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Introduction to Physics - Read First Please

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PAGE 2 INDEX:   8. Reference  9. Real Video  10. Books
Physics WWW LINKS page.
Physics Tutorials (All levels)  More Tutorials

Introduction:   

Welcome to our  physics learning page.  We are very excited about our  physics page as we believe it will remove some of the "mystery of physics" and make it much easier to learn.  To study Physics we suggest you start with our chemistry page to learn about the atom, molecular structure and the elements.  Then turn your attention to mathematics, electronics, biology, microscopy, and space.  You will then have a good background to learn about physics.  We won't repeat material on this physics page that is covered elsewhere at 101science.com.  The world wide web physics links have been moved to our new physics links page.  Be sure to check them out as there is much to be learned there also.  

Why is physics so hard for many students?  We feel much of the problem is that examples are often not clearly and fully explained and the student is not given enough time to figure out the unexplained part on their own.  We think a better way is to explain every detail of an example.  The student then feels better about themselves because they can immediately apply the learned information to other problems. Why frustrate a student with an example that is not fully explained?  We don't think it improves the learning process although some disagree. 

Learn Physics NOW online FREE and EASY http://library.thinkquest.org/10796/

A WONDERFUL PHYSICS SITE: Hyper Physics http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/hframe.html

STANFORD UNIVERSITY VIRTUAL PHYSICS SITE http://www2.slac.stanford.edu/vvc/Default.htm

1-D Kinematics
Newton's Laws
Vectors - Motion and Forces in Two Dimensions
Momentum and Its Conservation
Work, Energy, and Power
Circular Motion and Satellite Motion
Einstein's Theory of Special Relativity
Static Electricity
Current Electricity
Waves
Sound Waves and Music
Light Waves and Color
Reflection and the Ray Model of Light
Refraction and the Ray Model of Light

WHAT IS PHYSICS?

Physics is about; mass, motion, force, vectors (length & direction), velocity, gravity, light, energy, time and space. These are all physical things that can be measured.  To simplify your thinking about physics (Our whole purpose here is to simplify physics for you) just remember that these measurable quantities can be specified with just four basic dimensions:

1. MASS    2. LENGTH   3. TIME    4. ELECTRIC CHARGE

FORCE AND MOTION

Motion

• Linear Motion
• Laws of Motion
• Orbital Motion and Kepler's Laws
  • Orbital Motion Demonstration
• Periodic Motion
• http://www.emints.org/ethemes/resources/S00000559.shtml

Forces

• Forces
• The Mysterious Force at a Distance
• The Force of Gravity
  • Gravity Equations
  • Modern Views of the Force of Gravity
• Pressure

Work

• Work Against a Resistive Force
• Energy
• Simple Machines

Newton's First Law of Motion

• Newton's First Law
• Inertia and Mass
• State of Motion
• Balanced and Unbalanced Forces

Force and Its Representation

• The Meaning of Force
• Types of Forces
• Drawing Free-Body Diagrams
• Determining the Net Force

Newton's Second Law of Motion

• Newton's Second Law
• The Big Misconception
• Finding Acceleration
• Finding Individual Forces
• Free Fall and Air Resist

Newton's Third Law of Motion

• Newton's Third Law
• Identifying Action and Reaction Force Pairs

Speed is the distance traveled divided by the time of travel.  For example; if you were to travel a distance of 10 miles in 2 hours time, then your average speed equals 5 miles per hour.  

s=d/t       (s=speed,  d=distance,  t=time, and the / means to divide)

The word velocity is very similar to speed (except velocity also has a direction called a vector) and in most cases we will now use the letter "v" to describe speed.  So the formula becomes v=d/t.   Most textbooks bold face the units that also contain direction information.  All quantities that are not vectors are called scalars.  Time is a scalar quantity.

The WWW links on this site will take you directly to the various web site pages.  Your browser URL address line will tell you the origin of the site and it's material.

