Steve Adams - Foundations of Physics (Essentials of Physics)

F OUNDATIONS
OF
P HYSICS

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F OUNDATIONS
OF
P HYSICS

Steve Adams

Reprint and Revision Copyright 2019 by M ERCURY L EARNING AND I NFORMATION LLC. All rights reserved.

Original title and copyright: Principles of Physics. Copyright 2017 by The Pantaneto Press. All rights reserved. Published by The Pantaneto Press.

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Steve Adams. Foundations of Physics.
ISBN: 9781683921448

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2019937248

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For Alison

The aim of this book is to draw on the essential physical principles that typical physics courses use to provide a strong conceptual base for the further study of more advanced topics. As such this book provides support for both introductory courses (calculus-based) and for readers interested in a basic review of key topics in physics. It will also be a useful reference work for instructors.

The focus is on physical principles. Applications are used to exemplify the physics but do not divert attention from the underlying concepts. Mathematics is the language of physics and a mathematical approach is taken throughout, drawing mathematical techniques including basic calculus. The approach here acknowledges this and helps to secure a foundation of relevant mathematical skills in the context of real physical problems.

Practical techniques, including the collection, presentation, analysis, and evaluation of data, are discussed in the context of key experiments linked to the theoretical spine of the work. There are also sections on testing mathematical relationships, the analysis of uncertainties, and how to approach, carry out, and write-up experimental investigations.

Every chapter concludes with a set of exercises and an appendix on Fermi problems provides an open-ended challenge that allows the reader to practice their skills in unfamiliar contexts.

How to use the book

Although the order of topics in this book mirrors that of most physics courses, it is not intended to be read in order or from cover to cover, and most chapters can be read in isolation. The book is there to be consulted, as and when a topic is studied or revised. The early sections on the language of physics and representing and analyzing data can be referred back to from any of the other sections. The appendices contain summary lists of units and useful data, equations, solutions to exercises, and a guide to planning, carrying out, and writing up experiments. There is also an extensive glossary of terms.

NASAs Mars climate orbiter was launched in 1998 and should have gone into orbit around Mars 286 days later. Instead it fell too close to the planet and broke up in the atmosphere. The mission had cost upwards of $100,000,000. Why did this happen? Because Lockheed Martin, who was calculating the thrust to maneuver the spacecraft, used English units (pound-seconds), while NASA, which controlled the thrusters, was expecting metric units (newton-seconds). Units matter!

The international system of units is based on seven base units:

The definition of each base unit is related to the experimental method that is used to establish the unit in the laboratory. All mechanical quantities can be expressed in terms of just three base unitslength, mass, and timeand the definitions of each of these is given below.

You will notice that the meter is actually defined in terms of the speed of light. This has been the case since 1983 when the speed of light, which had been measured with ever-increasing precision, was defined to have the value 299,792,458 ms1.