The Handy Physics Answer Book

Charles Liu

Description

Previous editions sold over 250,000 units

More than 1,000 answers to common questions in plain English on all aspects of physics

Nearly 400 new questions and answers covering the innumerable discoveries and advancements over the last decade since the previous edition was written

Physics made accessible with fascinating questions, and illustrated with dozens of charts and graphs, plus personalities, history and fun facts.

Written and aimed at general audiences with no or little prior science knowledge

The first, best place to turn for an overview of science and physics basics

Ideal as an authoritative reference for nagging questions

Ideal as a primer on physics

Logical organization makes finding information quick and easy

Clear and concise answers

Numerous black-and-white photographs

Thoroughly indexed

Authoritative resource

Written to appeal to anyone interested in science, science fundamentals, concepts and terms, including students, teachers, and parents

Publicity and promotion aimed at the wide array of websites devoted to science, learning, or students

Back-to-school promotion targeting more mainstream media and websites on a popular topic

Promotion targeting magazines and newspapers

Promotion targeting local radio looking for knowledgeable guests
An informative, accessible, easy-to-use guide to physics, covering the fundamental concepts and amazing discoveries that govern our universe!

We don’t need a U.S. Supreme Court ruling to know that everyone is governed by the laws of physics, but what are they? How do they affect us? Why do they matter? What did Newton mean when he said, "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction?" What is gravity? What is Bernoulli’s Principle? Einstein’s Theory of Relativity? How do space, time, matter, and energy all interact? How do scientific laws, theories, and hypotheses differ? Physics can often seem difficult or complex, but it's actually beautiful and fun—and it doesn't need to be hard to understand.

Revised for the first time in a decade, the completely updated third edition of The Handy Physics Answer Book makes physics and its impact on us, the world, and the universe entertaining and easy to grasp. It disposes with the dense jargon and overly-complicated explanations often associated with physics, and instead it takes an accessible, conceptual approach—never dumbing down the amazing science, yet all written in everyday English.

The Handy Physics Answer Book tackles big issues and concepts, like motion, magnetism, sound, and light, and lots of smaller topics too—like, why don’t birds or squirrels on power lines get electrocuted?—and makes them enlightening and enjoyable for anyone who picks up this informative book. For everyone who has ever wondered about the sources of energy production in the United States, or how different kinds of light bulbs shine, or why wearing dark-colored clothes is warmer than light-colored ones, or even what happens when you fall into a black hole, The Handy Physics Answer Book examines more than 1,000 of the most frequently asked, most interesting, and most unusual questions about physics, including ...

How can I be moving even while I’m sitting still?

If the Sun suddenly disappeared, what would happen to the Sun’s gravity?

What is the energy efficiency of the human body?

Why do golf balls have dimples?

How can ice help keep plants warm?

What kinds of beaches are best for surfing?

What do 2G, 3G, 4G, and 5G wireless networks mean?

Why shouldn’t metal objects be placed in microwave ovens?

Why does my voice sound different on a recording?

Can a light beam be frozen in time?

Why are soap bubbles sometimes so colorful?

Why does a charged balloon stick to a wall?

Is Earth a giant magnet?

What are gamma rays?

What happens when antimatter strikes matter?

What is quantum teleportation?

Are artificial intelligence systems able to think on their own?

What happens when two black holes collide?

How will the universe end?

Useful and informative, The Handy Physics Answer Book also includes a glossary of commonly used terms to cut through the jargon, a helpful bibliography, and an extensive index. Ideal for students, curious readers of all ages, and anyone reckoning with the essential questions about the universe. This handy resource is an informative primer for applications in everyday life as well as the most significant scientific theories and discoveries of our time. And, we promise, no whiteboard needed.
What are different states of matter?

Matter can be in different states, or phases, depending on the temperature, pressure, and entropy of the matter at the time. The three standard states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. When gas is electrically charged, that is sometimes considered to be a fourth state of matter known as plasma.

What is the difference between solid, liquid, gas, and plasma?