Let's talk a moment about unit conversions.  It makes little difference what set of units you use.  The distance for example could be in miles, feet, or meters.  Just be sure that you do the proper conversions.  Or, use a simple online unit converter HERE or a more detailed professional converter HERE.  Also, be sure the units agree with one another.  For example; Don't mix miles and meters in the same formula.  See our mathematics page for more information.  Physicists use the SI system of measurement which uses meters as the basic length unit.  In most cases it is much simpler to do calculations with SI units.  If your distance is in meters and the time is in seconds then your speed answer will be meters per second.  Makes perfect sense.  Just do some thinking about the units your using.  Yes, physics requires you to think.  That's something you do all the time and it is not difficult.

A very good PHYSICS REFERENCE http://www.alcyone.com/max/reference/physics/index.html page provides an understanding of how these units are related to physics.  Check it out.

Acceleration is a change (difference) in speed divided by the time it takes to make the change.   

a=(v₁-v₀)/t  

If a car takes 10 seconds of time (t) to increase its speed from 30 meters per hour (v₀) to 50 meters per hour (v₁) it's acceleration (a) would be; 2 meters per hour, per second.  

If an object starts at rest then the velocity (v₀) at that time is zero.  If you need to find an unknown change of speed then the formula becomes (v₁-v₀)=at.  This formula transformation follows the simple rules of algebra.

Acceleration demonstration http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/A+0+0.html

Force demonstration. http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/A+14+0.html

The Strong Force; an Explanation - The Standard Model
Introduction of everyday forces and quarks, leptons, boson's, fundamental particles and other issues.
From Cornell University: Professors Sadoff, Hine.

Some GREAT JAVA Applets http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html

ENDEVCO NEWS RELEASES

12/11/2003: Authoritative Reference for Dynamic Measurement Professionals SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif. - December 2003 - Endevco Corporation announced the availability of its Measurement Handbook for Dynamic Force, Pressure and Acceleration. Information contained in the handbook provides a competitive edge for companies that design or are dependent on measurement systems for test or control applications. The handbook explains in detail the factors associated with various measurement system considerations. Description Link Handbook of Dynamic Measurement (Free but Registration Required)

Nuclear Physics

School of Physics--Tutorial
DOLORES GENDE: PHYSICS TUTORIALS
LHS Physics Links
Open Directory - Science: Physics: Education: Tutorials
Physics Links Page
PHY 112: PHYSICS II - CHAPTER 30: Nuclear Physics and Radioactivity
Physics Web Resources
Nuclear Physics and Tomography
The World-Wide Web Virtual Library: Nuclear Physics
Nuclear physics
Nuclear Physics
www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/03759474
Physical Review C
Nuclear Physics: Past, Present and Future
Journal of Physics G: Nuclear and Particle PhysicsThe ABC's of Nuclear Science

Physics - Nuclear Terminology

The Language of the Nucleus, on-line edition.
The world's largest nuclear glossary. http://glossary.dataenabled.com/

See out Terminology page for more including physics.

Learn physics the easy way - by watching videos

 Physics I      Physics II      Physics I&II       DVD

In problems concerning gravity on earth the acceleration (a) becomes approximately 9.8 meters per second squared (a).  An object that starts from rest falls for one second at a speed of 9.8 m/s.  After 2 seconds the speed is 19.6 m/s and after 3 seconds it is 29.4 m/s.  This is why the farther you fall the harder you hit the ground.  In actual problems on earth you must also consider the falling object is moving through air which resists the movement of the object.  Then the size of the object also becomes important.

d=v₀t  + 1/2at²

Example; A ball starting from rest (V₀ = zero) falls for 3 seconds then the distance it has fallen is; .5 x 9.8 x 3² = 4.9 x 9 = 44.1 meters.  Notice we used .5 which is equal to one half.

