Head First Physics: A Learner's Companion to Mechanics and Practical Physics (AP Physics B - Advanced Placement)

Wouldn't it be great if there were an introductory physics book that actually made the subject interesting? Finally, with Head First Physics, there is. This unusual book takes the stress out of learning introductory physics by providing a fun and engaging experience, especially for students who "just don't get it." Why unusual? Head First Physics offers a format that's rich in visuals and full of activities, including pictures, illustrations, puzzles, stories, and quizzes. It's a very playful, mixed-media style proven to stimulate learning and retention. One look will convince you: This isn't mere theory, this is physics brought to life through real-world scenarios, simple experiments, and hypothetical projects.You'll quickly discover that physics isn't a dry subject. It's all about the world we live in, encompassing everything from bungee jumping to wireless networks. This book: Satisfies the requirements for passing the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) Physics B Exam Introduces principles so you can use them for problem solving, not memorization Helps you think like a physicist so you can understand why things really work the way they do Gives you relevant examples so you can fully grasp the principles before moving on to more complex concepts Teaches you how to measure, observe, calculate -- and yes -- how to do the math Covers a full range of principles -- scientific notation, SI units, vectors, motion, momentum conservation, Newton's Laws, energy conservation, weight and mass, gravitation and orbits, fluid mechanics, circular motion and simple harmonic motion, and much moreIf "Myth Busters" and other TV programs make you curious about our physical world -- or if you're a student forced to take a physics course -- now you can pursue the subject without the dread of boredom or the fear that it will be over your head. Head First Physics comes to rescue with a fun, engaging, and inspirational way to learn physics!

Autorentext

Heather Lang has a physics degree, a PhD in the grey area between biochemistry and physics, and international caps at both chess and cricket. She has a great interest in educational and coaching methods and has run after-school chess clubs for a number of years, bringing many complete beginners on to national and international level.

Heather has been able to transfer many of these successful methods across to her book Head First Physics. She is also the co-author of the Babar Particle Physics Teaching Package (Manchester University Department of Physics and Astronomy, 1999) and joint first author of a 2002 Nature Immunology paper with a lot of jargon and some pretty pictures in it.

Klappentext

Wouldn't it be great if there were a physics book that showed you how things work instead of telling you how? Finally, with Head First Physics, there is. This comprehensive book takes the stress out of learning mechanics and practical physics by providing a fun and engaging experience, especially for students who "just don't get it."

Head First Physics offers a format that's rich in visuals and full of activities, including pictures, illustrations, puzzles, stories, and quizzes -- a mixed-media style proven to stimulate learning and retention. One look will convince you: This isn't mere theory, this is physics brought to life through real-world scenarios, simple experiments, and hypothetical projects. Head First Physics is perfect for anyone who's intrigued by how things work in the natural world.

You'll quickly discover that physics isn't a dry subject. It's all about the world we live in, encompassing everything from falling objects and speeding cars, to conservation of energy and gravity and weightlessness, and orbital behavior. This book:

• Helps you think like a physicist so you can understand why things really work the way they do
• Gives you relevant examples so you can fully grasp the principles before moving on to more complex concepts
• Designed to be used as a supplement study guide for the College Board's Advanced Placement Physics B Exam
• Introduces principles for the purpose of solving real-world problems, not memorization
• Teaches you how to measure, observe, calculate -- and yes -- how to do the math
• Covers scientific notation, SI units, vectors, motion, momentum conservation, Newton's Laws, energy conservation, weight and mass, gravitation and orbits, circular motion and simple harmonic motion, and much more

If "Myth Busters" and other TV programs make you curious about our physical world -- or if you're a student forced to take a physics course -- now you can pursue the subject without the dread of boredom or the fear that it will be over your head. Head First Physics comes to rescue with an innovative, engaging, and inspirational way to learn physics!

Zusammenfassung
Teaches the mechanics of physics. Containing visuals and activities, this fun book features real-world scenarios, simple experiments, and hypothetical projects.

Inhalt

Advance Praise for Head First Physics; Praise for other Head First academic titles; Praise for the Head First Approach; ; Author of Head First Physics; How to Use this Book: Intro; Who is this book for?; We know what you're thinking; We know what your brain is thinking; Metacognition: thinking about thinking; Here's what WE did:; Here's what YOU can do to bend your brain into submission; Read Me; The technical review team; Acknowledgments; Safari® Books Online; Chapter 1: Think Like a Physicist: In the beginning ...; 1.1 Physics is the world around you; 1.2 You can get a feel for what's happening by being a part of it; 1.3 Use your intuition to look for 'special points'; 1.4 The center of the earth is a special point; 1.5 Ask yourself "What am I ALREADY doing as I reach the special point?"; 1.6 Where you're at - and what happens next?; 1.7 Now put it all together; 1.8 Your Physics Toolbox; Chapter 2: Making it all MEAN Something: Units and measurements; 2.1 It's the best music player ever, and you're part of the team!; 2.2 So you get on with measuring the myPod case; 2.3 When the myPod case comes back from the factory...; 2.4 ...it's waaay too big!; 2.5 There aren't any UNITS on the blueprint; 2.6 You'll use SI units in this book (and in your class); 2.7 You use conversion factors to change units; 2.8 You can write a conversion factor as a fraction; 2.9 Now you can use the conversion factor to update the blueprint; 2.10 You just converted the units for the entire blueprint!; 2.11 But there's STILL a problem ...; 2.12 What to do with numbers that have waaaay too many digits to be usable; 2.13 How many digits of your measurements look significant?; 2.14 Generally, you should round your answers to three significant digits; 2.15 Is it OK to round the myPod blueprint to three significant digits?; 2.16 You ALREADY intuitively rounded your original myPod measurements!; 2.17 Any measurement you make has an error (or uncertainty) associated with it; 2.18 The error on your original measurements should propagate through to your converted blueprint; 2.19 Right! Time to attack the blueprint again!; 2.20 STOP!! Before you hit send, do your answers SUCK?!; 2.21 You nailed it!; 2.22 When you write down a measurement, you need the right number of significant digits; 2.23 Your Physics Toolbox; Chapter 3: Scientific Notation, Area, and Volume: All numbers great and small; 3.1 A messy college dorm room; 3.2 So how long before things go really bad?; 3.3 Power notation helps you multiply by the same number over and over; 3.4 Your calculator displays big numbers using scientific notation; 3.5 Scientific notation uses powers of 10 to write down long numbers; 3.6 Scientific notation helps you with small numbers as well; 3.7 You'll often need to work with area or volume; 3.8 Look up facts in a book (or table of information); 3.9 Prefixe…