Superstrings and Other Things: A Guide to Physics

Cover
Half Title
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Table of Contents
Preface
Acknowledgments
Author
Part I: Introductory Concepts
	Chapter 1 Physics: The Fundamental Science
		What is Physics?
		The Scientific Method: Learning from Our Mistakes
		Physics and Other Sciences
		Sizes of Things: Measurement
		Fundamental Units
		Physics and Mathematics
		Questions
		References
Part II: The Laws of Mechanics
	Chapter 2 The Description of Motion
		Understanding Motion
		Uniform Motion
		Average Speed
		Instantaneous Speed
		Velocity: Speed and Direction
		Vectors
		Acceleration
		Uniformly Accelerated Motion
		Falling Bodies
		The Motion of Projectiles
		Questions
		Reference
	Chapter 3 The Laws of Mechanics: Newton’s Laws of Motion
		The Concept of Force
		The Ancient Idea of Motion
		The Birth of Modern Science
		Galileo Formulates the Law of Inertia
		Newton’s First Law: The Law of Inertia
		Newton’s Second Law: The Law of Force
		Newton’s Third Law: The Law of Action and Reaction
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 4 Energy
		What is Energy?
		The Concept of Work
		Units of Work and Energy
		The Concept of Energy
		Energy of Motion
		Energy of Position
		Elastic Potential Energy
		The Work–Energy Theorem
		Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
		Questions
		Reference
	Chapter 5 Conservation of Energy and Momentum
		Transformation of Energy
		The Principle of Conservation of Energy
		The Energy of Mass
		Efficiency
		Power
		Impulse and Momentum
		Conservation of Momentum
		Elastic and Inelastic Collisions
		Cannons and Rockets
		Questions
	Chapter 6 Rotation and the Universal Law of Gravitation
		Rotational Motion
		Torque and Angular Momentum
		Centripetal Acceleration
		Satellites
		Origins of Our View of the Universe
		Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion
		Newton’s Law of Universal Gravitation
		Spacecraft and Orbital Motion
		Questions
		References
Part III: The Structure of Matter
	Chapter 7 Atoms: Building Blocks of the Universe
		The Underlying Structure of Matter
		The Atomic Hypothesis
		Early Concept of the Atom
		First Models of the Atom
		Waves and Quanta
		The Bohr Model of the Atom
		Compounds
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 8 The Heart of the Atom: The Nucleus
		Raw Material: Protons and Neutrons
		The Composition of the Nucleus
		The Glue That Keeps the Nucleus Together
		Size and Shape of the Nucleus
		Nuclear Energy Levels
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 9 Fluids
		States of Matter
		Density
		Pressure
		Atmospheric Pressure
		Pressure in a Liquid
		Buoyancy
		Surface Tension and Capillarity
		Fluids in Motion
		The Human Cardiovascular System
		Questions
		Reference
Part IV: Thermodynamics
	Chapter 10 Heat and Temperature
		Heat as a Form of Energy
		Measuring Temperature
		Temperature and Heat
		Heat Capacity
		Heat of Fusion and Heat of Vaporization
		Evaporation and Boiling
		Humidity
		Thermal Expansion
		The Unusual Expansion of Water
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 11 The Laws of Thermodynamics
		The Four Laws of Thermodynamics
		The Ideal Gas Law
		The Zeroth Law of Thermodynamics
		The First Law of Thermodynamics
		The Second Law of Thermodynamics
		The Third Law of Thermodynamics
		Entropy and the Origin of the Universe
		Entropy and the Arrow of Time
		Questions
		Reference
Part V: Electricity and Magnetism
	Chapter 12 Electricity
		Electromagnetism
		Electric Charge
		Coulomb’s Law
		The Electric Field
		The Fundamental Charge
		Electric Potential
		Storing Electrical Energy
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 13 Applied Electricity