Gravitation demonstration. http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/A+15+0.html

Thermodynamics

The laws of Thermodynamics http://www.av8n.com/physics/thermo-laws.htm

EXPERIMENTS 

Search for science experiments at:

THE LAB ARCHIVE http://www.labarchive.net/labdb/search-category?category_id=4

Real Time Experiments!
Little Shop Home
Physics Experiments online
Physics Experiments You Can Do At Home
High Energy Physics Experiments
www-spires.slac.stanford.edu/find/explist.html
Physics 2000
Physics: Experiments and Research
The Sciences Explorer - Experiments
ADVANCED PHYSICS EXPERIMENTS
Physics 2000
PhysicsWeb - Advanced site search
Advanced Physics Lab List of Experiments
Advanced physics labss
Physics Encyclopedia: Future High Energy Physics Experiments
Pico Technology's Library Of Science Experiments
PHY-U600, Advanced Physics Lab I
2001 Villa Olmo International Conference
K-12: Physics

Distance vs. Speed vs. Time Calculators

Time from Distance and Speed

Distance from Speed and Time

Speed from Distance and Time

NEWTON'S THREE LAWS OF MOTION

1.  An object at rest tend to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion at a constant speed.

2.  F = ma       (Force in Newton's SI units, equal mass times acceleration.)

3.  For every force there is an equal and opposite force.

MOMENTUM

Momentum (F) is the product of the mass of an object and its velocity.  The SI unit of momentum is kg per m/s.

F = m(v₁-v₀)

WORK (joules)            POWER  (joule/second)

W = Fd                           P = (Fd)/t

ENERGY CONSERVATION

Energy can not be created or destroyed.  Energy can be changed from potential (at rest) to KE or kinetic energy (energy in motion).

KE = 1/2 mv²

Conservation of energy demonstration. http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/A+05+0.html

Demonstration list for "How Does A Thing Like That Work"

• NEWTON'S LAWS
• HEAT
• AIR PRESSURE
• ELECTRICITY
• ENERGY & PRESSURE
• SEVEN SPRINGS HANDOUT

Links to Other Physics Demonstration Sites

• Physics Lecture Demonstrations from Berkeley.
• The Wonders of Physics  Dr. Clinton Sprott, from the University of Wisconsin.
• University of Illinois  Physics Outreach Program.
• Purdue University  Physics Outreach Program.
• The Mad Science Group  Educational and Entertaining Science for Children

THE DECIBEL SCALE

The metric unit of sound intensity is watts/m².  This unit corresponds to the system used in all fields of physics, expressed in decibels (dB) (1/10 of a bel).  The decibel scale is a compressed scale of measurement.  The least intense sound that can be heard has an intensity of zero decibels.  A zero decibel sound has an intensity of 10^-12 watt/m².  A sound with 10 times the energy is rated at 10 decibels.  A sound with 100 times as much energy as the 0 dB sound is rated at 20 dB.  Ordinary human whisper is about 20 dB.  A conversation is about 60 dB. Sound at 120 dB becomes painful - jet engine noise.  A rocket blasting off at about 100 yards has an intensity of about 180 dB, very loud and very painful.

Decibel conversion calculator - http://www.hameg.de/_rs/Decibel_Conversion_Calculator.pdf

Decibel conversion chart - http://www.testeq.com/charts/decibels.lasso

Table - http://www.fmsystems-inc.com/eng_db.htm

dB conversion - java - http://www.mogami.com/e/cad/db.html

dB conversion - http://www.bessernet.com/jobAids/dBCalc/dBCalc.html

Design utilities - http://www.ecommwireless.com/calculations.html

Microvolts to dBm conversion chart - http://www.moseleysb.com/mv2dBm.html

Decibel to Watt conversion - http://www.odessaoffice.com/wireless/decibel.html

Conversion Units - http://www.radioing.com/hamradio/convert.html

RF Power conversion table - http://www.decibelproducts.com/dbtech_7.html

The metric system - http://forum.hotplugins.com/cgi-bin/showforum.cgi?fbid=88&pg=2

LIGHT

Light exhibits characteristics of waves and sometimes as particles.  Einstein proposed that light travels as photons (quanta - small packets) of energy.  The speed of light is 3 x 10⁸ m/s or 186,000 miles per second.  Light is the visible spectrum portion of electromagnetic waves.  Red light is the lowest frequency of light and violet is the highest frequency.  

Orange, yellow, green, and indigo are colors in between red and violet.

