for springs Intensity of sunlight at Earth's surface Kinetic energy Potential energy Power and radiant energy Power is the rate of doing work Radiant energy Renewable energy Units of work and energy
Chapter 10 - Conservation of Energy
Algebra derivation using the conservation of energy Do lighter objects fall more slowly than heavy objects? Energy flow in open and closed systems First law of thermodynamics Friction Galileo and the Leaning Tower of Pisa
Chapter 11 - Momentum and Collisions
Elastic and inelastic collisions How momentum differs from inertia Law of conservation of momentum Momentum and Newton's first law Momentum and Newton's second law Momentum and Newton's third law Momentum conservation in graphical form Newton's second law, impulse, and a broken egg Symmetry in the physics of collisions
Chapter 12 - Machines
Block and tackle system trades off distance for force Different kinds of tension Efficiency of a machine High-altitude wind power How the forearm acts as a first- and third-class lever How the leg acts as a compound machine with three levers How the wind speed varies across the U.S. on land and offshore Ideal mechanical advantage Mechanical advantage Mechanical advantage of a compound machine Tension in a rope Three different classes of levers Tradeoff between force and distance for a lever
Chapter 13 - Angular Momentum
Angular momentum is a vector quantity Change in astrological signs due to precession of the Earth's rotational axis Comparing quantities and equations of motion for translational and rotational motion Conservation of angular momentum Does the Sun produce tides on the Earth? Earth-Moon system drawn to scale How does an ice skater spin so fast? How the Fosbury flop allows high jumpers to jump higher How tightrope walkers and gymnasts keep their balance Linear and angular momentum Microscopic and macroscopic objects with angular momentum Rotation and revolution of the Earth Rotational about the center of mass in athletics Rotational and orbital angular momentum Spring tides and neap tides Three types of motion Tilt of the Earth's rotational axis causes the seasons Translational and rotational motion What causes the tides in the Earth's oceans? What is a point mass?
Chapter 14 - Harmonic Motion
Oscillator examples: pendulum, spring, and elastic band Resonance Restoring forces and harmonic motion Stable and unstable equilibria
Chapter 15 - Waves
Damping of a wave How a water wave propagates Longitudinal waves Plane waves and circular waves Polarization Standing waves Superposition principle Transverse waves Wave interference through reflection Wavelength Waves are oscillations across both time and space
Chapter 16 - Sound
Beats as the interference of two waves close in frequency Doppler effect Equal-tempered scale in music Exoplanets and how to find them using the Doppler technique Frequency range of hearing for humans and some animals Physics behind musical terms of pitch and loudness Sound is a longitudinal wave Speed of sound waves Square wave is comprised of only odd-integer harmonics of the fundamental tone There is no sound in space
Chapter 17 - Electricity and Circuits
Benjamin Franklin and the conventional direction of current Deeper understanding of electric current Electricity and electric current Invention of the electric battery Kirchhoff's first law and charge conservation Nature of electric current Nature of electric current Open and closed circuits Power in electrical circuits Superconductors Volta's invention of the battery Voltage or potential difference
Chapter 18 - Electric and Magnetic Fields
Changes in the Earth's magnetic field Diamagnetism and paramagnetism Earth's magnetic field Faraday cage and shielding Ferromagnetic materials Ferromagnetism Gauss's law Gravitational and electric force fields Induced polarization in dielectric materials Magnetic domains in ferromagnetic materials
Chapter 19 - Electromagnetism
Applications of mass spectrometry Changing magnetic fields and electric current Connection between electric current and magnetic fields How to demonstrate electromagnetism using a CRT display Magnetic force between two parallel, current-carrying wires Magnetic permeability and vacuum permeability Right-hand rule for magnetic field around current-carrying wire Symmetry between electricity and magnetism in the motor and generator Transformers Why ions move in circles in bubble chambers
Chapter 20 - Light and Reflection
Diffuse reflection and subsurface scattering Law of reflection Phases of the Moon Ray diagram Seven general properties of light Transparency and electromagnetic waves Transparency, translucency, and opacity Wave and ray representation of light Why solar and lunar eclipses occur
Chapter 21 - Refraction and Lenses
Critical angle for internal reflection Farsightedness and its correction Focal length of a lens Focal point of a lens Images produced by various optical devices Internal reflection Nearsightedness and its correction Objects and images Objects located at “infinity” and reciprocal quantities Red-green color blindness
Chapter 22 - Electromagnetic Radiation
AM radio waves reflect off of the ionosphere Birth of quantum physics Compton effect (or Compton scattering) Diffraction and interference patterns Diffraction of light by a compact disk Diffraction of light through a slit Dispersion of light by water droplets Double rainbows Dual nature of light Electromagnetic spectrum Evidence that light exhibits particle properties Evidence that light exhibits wave properties Frequency ranges for regions of the electromagnetic spectrum How amplitude modulated (AM) radio works How rainbows form Monochromatic light Photoelectric effect Planck's relation for the energy of a photon Quantum physics and Planck's relation Speed of light through different media Why you should wear sunblock on a sunny day Young's double slit experiment
Chapter 23 - Properties of Matter
Degrees of freedom and properties of gases Depletion regions in semiconductor devices Difference between heat and temperature Kinetic theory connects microscopic and macroscopic quantities of matter Ordered and random energy Periodic table and atomic masses Phase changes in matter Phases of matter Plasma is a phase of matter Quantum gas and temperatures below absolute zero van der Waals forces
Chapter 24 - Heat Transfer
Anthropogenic explanation for climate change Blackbody spectrum Climate change and global warming Convection in the Earth's atmosphere Cooling curves for heat transfer El Niño weather pattern Extreme weather downbursts and straight-line winds Factors affecting thermal conductivity Newton's law of cooling Radiant heat transfer for the human body Shrinking summertime Arctic ice cap Thermal equilibrium Windchill index
Chapter 25 - Thermodynamics
Adiabatic processes Carnot cycle Compression and expansion of a gas Entropy and disorder First law of thermodynamics Isothermal processes Pressure-volume (PV) diagrams Ratio of specific heats Reversibility and time Second law of thermodynamics Temperature-entropy graph Third law of thermodynamics Work done on a PV diagram Zeroth law of thermodynamics
Chapter 26 - Quantum Physics and the Atom
Continuum, absorption, and emission spectra Electron orbital resonances in the Bohr hydrogen atom Electrons can act like waves in the atom Electrons, protons, and neutrons Emission line spectrum of the hydrogen atom Mendeleev and the periodic table Plum pudding model of the atom Quantum theory Spectral signatures of different elements Spontaneous emission and stimulated absorption Stimulated emission Why is the sky blue? de Broglie theory of matter waves
Chapter 27 - Nuclear Physics
Electroweak interaction Four fundamental forces of nature Higgs boson Leptons Magnetic resonance imaging Mass-energy equivalence, E = mc² Matter and antimatter Nuclear energy Nuclear fission reaction Nuclear fusion and the Sun Particle physics and the standard model Quarks Radioactive decay: alpha, beta, and gamma Rest energy Standard model of particle physics Strong nuclear force Using lasers to detect gravitational waves Was Einstein wrong about the statistical nature of quantum phenomena? Weak nuclear force electron volt