In the solid phase a materials atoms or molecules are held in rigid positions by the chemical bonds between them. They can vibrate, but not change positions. In the liquid phase molecules, or small groups of molecules can move easily past one another. In the gas phase the atoms and molecules have almost no forces between them, so they are free to move independently and can be much less dense than solids or liquids. To become plasma, one or more electrons must be removed from the atoms or molecules in a gas.

Where can we find plasma in everyday life?

Plasmas can be found in fluorescent lights, some television displays, and so-called neon signs. Lightning is a channel of plasma that briefly runs through the atmosphere. At very high altitudes, Earths atmosphere is plasma. Out in the universe beyond Earth, the Sun and the stars are mostly plasma; and much of the vacuum of outer space is actually very, very sparse plasma.

What is unusual about the phases of water?

The chemical formula for the water molecule is H₂O. Solid H₂O is simply called ice, liquid H₂O is simply called water, and gaseous H₂O is simply called vapor or steam. In most liquids the spacing between the molecules is slightly larger than in solids, giving them a lower density than their solid versions. The spaces are actually larger in ice than in water, however, meaning that ice has a lower density than water. This unusual property of H₂O means that ice floats in water—a very important phenomenon that helps make life on Earth possible.

What makes matter change from one state to another?

Although the space between molecules typically increases between the solid, liquid, and gas phases, the space between molecules does not actually determine the state of matter of a substance. Rather, it is the amount of thermal energy in a substance. When that amount changes, the matter can change from one state to another if a phase boundary is crossed. The phase boundaries are determined by the temperature, pressure, and entropy of the matter. For example, the phase boundary between water and ice at the atmospheric pressure at sea level on Earth occurs at a temperature of 0 °C (32 °F). Water at that temperature, however, has more entropy than ice at that same temperature; so to melt ice into water, extra energy must be added even though the temperature stays the same.

How much energy is needed to change ice to water to steam?

The amount of energy needed to change phase is called latent heat. The latent heat involved in the transition from solid to liquid is called the latent heat of fusion while the energy involved in the transition from liquid to gas is called the latent heat of vaporization. For water the latent heat of fusion is 334 kJ/kg. The latent heat of vaporization is much higher: 2,265 kJ/kg.

Energy must be added to go from ice to water and water to steam, but if steam condenses to water it releases 2,265 kJ for each kilogram of steam condensed. That's the reason that steam burns are so dangerous. Almost all of that energy is transferred to your skin. If water freezes it releases 334 kJ for each kilogram of water frozen. In a freezer that amount of energy must be removed by the freezing mechanism.

Why do water droplets sometimes accumulate on the outside of glasses and soda cans?

The water does not seep through the container, but instead comes from the air surrounding it. Water vapor is the gaseous form of water that is in air below the boiling point of water. As discussed above, it takes a larger amount of energy to vaporize water, so the molecules of water in the air have more thermal energy than do the molecules in the colder glass. So, when the water molecules strike the glass, they transfer much of their thermal energy to the glass. The colder water molecules join together to form water droplets on the glass. The process is called condensation. Condensation also occurs on windowpanes when the outside is cold, and the interior air is warm and humid.

How do clouds form?

As warm air rises into the atmosphere through convection currents, the air expands as it experiences less atmospheric pressure. During the expansion, the warm water vapor quickly cools and condenses, forming water droplets in the air. When the droplets begin to accumulate, they attach themselves to particles in the air (like dust or smoke) and form clouds.

What is heat?

Heat is the energy transfer from warmer objects to cooler objects. Thermal energy can be transferred in three general ways: conduction, convection, and radiation.

How efficient are vehicles and electric generators today?

In the United States, about 75% of energy used for transportation is wasted as heat and exhaust. Electrical generators are somewhat better, but still only 31% efficient—they waste about 69% of the energy. Engineers are working on both improving efficiency and in making use of the rejected energy. For example, the warm water that carries away the waste heat in an electrical generating plant could be used to heat homes close to the plant.

How do refrigerators and air conditioners work?
When a liquid evaporates into a gas, it is cooled. Heat flows into the system. The opposite process, the condensation of a gas into a liquid results in an increase in thermal energy and an output of heat. A refrigerator circulates a refrigerant, a liquid that evaporates at a low temperature, through tubes. The gas is then compressed by an electrically driven compressor. The pressure and temperature of the gas increases. Coils of the tubing outside the refrigerator cool the liquid and heat the air around them. As it cools the refrigerant condenses back to a liquid that goes through a tiny hole, called the expansion valve. The pressure drops, evaporating the liquid, making the gas cold. The tubing containing the cold gas is in the inside of the refrigerator, making it cold, and cooling the food.