Radio  -  Television -  Infrared  -        LIGHT  -  ultraviolet - x-rays - gamma rays
|                      |

R O Y G I V

Light spectrum of colors visible by unaided human eye.

Light and Electromagnetic Waves

• Electromagnetic Waves
• Visible Light
• Speed of Light
• X-rays
• Optical Devices
  • Lasers
  • Laser Battle Game (Java applet)

LIGHT/OPTICS - TUTORIAL http://www.intl-light.com/handbook/index.html#TOC

Propagation of light demonstration. http://www.mip.berkeley.edu/physics/E+55+0.html

Link to Light Color Science. http://www.physics.sfasu.edu/astro/color.html

ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION - EXPLAINED http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html

Vibrations and Waves - http://www.kettering.edu/~drussell/Demos.html

How we see - Human Vision -  http://www.accessexcellence.org/AE/AEC/CC/vision_background.html

LIGHT AND OPTICS - JAVA

Additive Colors
Subtractive Colors
Basic Prism
Ray Tracing
Fermat's Principle
Interference Patterns
Refraction of Light
Refracting Astronomical Telescope
spectrum tuner
color addition
Reflection/Refraction (Water-air Interface)
Thin Lens Demonstration
Thin Lens Combination
Thick Lens
Physics of Rainbows
Shadow/Image and Color
Fermat Principal
The World of Color**
Mixing Colored Light Beams
Light: a myriad of colors..
How a pinhole camera works
Bragg's Law of Diffraction

Other web links on electromagnetic radiation:

Electromagnetic Spectrum
Electromagnetic Spectrum The Electromagnetic Spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum is a continuum of all electromagnetic waves arranged according to frequency and wavelength.
http://www.geo.mtu.edu/rs/back/spectrum/

A New Interpretation of Light
A new theory about light and color which combines elements of Goethe's Theory of Colors and Maxwell's electromagnetic wave theory.
http://home.wxs.nl/~agur0000

EMF - Electromagnetic Field Basics
EMF Basics: information about the behavior of electric and magnetic fields at the ELF or power frequency level
http://www.fms-corp.com/emfemibasics_overview.php4

LIGHT SPECTRA
LIGHT SPECTRA OBSERVING OBJECTS IN SPACE Objective Try to Determine the Type of Light Shown in Spectra of Objects in Space Use the Tool in the Bottom Frame for This Section!
http://cse.ssl.berkeley.edu/light/spectra.html

Static Electromagnetic Fields and Human Health: Questions and Answers
Questions and answers on the connection between static (direct current, DC) magnetic or electric fields and cancer; including sources of exposure, summaries of the laboratory and human studies, and information on standards.
http://www.mcw.edu/gcrc/cop.html

Light and Color @ The Franklin Institute
Light and Color The Franklin Institute Resources Visit the Museum Programs Partnerships Legacy About Us Friends Light and Color How do we See?
http://www.fi.edu/color/

Links to School of the Sciences  http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/lightspeed.htm

• SFCE: Electromagnetic Waves
  
• SFCV: Visible Light
  
• SCFX: X-rays
  
• SFCS: Speed of Light
  
• SFCO: Optical Devices
  
• SFCL: Lasers
  
• SFCLB: Laser Battle
  This curriculum provides access to all the lessons in the School for Champions. You can also enter a few keywords to search for lessons related to those words.
  
  Re&Re: Reflection and Refraction
  Play the reflection and refraction interactive exercise

SOUND

Wave Motion

• General Wave Motion
• Pulse Waves
• Waves and Obstacles
  • Simulated Waveform Demonstration (Java applet)
• (back to contents)

Sound

• Sound Waves
• Creating Sound Waves
• Beat Frequencies in Sound
• The Effects Objects Have on Sound
• Detecting Sound Waves
• Reproducing Sounds
• Noise Cancellation
• Echoes
• Musical Instruments
• Hearing - using your senses

The physics of SOUND I.  http://sprott.physics.wisc.edu/demobook/chapter3.htm

The Physics of SOUND II http://interface.cipic.ucdavis.edu/CIL_tutorial/3D_phys/3D_phys.htm

