Table Of Content

The Basics of Physics This page intentionally left blank The Basics of Physics Rusty L. Myers Basics of the Hard Sciences Robert E. Krebs, Series Editor GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Myers, Rusty [Richard] L. The basics of physics / Rusty L. Myers. p. cm. — (Basics of the hard sciences) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-313-32857-9 (alk. paper) 1. Physics—Textbooks. I. Title. II. Series. QC21.3.M94 2006 530—dc22 2005030786 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright © 2006 by Rusty L. Myers All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2005030786 ISBN: 0-313-32857-9 First published in 2006 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. www.greenwood.com Printed in the United States of America The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48-1984). 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 21 While the physics experiments ("activities") listed in chapter 16 of this volume have been exhaustively tested for safety, the author and publisher cannot be held liable for any injury or damage that may occur during the performance of these experiments. Contents Preface xi Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1 Physics and Its Early Foundations 1 Introduction: What Is Physics? 1 Divisions of Physics 2 The Philosophical Foundation of Physics 4 Plato 6 Aristotle 7 Ptolemy 9 Physics in the Dark and Middle Ages 10 Physics in the Middle Ages 12 Summary 14 Chapter 2 The Development of Classical Physics 15 Introduction 15 The Copernican System 15 Brahe and Kepler 17 Galileo 21 Newton 27 Summary 29 Chapter 3 Translational Motion 31 Introduction 31 Scalars and Vectors 31 Speed and Velocity 31 Acceleration 34 General Formulas for Kinematics 35 Acceleration Due to Gravity 36 vi Contents 40 Newton's Laws of Motion Gravity and Weight 41 43 Newton's Third Law Momentum and Impulse 44 44 The Conservation of Momentum Friction 46 Summary 47 Chapter 4 Rotational Motion 49 Introduction 49 49 Uniform Circular Motion Centripetal Acceleration and Force 51 Orbital Motion, Gravity, and Apparent Weight 54 Artificial Gravity 55 Angular Acceleration 57 Rotational Dynamics 58 Balancing and Center of Mass 61 Angular Momentum 63 64 Summary of Translational and Circular Motion Eq Chapter 5 Work, Energy, and Heat 67 Introduction 67 System and Surroundings 67 Potential, Kinetic, and Internal Energy 68 Work 69 Heat and Temperature 70 Units for Energy, Work, and Heat 74 74 Conservation of Energy 76 Machines 78 Thermodynamics Power 82 82 Summary 85 Chapter 6 Heat 85 Introduction Heat and Temperature Change 85 88 Heat and Phase Changes Phase Diagrams 90 91 Thermal Expansion of Substances 94 Heat Transfer 987 Applications of Heat Transfer 99 Summary 101 Chapter 7 Matter 101 Introduction 101 Solids Contents vii X-ray Diffraction 102 Amorphous Solids 104 Elasticity of Solids 105 Fluids 107 Atmospheric and Hydrostatic Pressure 110 The Gas Laws 113 The Ideal Gas Law 115 Pascal's Principle 116 Buoyancy and the Archimedes Principle 117 Fluid Dynamics 119 Material Science 122 Summary 125 Chapter 8 Vibrations, Waves, and Sound 127 Introduction 127 Simple Harmonic Motion 127 Waves 129 Sound 134 Music 137 Acoustics 141 The Ear and Hearing 145 Summary 145 Chapter 9 Light and Optics 147 Introduction 147 A Brief History of Light 148 Behavior of Light 151 Reflection 151 Refraction 156 Dispersion and Scattering 161 Diffraction 163 Polarization 164 Summary 167 Chapter 10 Quantum Physics 169 Introduction 169 Blackbody Radiation 169 The Photoelectric Effect 171 The Compton Effect 172 Wave-Particle Duality 172 The Schrodinger Equation and the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle 174 A Brief History of Atomic Thought 175 The Divisible Atom 177 Atomic Structure 180 Quantum Mechanics 183 Summary 187 viii Contents Chapter 11 A Modern View of the Atom 189 Introduction 189 Particle Detectors and Accelerators 189 Fundamental Particles, Forces, and the Standard Model 193 The Standard Cosmological Model 200 Summary 202 Chapter 12 Nuclear Physics 205 Introduction 205 Atomic Mass, Atomic Numbers, and Isotopes 205 Nuclear Stability and Radioactivity 207 Radioactive Decay and Nuclear Reactions 208 Half-Life and Radiometric Dating 210 Nuclear Binding Energy, Fission, and Fusion 213 Fusion and Stellar Evolution 219 Transmutation 220 Radiation Units and Detection 221 Biological Effects of Radiation 224 Summary 227 Chapter 13 Electricity 229 Introduction 229 History 229 Electrostatics 233 Conductors and Insulators 235 Coulomb's Law and the Electric Field 236 The Electric Potential 237 Electric Current and Circuits 239 Electric Power 245 Batteries 245 Home Electricity and Electrical Safety 249 Summary 253 Chapter 14 Magnetism and Electromagnetism 255 Introduction 255 The Magnetic Field and Source of Magnetism 256 Magnetic Force on a Moving Charge 259 Electromagnetic Induction 261 Mutual Inductance and Self-Inductance 264 Electromagnetic Applications 265 Geomagnetism 268 Maxwell's Equations 270 Summary 271 Chapter 15 Relativity 273 Introduction 273 The Speed of Light 273 Contents ix The Michelson-Morley Experiment 277 Reference Frames 280 Special Theory of Relativity 282 Time 283 Length Contraction 287 Mass, Momentum, and Energy 287 General Relativity 288 Summary 292 Chapter 16 Physics Experiments 295 Introduction 295 The Scientific Method 295 Physics Experimentation 298 Physics Activities 299 Summary 318 Chapter 17 Physics as a Career and Physics Jobs 319 Introduction 319 Physics-Related Fields 320 Physics Work 322 Education 323 Physics Organizations 325 Job Outlook 325 Summary 326 Glossary 327 Selected Symbols, Abbreviations, and Units 339 Table of Elements 343 Conversion Tables 345 Nobel Prize Winners in Physics 351 Selected Bibliography and Internet Resources 357 Index 361