Essential University Physics, Volume 1

About our author R ichard Wolfson is the Benjamin F. Wissler Professor of Physics at Middlebury College, where he has taught since 1976. He did undergraduate work at MIT and Swarthmore College, and he holds an M.S. from the University of Michigan and Ph.D. from Dartmouth. His ongoing research on the Sun’s corona and climate change has taken him to sabbaticals at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado; St. Andrews University in Scotland; and Stanford University.Rich is a committed and passionate teacher. This is reflected in his many publications for students and the general public, including the video series Einstein’s Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Nonscientists (The Teaching Company, 1999), Physics in Your Life (The Teaching Company, 2004), Physics and Our Universe: How It All Works (The Teaching Company, 2011), and Understanding Modern Electronics(The Teaching Company, 2014); books Nuclear Choices: A Citizen’s Guide to Nuclear Technology (MIT Press, 1993), Simply Einstein: Relativity Demystified (W. W. Norton, 2003), and Energy, Environment, and Climate(W. W. Norton, 3rd edition 2018); and articles for Scientific American and the World Book Encyclopedia.Outside of his research and teaching, Rich enjoys hiking, canoeing, gardening, cooking, and watercolor painting.

• Essential University Physics, 4th Edition is available in 3 versions: Full Version, All Chapters: Chs 1-39Volume 1: Chs 1-19Volume 2: Chs 20-39 Doing Physics1.1 Realms of Physics1.2 Measurements and Units1.3 Working with Numbers1.4 Strategies for Learning Physics PART ONE: MECHANICS Motion in a Straight Line2.1 Average Motion2.2 Instantaneous Velocity2.3 Acceleration2.4 Constant Acceleration2.5 The Acceleration of Gravity2.6 When Acceleration Isn't Constant Motion in Two and Three Dimensions3.1 Vectors3.2 Velocity and Acceleration Vectors3.3 Relative Motion3.4 Constant Acceleration3.5 Projectile Motion3.6 Uniform Circular Motion Force and Motion4.1 The Wrong Question4.2 Newton's First and Second Laws4.3 Forces4.4 The Force of Gravity4.5 Using Newton's Second Law4.6 Newton's Third Law Using Newton's Laws5.1 Using Newton's Second Law5.2 Multiple Objects5.3 Circular Motion5.4 Friction5.5 Drag Forces Energy, Work, and Power6.1 Energy6.2 Work6.3 Forces That Vary6.4 Kinetic Energy6.5 Power Conservation of Energy7.1 Conservative and Nonconservative Forces7.2 Potential Energy7.3 Conservation of Mechanical Energy7.4 Nonconservative Forces7.5 Conservation of Energy7.6 Potential-Energy Curves Gravity8.1 Toward a Law of Gravity8.2 Universal Gravitation8.3 Orbital Motion8.4 Gravitational Energy8.5 The Gravitational Field Systems of Particles9.1 Center of Mass9.2 Momentum9.3 Kinetic Energy of a System9.4 Collisions9.5 Totally Inelastic Collisions9.6 Elastic Collisions Rotational Motion10.1 Angular Velocity and Acceleration10.2 Torque10.3 Rotational Inertia and the Analog of Newton's Law10.4 Rotational Energy10.5 Rolling Motion Rotational Vectors and Angular Momentum11.1 Angular Velocity and Acceleration Vectors11.2 Torque and the Vector Cross Product11.3 Angular Momentum11.4 Conservation of Angular Momentum11.5 Gyroscopes and Precession Static Equilibrium12.1 Conditions for Equilibrium12.2 Center of Gravity12.3 Examples of Static Equilibrium12.4 Stability PART TWO: OSCILLATIONS, WAVES, AND FLUIDS Oscillatory Motion13.1 Describing Oscillatory Motion13.2 Simple Harmonic Motion13.3 Applications of Simple Harmonic Motion13.4 Circular Motion and Harmonic Motion13.5 Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion13.6 Damped Harmonic Motion13.7 Driven Oscillations and Resonance 14. Wave Motion14.1 Waves and Their Properties14.2 Wave Math14.3 Waves on a String14.4 Wave Energy14.5 Sound Waves14.6 Interference14.7 Reflection and Refraction14.8 Standing Waves14.9 The Doppler Effect and Shock Waves Fluid Motion15.1 Density and Pressure15.2 Hydrostatic Equilibrium15.3 Archimedes' Principle and Buoyancy15.4 Fluid Dynamics15.5 Applications of Fluid Dynamics15.6 Viscosity and Turbulence PART THREE: THERMODYNAMICS Temperature and Heat16.1 Heat, Temperature, and Thermodynamic Equilibrium16.2 Heat Capacity and Specific Heat16.3 Heat Transfer16.4 Thermal-Energy