ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Steven Holzner, PhD, was a contributing editor at PC Magazine and was on the faculty of both MIT and Cornell University. He wrote Physics For Dummies, Physics II For Dummies, and Quantum Physics For Dummies.

• INTRODUCTION
  • About This Book
  • Conventions Used in This Book
  • Foolish Assumptions
  • Icons Used in This Book
  • Where to Go from Here
• CHAPTER 1 : Viewing the World through the Lens of Physics
  • Figuring Out What Physics Is About
  • Paying Attention to Objects in Motion
  • Getting Energized
  • Moving as Fast as You Can : Special Relativity
  • Measuring Your World
• CHAPTER 2 : Taking Vectors Step by Step
  • Getting a Grip on Vectors
  • Waxing Numerical on Vectors
  • Working with Vector Components
• CHAPTER 3 : Going the Distance with Speed and Acceleration
  • From Here to There : Dissecting Displacement
  • The Fast Track to Understanding Speed and Velocity
  • Speeding Up（or Slowing Down） : Acceleration
  • Bringing Acceleration, Time, and Displacement Together
  • Putting Speed, Acceleration, and Displacement Together
• CHAPTER 4 : Studying Circular Motions
  • Understanding Uniform Circular Motion
  • Creating Centripetal Acceleration
  • Finding Angular Equivalents for Linear Equations
CHAPTER 5 : Push-Ups and Pull-Ups : Exercises in Force
• Reckoning with Force
• Objects at Rest and in Motion : Newton’s First Law
• Calculating Net Force : Newton’s Second Law
• Equal and Opposite Reactions : Newton’s Third Law
CHAPTER 6 : Falling Slowly : Gravity and Friction
• Dropping the Apple : Newton’s Law of Gravitation
• Down to Earth : Dealing with Gravity
• Leaning Vertically with Inclined Planes
• Facing Friction
CHAPTER 7 : Putting Physics to Work
• Wrapping Your Mind around Work
• Working Backward : Negative Work
• Working Up a Sweat : Kinetic Energy
• Saving Up : Potential Energy
• Pitting Conservative against Nonconservative Forces
• No Work Required : The Conservation of Mechanical Energy
• A Powerful Idea : The Rate of Doing Work
CHAPTER 8 : Moving Objects with Impulse and Momentum
• Feeling a Sudden Urge to Do Physics : Impulse
• Mastering Momentum
• Connecting Impulse and Momentum
• Watching Objects Go Bonk : The Conservation of Momentum
• Measuring Firing Velocity
• Examining Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
CHAPTER 9 : Navigating the Twists and Turns of Angular Kinetics
• Changing Gears（and Equations）from Linear to Rotational Motion
• Tackling Tangential Motion
• Applying Vectors to Rotation
• Doing the Twist with Torque
• No Spin, Just the Unbiased Truth : Rotational Equilibrium
CHAPTER 10 : Taking a Spin with Rotational Dynamics
• Converting Newton’s Second Law into Angular Motion
• Finding Moments of Inertia for Standard Shapes
• Doing Rotational Work and Producing Kinetic Energy
• Going Round and Round with Angular Momentum
CHAPTER 11 : There and Back Again : Simple Harmonic Motion
• Homing in on Hooke’s Law
• Déjà Vu All Over Again : Simple Harmonic Motion
• Examining Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion
• Going for a Swing with Pendulums
CHAPTER 12 : Ten Marvels of Relativity
• Nature Doesn’t Play Favorites
• The Speed of Light Is Constant
• Time Contracts at High Speeds
• Space Travel Slows Down Aging
• Length Shortens at High Speeds
• Matter and Energy Are Equivalent : E = mc2
• Matter + Antimatter Equals Boom
• The Sun Is Losing Mass
• You Can’t Surpass the Speed of Light
• Newton Was Right
INDEX