Focus on the fundamentals and help students see connections between problem types
Richard Wolfson’s Essential University Physics is a concise and progressive calculus-based physics textbook that offers clear writing, great problems, and relevant real-life applications in an affordable and streamlined text. The book teaches sound problem-solving strategies and emphasises conceptual understanding, using features such as annotated figures and step-by-step problem-solving strategies. Realising students have changed a great deal over time while the fundamentals of physics have changed very little, Wolfson makes physics relevant and alive for students by sharing the latest physics applications in a succinct and captivating style.
The 4th Edition, Global Edition, incorporates research from instructors, reviewers, and thousands of students to expand the book’s problem sets and consistent problem-solving strategy. A new problem type guides students to see patterns, make connections between problems that can be solved using similar steps, and apply those steps when working problems on homework and exams.
Volume 1 contains Chapters 1―19
Available for separate purchase is Volume 2 containing Chapters 20―39
Author(s): Richard Wolfson
Edition: 4
Publisher: Pearson
Year: 2020
Language: English
Pages: 433
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Brief Contents
Detailed Contents
About the Author
Preface to the Instructor
Preface to the Student
Video Tutor Demonstrations
Chapter 1 Doing Physics
1.1 Realms of Physics
1.2 Measurements and Units
1.3 Working with Numbers
1.4 Strategies for Learning Physics
Part One Mechanics
2 Motion in a Straight Line
2.1 Average Motion
2.2 Instantaneous Velocity
2.3 Acceleration
2.4 Constant Acceleration
2.5 The Acceleration of Gravity
2.6 When Acceleration Isn’t Constant
3 Motion in Two and Three Dimensions
3.1 Vectors
3.2 Velocity and Acceleration Vectors
3.3 Relative Motion
3.4 Constant Acceleration
3.5 Projectile Motion
3.6 Uniform Circular Motion
4 Force and Motion
4.1 The Wrong Question
4.2 Newton’s First and Second Laws
4.3 Forces
4.4 the Force of Gravity
4.5 Using Newton’s Second Law
4.6 Newton’s Third Law
5 Using Newton’s Laws
5.1 Using Newton’s Second Law
5.2 Multiple Objects
5.3 Circular Motion
5.4 Friction
5.5 Drag Forces
6 Energy, Work, and Power
6.1 Energy
6.2 Work
6.3 Forces That Vary
6.4 Kinetic Energy
6.5 Power
7 Conservation of Energy
7.1 Conservative and Nonconservative Forces
7.2 Potential Energy
7.3 Conservation of Mechanical Energy
7.4 Nonconservative Forces
7.5 Conservation of Energy
7.6 Potential-Energy Curves
8 Gravity
8.1 Toward a Law of Gravity
8.2 Universal Gravitation
8.3 Orbital Motion
8.4 Gravitational Energy
8.5 The Gravitational Field
9 Systems of Particles
9.1 Center of Mass
9.2 Momentum
9.3 Kinetic Energy of a System
9.4 Collisions
9.5 Totally Inelastic Collisions
9.6 Elastic Collisions
10 Rotational Motion
10.1 Angular Velocity and Acceleration
10.2 Torque
10.3 Rotational Inertia and the Analog of Newton’s Law
10.4 Rotational Energy
10.5 Rolling Motion
11 Rotational Vectors and Angular Momentum
11.1 Angular Velocity and Acceleration Vectors
11.2 Torque and the Vector Cross Product
11.3 Angular Momentum
11.4 Conservation of Angular Momentum
11.5 Gyroscopes and Precession
12 Static Equilibrium
12.1 Conditions for Equilibrium
12.2 Center of Gravity
12.3 Examples of Static Equilibrium
12.4 Stability
Part Two Oscillations, Waves, and Fluids
13 Oscillatory Motion
13.1 Describing Oscillatory Motion
13.2 Simple Harmonic Motion
13.3 Applications of Simple Harmonic Motion
13.4 Circular Motion and Harmonic Motion
13.5 Energy in Simple Harmonic Motion
13.6 Damped Harmonic Motion
13.7 Driven Oscillations and Resonance
14 Wave Motion
14.1 Waves and Their Properties
14.2 Wave Math
14.3 Waves on a String
14.4 Wave Energy
14.5 Sound Waves
14.6 Interference
14.7 Reflection and Refraction
14.8 Standing Waves
14.9 the Doppler Effect and Shock Waves
15 Fluid Motion
15.1 Density and Pressure
15.2 Hydrostatic Equilibrium
15.3 Archimedes’ Principle and Buoyancy
15.4 Fluid Dynamics
15.5 Applications of Fluid Dynamics
15.6 Viscosity and Turbulence
Part Three Thermodynamics
16 Temperature and Heat
16.1 Heat, Temperature, and
Thermodynamic Equilibrium
16.2 Heat Capacity and Specific Heat
16.3 Heat Transfer
16.4 Thermal-Energy Balance
17 The Thermal Behavior of Matter
17.1 Gases
17.2 Phase Changes
17.3 Thermal Expansion
18 Heat, Work, and the First Law of Thermodynamics
18.1 The First Law of Thermodynamics
18.2 Thermodynamic Processes
18.3 Specific Heats of an Ideal Gas
19 The Second Law of Thermodynamics
19.1 Reversibility and Irreversibility
19.2 The Second Law of Thermodynamics
19.3 Applications of the Second Law
19.4 Entropy and Energy Quality
Appendices
Appendix A Mathematics
Appendix B The International System of Units (SI)
Appendix C Conversion Factors
Appendix D The Elements
Appendix E Astrophysical Data
Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems
Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems
Credits
Index