		Conductors and Insulators
		Electric Current and Batteries
		Ohm’s Law
		Simple Electric Circuits
		Resistor Combinations
		Electrical Energy and Power
		Semiconductors
		Superconductors
		Questions
	Chapter 14 Electromagnetism
		The Discovery of Magnets
		The Magnetic Field
		Electric Currents and Magnetism
		A Moving Charge in a Magnetic Field
		Particle Accelerators
		Magnetism of the Earth
		The Source of Magnetism
		Faraday’s Law of Induction
		Motors and Generators
		Maxwell’s Equations
		Questions
		References
Part VI: Waves
	Chapter 15 Wave Motion
		The Nature of Waves
		Properties of Waves
		Diffraction
		The Principle of Superposition
		Constructive and Destructive Interference
		Standing Waves
		Resonance and Chaos
		Water Waves
		Seismic Waves
		Questions
	Chapter 16 Sound
		The Nature of Sound
		The Speed of Sound
		Intensity of Sound Waves
		The Ear
		The Sound of Music
		Musical Instruments
		The Doppler Effect
		Shock Waves
		Ultrasound
		Questions
	Chapter 17 Optics
		Waves of Light
		Reflection of Light
		Reflection from Mirrors
		Curved Mirrors
		Refraction of Light
		Lenses
		Total Internal Reflection
		Fiber Optics
		Optical Instruments
		The Camera
		The Telescope
		The Human Eye
		Questions
		Reference
	Chapter 18 The Nature of Light
		The Wave Nature of Light
		The Speed of Light
		The Electromagnetic Spectrum
		Color
		Spectra: The Signature of Atoms
		Young’s Experiment
		Polarization
		Lasers
		Holography
		Questions
		References
Part VII: Modern Physics
	Chapter 19 The Special Theory of Relativity
		Galilean Relativity
		The Michelson–Morley Experiment
		Einstein’s Postulates
		Time Dilation
		Simultaneity
		Length Contraction
		Addition of Velocities
			E = mc[sup(2)]
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 20 The General Theory of Relativity
		The Principle of Equivalence
		Warped Space-Time Continuum
		The Bending of Light
		The Perihelion of Mercury
		The Gravitational Time Dilation
		Black Holes
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 21 The Early Atomic Theory
		The Physics of the Atom
		Black Body Radiation
		The Photoelectric Effect
		The Bohr Model of the Atom Revisited
		De Broglie’s Waves
		Quantum Mechanics
		Questions
	Chapter 22 Quantum Mechanics
		The Beginnings of Quantum Mechanics
		The New Mechanics of the Atom
		Wave Mechanics
		Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle
		The New Physics
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 23 Nuclear Physics
		Beyond the Atom
		Radioactivity
			Alpha Decay
			Beta Decay
			Gamma Decay
			Half-Life
		Nuclear Reactions
		Nuclear Energy: Fission and Fusion
			Nuclear Fission
			Nuclear Fusion
		Applications of Nuclear Physics
			Radioactive Dating
			Biological Effects of Radioactivity
		Questions
	Chapter 24 Elementary Particles
		Antimatter
		The Fundamental Forces
		Exchange Forces
		Pions
		Particle Classification: Hadrons and Leptons
		Conservation Laws
		Strange Particles
		Quarks
		Particles with Charm
		Three Generations
		Questions
		References
	Chapter 25 Unifying Physics
		Symmetry
		Global and Local Symmetries
		The Brout–Englert–Higgs Mechanism
		The Electroweak Unification
		The Color Force
		The Standard Model
		An Attempt at a Third Unification
		Questions
		Reference
	Chapter 26 Superstrings
		The Hierarchy Problem
		Supersymmetry
		Superstrings
		M-Theory
		Hidden Dimensions
		Questions
	Chapter 27 The Origin of the Universe
		The Origin of the Universe
		The First Moments of the Universe
		Dark Matter
		Dark Energy
		The Multiverse
		A Cyclic Universe
		Questions
Appendix A: Powers of Ten
Appendix B: The Elements
Appendix C: Nobel Prize Winners in Physics
Appendix D: Physics Timeline
Glossary
Index