An air conditioner works in a similar way. The evaporator is in the unit inside the house and the compressor is outside. Because of the work put into the compressor heat is removed from the air inside the house and transferred to the outside air. The diagram below shows work and heat flows in a refrigerator or air conditioner.

What are the environmental impacts of refrigerants?

The first home refrigerators used ammonia as a refrigerant, but ammonia is toxic. In the 1930s a chemical called Freon™ was first developed by the DuPont Company of Wilmington, Delaware. Freon™ is a chlorofluorocarbon (CFC). If Freon™ escapes, it carries chlorine atoms to the upper atmosphere. There, ultraviolet radiation from the sun separates one of the chlorine atoms from the CFC. That atom converts ozone back to oxygen, contributing to the destruction of the ozone layer, an essential barrier against harmful ultraviolet sunlight.

Freon’s™ destructive nature has been known since the 1970s, but it was not until the early 1990s that legislation was implemented banning the use of Freon™ in new air conditioners and refrigerators. It has been estimated that in 2002 there was six million tons of Freon in existing products. Unfortunately, when the chlorine destroys an ozone molecule, the chlorine is not destroyed, but instead continues to live for a while destroying more ozone. In fact, more Freon™ is still headed toward the upper limits of the atmosphere, for it can take several years for Freon to reach such elevations.

After laws were passed banning Freon™, DuPont and other corporations have since developed replacements for Freon™ that replace the chlorine atoms with hydrogen atoms. These substances do not harm the ozone layer and are used today in refrigerators, air conditioners, and aerosol cans.

What was the social importance of using less harmful refrigerants?

Freon™ and other chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) posed a global environmental health threat in the late 20^th century that was caused by humans. When governments worldwide worked together to require the use of new, less harmful refrigerants, the threat was greatly reduced. Today, the loss of stratospheric ozone has been brought under control. The successful restoration of the ozone layer serves as an important example of how all of the world's nations can come together to solve large, global environmental issues.

About the Author

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction

1. Physics Fundamentals

2. Motion and Force

3. Momentum and Energy

4. Fluids

5. Thermodynamics

6. Waves

7. Light and Optics

8. Electricity and Magnetism

9. Atomic and Quantum Physics

10. Physics Frontiers

Bibliography

Glossary

Index

Sujets

• Sciences et techniques
• Physics
• Science
• Physique
• Physical attractiveness

Informations

• Publié par: Visible Ink Press
• Date de parution: 01 septembre 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781578597178
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 5 Mo