The Nature of a sound wave http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/gbssci/phys/Class/sound/soundtoc.html

SOUND TUTORIAL http://www.intl-light.com/handbook/index.html#TOC

DIGITAL SOUND PROCESSING TUTORIAL FOR THE BRAIN DEAD www.student.oulu.fi/~oniemita /DSP/DSPSTUFF.TXT

The DOPPLER Effect - http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/physics/u5c32phy.html

Physics Demonstrations - Heat

Physics Demonstrations - Magnetism

Physics Demonstrations - Videos

http://www.wfu.edu/physics/demolabs/demos/avimov/

http://www.wfu.edu/physics/demolabs/demos/avimov/streaming.html

http://www.wfu.edu/physics/demolabs/demos/avimov/NewVideos99/newdemos.htm

UC Berkeley Physics Lecture Demonstrations
Index to Physics Demonstration Equipment
Physics Demonstrations - Introduction
Physics demonstrations, Science Exhibits (Bill B's Homepages)
Dramatic Physics Demonstrations
PIRA PHYSICS DEMONSTRATION BIBLIOGRAPHY
NC State Physics Demonstrations
Physics Demonstration Resources Online for Science Educators
Physics Lecture Demonstrations at the University of Texas at 
University of Oregon Physics Demonstration Catalog

Physics Demonstration Videos WFU

http://www.wfu.edu/physics/demolabs/demos/avimov/#Video

PLANCK'S QUANTUM HYPOTHESIS

E = hf

E = energy of a quantum (smallest packet of energy possible) of radiation of a frequency f that is absorbed as the blackbody radiates away energy.  The symbol h is called Plank's constant and is a number we use as a multiplier of frequency to calculate the amount of energy in a quantum.  Einstein believed energy traveled in photons, or chunks of energy called quantum. It is believed that a quantum is the smallest chunk of energy possible.

Or, E = Nhf where N is an integer, f is the frequency of vibration and h equals Planck's constant.

Quantum mechanical barrier penetration demonstration.
Particle Nature of Light: Planck's Quantum Hypothesis
Planck's Hypothesis
PinkMonkey.com Physics Study Guide - Section CHAPTER 29 : PLANCK'S
Symposium on the Centennial of Planck's discovery of the Quantum
Light Quantum
Quantum Mechanics
Origins of Quantum Mechanics
The uncertainty Principle
[PDF] Planck's Quantum Hypothesis
PHY 112: PHYSICS II - CHAPTER 27

MATHCAD for Physics

MathCAD File Site
Mathcad Files
Mathcad Examples for Physics Courses
[DOC] Physics 421 MathCAD Exercise 1
MATHCAD, MATLAB, maple & mathematica - Physics Forums
Mathcad at Florida Tech
Physics Related Software Manuals/Links
[PDF] TUTORING TEXTS IN MATHCAD
Mercer Physics Seminar 4/17/2002
Smart's Scientific Journal
Cleveland State University
Resources for Courses using Mathcad at UW
Scientific Computing with Mathcad
MATHCAD, MATLAB, maple & mathematica - Physics Forums
[PDF] Introduction to the use of MATHCAD on the PC
Mathcad @ AdeptScience: The Ultimate Technical Design Solution
Mathcad Tutorial
MATHCAD AND PHYSICS EDUCATION
Dr. Miron Kaufman's Home Page
mathcad problem - Physics Help and Math Help - Physics Forums
Physics
[DOC] Physics 421 MathCAD Exercise 1
MathCAD File Site
dms home page
search mathcad.com
search mathcad.com
Mathcad Examples for Physics Courses

RELATIVITY

Learn About General Relativity -  http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/gr/gr.html

Yahoo! Directory Physics > Relativity
Usenet Relativity FAQ
Experimental Basis of Special Relativity
Faster Than Light
www.corepower.com/~relfaq/relativity.html
1k - Jun 17, 2004 - Cached - Similar pages
Open Directory - Science: Physics: Relativity
Open Directory - Science: Physics: Relativity: Time Travel
Index