Balance The Thermal Behavior of Matter17.1 Gases17.2 Phase Changes17.3 Thermal Expansion Heat, Work, and the First Law of Thermodynamics18.1 The First Law of Thermodynamics18.2 Thermodynamic Processes18.3 Specific Heats of an Ideal Gas The Second Law of Thermodynamics19.1 Reversibility and Irreversibility19.2 The Second Law of Thermodynamics19.3 Applications of the Second Law19.4 Entropy and Energy Quality PART FOUR: ELECTROMAGNETISM Electric Charge, Force, and Field20.1 Electric Charge20.2 Coulomb's Law20.3 The Electric Field20.4 Fields of Charge Distributions20.5 Matter in Electric Fields Gauss's Law21.1 Electric Field Lines21.2 Electric Field and Electric Flux21.3 Gauss's Law21.4 Using Gauss's Law21.5 Fields of Arbitrary Charge Distributions21.6 Gauss's Law and Conductors Electric Potential22.1 Electric Potential Difference22.2 Calculating Potential Difference22.3 Potential Difference and the Electric Field22.4 Charged Conductors Electrostatic Energy and Capacitors23.1 Electrostatic Energy23.2 Capacitors23.3 Using Capacitors23.4 Energy in the Electric Field Electric Current24.1 Electric Current24.2 Conduction Mechanisms24.3 Resistance and Ohm's Law24.4 Electric Power24.5 Electrical Safety Electric Circuits25.1 Circuits, Symbols, and Electromotive Force25.2 Series and Parallel Resistors25.3 Kirchhoff's Laws and Multiloop Circuits25.4 Electrical Measurements25.5 Capacitors in Circuits Magnetism: Force and Field26.1 What Is Magnetism?26.2 Magnetic Force and Field26.3 Charged Particles in Magnetic Fields26.4 The Magnetic Force on a Current26.5 Origin of the Magnetic Field26.6 Magnetic Dipoles26.7 Magnetic Matter26.8 Ampère's Law Electromagnetic Induction27.1 Induced Currents27.2 Faraday's Law27.3 Induction and Energy27.4 Inductance27.5 Magnetic Energy27.6 Induced Electric Fields Alternating-Current Circuits28.1 Alternating Current28.2 Circuit Elements in AC Circuits28.3 LC Circuits28.4 Driven RLC Circuits and Resonance28.5 Power in AC Circuits28.6 Transformers and Power Supplies Maxwell's Equations and Electromagnetic Waves29.1 The Four Laws of Electromagnetism29.2 Ambiguity in Ampère's Law29.3 Maxwell's Equations29.4 Electromagnetic Waves29.5 Properties of Electromagnetic Waves29.6 The Electromagnetic Spectrum29.7 Producing Electromagnetic Waves29.8 Energy and Momentum in Electromagnetic Waves PART FIVE: OPTICS Reflection and Refraction30.1 Reflection30.2 Refraction30.3 Total Internal Reflection30.4 Dispersion Images and Optical Instruments31.1 Images with Mirrors31.2 Images with Lenses31.3 Refraction in Lenses: The Details31.4 Optical Instruments Interference and Diffraction32.1 Coherence and Interference32.2 Double-Slit Interference32.3 Multiple-Slit Interference and Diffraction Gratings32.4 Interferometry32.5 Huygens' Principle and Diffraction32.6 The Diffraction Limit PART SIX: MODERN PHYSICS Relativity 33.1 Speed c Relative to What?33.2 Matter, Motion, and the Ether33.3 Special Relativity33.4 Space and Time in Relativity33.5 Simultaneity Is Relative33.6 The Lorentz Transformations33.7 Energy and Momentum in Relativity33.8 Electromagnetism and Relativity33.9 General Relativity Particles and Waves34.1 Toward Quantum Theory34.2 Blackbody Radiation34.3 Photons34.4 Atomic Spectra and the Bohr Atom34.5 Matter Waves34.6 The Uncertainty Principle34.7 Complementarity Quantum Mechanics35.1 Particles, Waves, and Probability35.2 The Schrödinger Equation35.3 Particles and Potentials35.4 Quantum Mechanics in Three Dimensions35.5 Relativistic Quantum Mechanics Atomic Physics36.1 The Hydrogen Atom36.2 Electron Spin36.3 The Exclusion Principle36.4 Multielectron Atoms and the Periodic Table36.5 Transitions and Atomic Spectra Molecules and Solids37.1 Molecular Bonding37.2 Molecular Energy Levels37.3 Solids37.4 Superconductivity Nuclear Physics 38.1 Elements, Isotopes, and Nuclear Structure38.2 Radioactivity38.3 Binding Energy and Nucleosynthesis38.4 Nuclear Fission38.5 Nuclear Fusion From Quarks to the Cosmos39.1 Particles and Forces39.2 Particles and More Particles39.3 Quarks and the Standard Model39.4 Unification39.5 The Evolving Universe APPENDICES A. MathematicsB. The International System of Units (SI)C. Conversion FactorsD. The ElementsE. Astrophysical DataAnswers to Odd-Numbered Problems