Extrait

Contents
P HOTO S OURCES
I NTRODUCTION
PHYSICS FUNDAMENTALS
Measurement Careers in Physics Famous Physicists Nobel Prize Winners in Physics
MOTION AND FORCE
Acceleration and Force Newton s Laws of Motion Friction Gravity Motion in a Gravitational Field Circular and Angular Motion Statics Center of Gravity Materials for Structures Bridges Skyscrapers
MOMENTUM AND ENERGY
Conservation of Momentum Angular Momentum Energy Conservation of Energy Power Simple Machines
FLUIDS
Water Pressure Blood Pressure Atmospheric Pressure Buoyancy Fluid Dynamics Aerodynamics The Sound Barrier
THERMODYNAMICS
Thermal Physics Measuring Temperature Absolute Temperature States of Matter Heat Laws of Thermodynamics
WAVES
Water Waves Electromagnetic Waves Putting Information on Electromagnetic Waves Microwaves The Principle of Superposition Resonance and Impedance Sound Hearing Ultrasonics and Infrasonics Intensity of Sound Acoustics Music Noise Pollution The Doppler Effect Radar Radio Astronomy
LIGHT AND OPTICS
The Speed of Light Polarization of Light Opacity and Transparency Shadows and Eclipses Reflection Mirrors and Images Refraction Lenses Fiber Optics Diffraction Color Rainbows Eyesight Cameras Telescopes
ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
Static Electricity Capacitors Van de Graaff Generators Lightning Lightning Safety Electric Current Superconductors Electrical Safety Electric Power Circuits AC/DC Electrical Outlets Series and Parallel Circuis Magnetism Earth s Magnetic Field Electromagnetism
ATOMIC AND QUANTUM PHYSICS
The Nucleus Radioactive Decay Antimatter Nuclear Fission Nuclear Fusion Quantum Physics Atomic Spectroscopy Quantum Mechanics The Standar Model of Matter
PHYSICS FRONTIERS
Dark Matter Dark Energy Quantum Entanglement Nanophysics String Theory Theories of Everything The Birth of the Universe The Multiverse Physics of the Mind Black Holes and the End of Time
F URTHER R EADING
G LOSSARY
S YMBOLS
I NDEX
Acknowledgments
It is a privilege to have been passed the stewardship of this book from the distinguished authors of the two previous editions, P. Erik Gundersen and Paul W. Zitzewitz. Hopefully, my revisions and additions do justice to their work and legacies, which have made such a meaningful impact on physics, education, and research that extend well beyond this one title. To publisher par excellence Roger J necke and editor extraordinaire Kevin Hile: thank you for entrusting this project to me.
My parents, Frank Fu-Wen Liu and Janice Jui-Chi Liu, were my first teachers, and I am still learning from them today. Thanks to them, I love to learn, to ask questions, and to find answers; and through their work and sacrifice they gave me the freedom to study the universe with wonder and joy. After I started school, my many physics teachers did so much to shape me into the scientist and educator I am today. Here is a list of just a few of them in roughly chronological order: Walter Nazarenko, Sidney Coleman, George Rybicki, John Huchra, Peter Strittmatter, Rob Kennicutt, Bruce Woodgate, and Richard Green. Thank you all so much-without what you ve taught me, I wouldn t have been able to write this book.
And to my wife, Dr. Amy Rabb-Liu, and our three wonderful children, Hannah, Allen, and Isaac: Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! You are why things work in my world.
Photo Sources
AB Lagrelius & Westphal: p. 309 .
Ryan Adams: p. 294 .
AP Images/NBCU Photo Bank: p. 13 .
CERN: p. 314 .
Kevin Hile: pp. 49 , 50 , 53 , 66 , 67 , 70 , 80 , 81 , 83 , 85 , 87 , 92 , 93 , 125 , 129 , 130 , 132 , 136 , 146 , 147 (top and bottom), 154 , 230 , 266 , 278 , 281 , 286 , 307 , 316 .
IAEA Imagebank: p. 302 .
Intel Free Press: p. 350 .
iStock: pp. 4 , 5 , 9 , 10, 12 , 27 , 34 , 44 , 52 , 54 , 60 , 64 , 68 , 77 , 78 , 88 , 96 , 99 , 100 , 101 , 104 , 106 , 109 , 116 , 121 , 131 , 139 , 143 , 148 , 151 , 155 , 157 , 161 , 164 , 166 , 169 , 178 , 183 , 185 , 207 , 211 , 213 , 216 , 220 , 227 , 231 , 234 , 249 , 251 , 252 , 256 , 259 , 261 , 265 , 271 , 273 , 279 , 300 , 306, 312 .
Kunstmuseum den Haag: p. 190 .
Library of Congress: pp. 246 , 277 , 284 .
Life magazine: p. 144 .
Fran ois Montanet: p. 319 .
NASA: pp. 118 , 204 , 268 , 269 , 324 , 326 .
Bengt Nyman: p. 320 .
Popular Science : p. 194 .
Science History Institute: p. 159 .
Shutterstock: pp. 7 , 19 , 22 , 24 , 29 , 31 , 35 , 37 , 40 , 42 , 47 , 62 , 123 , 127 , 140 , 152 , 172 , 174 , 181 , 197 , 201 , 218 , 225 , 239 , 240 , 243 , 244 , 263 , 274 , 292 , 296 , 329 , 333 , 339 , 343 , 345 , 349 .
ThreePhaseAC (Wikicommons): p. 305 .
U.S. Copyright Office: p. 242 .
U.S. Department of Defense: p. 195 .
U.S. Department of Energy: p. 293 .
Public domain: pp. 72 , 222 , 260 , 336 , 340 , 347 .
Introduction
It is indeed a grand time to be alive and asking questions. Harlow Shapley, the former director of the Harvard College Observatory, wrote that sentence in a book in which he describes how scientists use physics to find answers to the amazing way things work- not just in the world, but also on other planets, stars, galaxies, and even the entire cosmos. That sentence is as true today as it was then-and Dr. Shapley wrote it before I was even born.
