Physics I Workbook For Dummies with Online Practice

Nail your next physics exam and prepare yourself for the next level of physics education 

Physics isn’t the easiest part of high school, but it doesn’t have to be pull-your-hair-out hard. In Physics I Workbook For Dummies, you get practical guidance to reinforce what you already know and master new physics concepts. You’ll gain confidence in critical subject areas like motion, thermodynamics, and electromagnetism while setting yourself up for success in college- and university-level physics courses. 

This book offers hands-on practice exercises in the book and on an online test bank that come with plain-English answers and step-by-step explanations so you can see what you did right and where you need practice. The perfect combination of instruction and application, Physics I Workbook For Dummies also provides: 

• Understandable explanations of central physics concepts and the techniques you need to solve common problems 
• Practice questions with complete answer explanations to test your knowledge as you progress 
• Highlights of the ten most common pitfalls and traps that students encounter in physics assignments and exams and how to avoid them 
• A collection of the ten most useful online physics resources, along with free, 1-year access to online chapter quizzes 

Whether you’re planning to tackle the MCAT one day or just want to improve your performance on your next physics test, Physics I Workbook For Dummies offers you an opportunity to master a rewarding and challenging subject that unlocks countless educational and career opportunities. 

The Experts at Dummies are smart, friendly people who make learning easy by taking a not-so-serious approach to serious stuff.

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Foolish Assumptions 1

Icons Used in This Book 2

Beyond the Book 2

Where to Go from Here 3

Part 1: Getting Started With Physics 5

Chapter 1: Reviewing Physics Basics 7

Measuring the Universe 7

Putting Scientific Notation to Work 10

Converting between Units 11

Converting through Multiple Units 14

Converting Times 15

Counting Significant Figures 16

Coming Prepared with Some Algebra 18

Being Prepared with Trigonometry 19

Answers to Problems about Physics Basics 21

Chapter 2: The Big Three: Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration 25

From Point A to B: Displacement 25

Reading That Speedometer 27

Putting Pedal to Metal: Acceleration 29

Connecting Acceleration, Time, and Displacement 31

Connecting Velocity, Acceleration, and Displacement 33

Answers to Problems about Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration 35

