Head First Physics

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 the rescue with an innovative, engaging, and inspirational way to learn physics!

Whether you’re struggling to pass the AP Physics B exam, fighting a headache from your college physics course, or just want to understand how the world around you really works, Head First Physics will give you what you need to master algebra-based mechanics and practical physics. Designed for the way your brain works instead of a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep, this book offers a multi-sensory learning experience and encourages a deeper understanding of the material.

Hey! You want to pass, understand and …yes…even enjoy physics, so…

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. think like a physicist
Chapter 2. making it all MEAN something
Chapter 3. scientific notation, area, and volume
Chapter 4. equations and graphs
Chapter 5. dealing with directions
Chapter 6. Displacement, Velocity, and Acceleration
Chapter 7. Equations of motion (part 1)
Chapter 8. equations of motion (part 2)
Chapter 9. triangles, trig and trajectories
Chapter 10. momentum conservation
Chapter 11. weight and the normal force
Chapter 12. using forces, momentum, friction and impulse
Chapter 13. torque and work
Chapter 14. energy conservation
Chapter 15. tension, pulleys and problem solving
Chapter 16. circular motion (part 1)
Chapter 17. circular motion (part 2)
Chapter 18. gravitation and orbits
Chapter 19. Oscillations (part 1)
Chapter 20. Oscillations (part 2)
Chapter 21. think like a physicist

Appendix i: leftovers
Appendix ii: equation table