If you think about it, when it comes to air, water, earth, and fire-sound, waves, heat, and light-space, time, matter, and energy-we all have more than a thousand questions. Some questions are simple, while others are complicated. Why is the sky blue? How does my cell phone work? Who really invented the light bulb? Are robots becoming intelligent? What happens when you fall into a black hole? Well, this book contains more than a thousand answers for you about these and many, many other fascinating topics in physics.
Physics explains how and why things work the way they do. Far from being dense or difficult, physics can be described by a set of simple laws; and just as the 26 letters of the alphabet can be combined in a myriad of ways to tell amazing stories, the laws of physics that govern the world and the universe around us produce powerful, beautiful, and even mind-blowing phenomena. Think of waves at the beach, music in your ears, the colors of the rainbow, or nuclear fusion in the Sun; all of these and so much more arise from physics. Understanding and applying physics has allowed us to improve and enrich our lives in both small and big ways-like heating our homes, hitting a baseball, watching a video, flying an airplane, and exploring outer space.
I invite you to open this book and have your questions answered. You can pick a topic that interests you, or choose a question at random, or even read the whole book from beginning to end. The chapters of this book are organized roughly in the order of how physics developed throughout the centuries; after starting off with Physics Fundamentals, they will serve to guide you through the history of science. By experimenting with motion and force, the first physicists realized that quantities like momentum and energy are conserved when objects interact. Physics then expanded to explain the behavior not just of solid matter, but also of fluids like liquids and gases; and after that, physicists began to understand the thermodynamics of moving energy through matter as heat, and the carrying of mechanical energy through matter with waves. Studying a special type of high-speed wave led to insight into light and optics; and when physicists realized that light was an electromagnetic wave, they were able to see the connections between light and electricity and magnetism. Then, at the dawn of the previous century, examining the physics of sub-microscopic matter led to the revolution of atomic and quantum physics. The book concludes with the chapter Physics Frontiers, covering the current century and beyond as scientists push the boundaries of what we know about the physical universe, matter, time, and even knowledge itself.
All the scientific terms on these pages are clearly described and explained, and in case you run into an unfamiliar symbol or word, there is a list of symbols and a glossary of terms at the end of the book, as well as a bibliography of books and websites to find out more. I hope every answer will entertain you, enlighten you, and inspire you to be even more curious and ask even more questions.
Enjoy your exploration of physics! Have a grand time.
PHYSICS FUNDAMENTALS
What is physics?
Physics is the scientific study of the structure, content, and activity of and in the world and universe around us. Physics seeks to explain natural phenomena in terms of a comprehensive theoretical framework in mathematical form. Physics depends on accurate instrumentation, precise measurements, and the rigorous expression of results.
Physics is often called the fundamental science because it is the core of many other sciences, such as astronomy, biology, chemistry, and geology. It is also the basis of many fields of applied sciences, such as aeronautics and astronautics, engineering, computer science, and information technology. A strong knowledge of physics is a powerful tool to have in today s high-tech world.
What is the origin of the field of physics?
The word physics comes from the Greek physis , meaning nature. Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E .) wrote the first known work called Physics , a set of eight books that presented a detailed study of motion and its causes. The ancient Greek title of the book is often translated as Natural Philosophy , or writings about nature. For that reason, those who studied the workings of nature were called natural philosophers. They were educated in philosophy and called themselves philosophers.
One of the earliest modern textbooks that used the word physics in its title was published in 1732. It was not until the 1800s that those who studied physics were called physicists. In the nineteenth, twentieth, and twenty-first centuries, physics has proven to be a large and important field of study