Chapter 3: Vectors: Knowing Where You’re Headed 41

Creating a Vector 41

Understanding Vector Components 43

Finding a Vector’s Components 45

Finding a Vector’s Magnitude and Direction 46

Adding Vectors Together 48

Handling Velocity as a Vector 51

Answers to Problems about Vectors 54

Part 2: May The Forces Be With You 59

Chapter 4: Applying Force 61

Newton’s First Law of Motion 61

Newton’s Second Law of Motion 62

Force Is a Vector 65

Calculating Net Force and Acceleration 67

Sorting Out Weight and Mass 69

The Balancing Act of Equilibrium 71

Newton’s Third Law of Motion 73

Answers to Problems about Force 74

Chapter 5: Working with Inclined Planes 81

Breaking Ramps Up into Vectors 81

Acceleration and Inclined Planes 84

Running Down Ramps: Speed 85

Friction on Inclined Planes 87

Starting from zero: Static friction 88

Already in motion: Kinetic friction 89

Static Friction along Ramps 90

Kinetic Friction along Ramps 91

Acceleration along Ramps Including Friction 93

Answers to Problems about Inclined Planes 95

Chapter 6: Round and Round: Circular Motion 101

Converting between Angles 101

Period and Frequency 103

Getting into Angular Velocity 104

Whipping Around with Angular Acceleration 106

Connecting Angular Velocity and Angular Acceleration to Angles 108

Connecting Angular Acceleration and Angle to Angular Velocity 109

Handling Centripetal Acceleration 110

Getting Forceful: Centripetal Force 112

Answers to Problems about Circular Motion 114

Part 3: Being Energetic: Work 121

Chapter 7: Working the Physics Way 123

A Different Kind of Work 124

Dealing with the Net Force 125

Getting Energetic: Kinetic Energy 127

Getting Kinetic Energy from Work 129

Storing Your Energy: Potential Energy 132

Powering It Up 134

Answers to Problems about Work 136

Chapter 8: Getting Things to Move: Momentum and Kinetic Energy 147

Acting on Impulse 147

Getting Some Momentum 149

Relating Impulse and Momentum 150

Conserving Momentum 152

Conserving Kinetic Energy — or Not 154

Collisions in Two Dimensions 156

Answers to Problems about Momentum and Kinetic Energy 159

Chapter 9: Winding It Up: Rotational Motion and Torque 167

Finding Tangential Speed 167

Targeting Tangential Acceleration 170

Angular Velocity as a Vector 171

Angular Acceleration as a Vector 172

Doing the Twist: Torque 173

The Balancing Act: Rotational Equilibrium 176

Answers to Problems about Rotational Motion and Torque 180

Chapter 10: Getting Dizzy with Rotational Dynamics 185

Putting Newton on Wheels 185

Moments of Inertia for Everyone 187

Doing Some Rotational Work 190

Round and Round: Rotational Kinetic Energy 191

Working with Ramps Again 193

Can’t Stop This: Angular Momentum 195

Answers to Problems about Rotational Dynamics 197

Chapter 11: Simple Harmonic Motion 203

Hooking into Hooke’s Law 203

Simply Simple Harmonic Motion 205

Getting Periodic 207

Considering Velocity 208

Figuring the Acceleration 210

Bouncing Around with Springs 211

Talking about Energy 213

Following the Ticktock of Pendulums 214

Answers to Problems about Simple Harmonic Motion 216

Part 4: Obeying The Laws Of Thermodynamics 223

Chapter 12: You’re Getting Warm: Thermodynamics 225

Converting between Temperature Scales 225

Getting Bigger: Linear Expansion 227

Plumping It Up: Volume Expansion 230

Getting Specific with Heat Capacity 231

Changes of Phase: Latent Heat 234

Answers to Problems about Thermodynamics 236

Chapter 13: Under Pressure: From Solid to Liquid to Gas 243

How Heat Flows: Convection 244

How Heat Is Produced: Conduction 245

How Heat Is Produced: Radiation 248

A Biggie: Avogadro’s Number 250

Ideally Speaking: The Ideal Gas Law 251

Molecules in Motion 253

Answers to Problems about Pressure 255

Chapter 14: All about Heat and Work 261

The First Law of Thermodynamics 261

Constant Pressure: Isobaric Processes 262

Constant Volume: Isochoric Processes 265

Constant Temperature: Isothermal Processes 266

At Constant Heat: Adiabatic 268

The Direction of Heat: The Second Law of Thermodynamics 271

Making Heat Work: Heat Engines 271

Maximum Efficiency: Carnot Heat Engines 274

The Third Law of Thermodynamics 275

Answers to Problems about Heat and Work 276

Part 5: Zap: Electricity 283

Chapter 15: Static Electricity: Electrons at Rest 285

Talking about Electric Charges 285

Getting Forceful with Charges 286

Electrical Forces Are Vectors 288

Force at a Distance: Electric Fields 289

Easy Electric Field: Parallel Plate Capacitors 291

Ramping Up Some Voltage 293

Electric Potential from Point Charges 294

Answers to Problems about Static Electricity 297

Chapter 16: Electrons in Motion: Circuits 305

Electrons in a Whirl: Current 305

Giving You Some Resistance: Ohm’s Law 306

Powering It Up 308

One after the Other: Series Circuits 309

All for One: Parallel Circuits 311

The Whole Story: Kirchhoff’s Rules 314

Answers to Problems about Circuits 317

Part 6: The Part Of Tens 327

Chapter 17: Ten Common Mistakes People Make When Solving Problems 329

Mixing Units 329

Expressing the Answer in the Wrong Units 329

Swapping Radians and Degrees 330

Getting Sines and Cosines Mixed Up 330

Failing to Treat Vectors as Vectors 330

Neglecting Latent Heat 330

Getting the Direction of Forces Wrong 331

Getting the Signs Wrong in Kirchhoff Loops 331

Adding Resistors Incorrectly 332

Using the Wrong Temperature in the Ideal Gas Law 332

Chapter 18: Ten Wild Physics Theories 333

The Universal Speed Limit 333

Through the Looking Glass, and What Chien-Shiung Found There 334

Wanted: Dead and Alive 334

Quantum Objects Can Tunnel 334

Mass Is a Kind of Energy 334

Vacuum Is Not Just Empty Space 335

“Constants” in Physics Change 335

Stuck in the Middle of a Proton 335

The Expansion of the Universe Is Accelerating 336

Some Things Never Change 336

Index 337

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