Physics 121 Readings and Links

Prof. E. F. Redish

• Chapters from Understanding Physics, by Cummings, Laws, Redish, and Cooney (John Wiley & Sons, 2004). Although this text does include some calculus, it also contains motivation and conceptual discussions that better match my approch in this class than other texts. The following chapters have been posted so far.
  • Significant Figures, by Patrick J. Cooney, Millersville University
  • Chapter 1, Measurement
  • Chapter 2, Motion Along a Straight Line
  • Chapter 3, Forces and Motion Along a Line
  • Chapter 4, Vectors,
    
• For those of you who are pre-med or pre-health care, the introductory chapter of Dr. Jerome Groopman's book, How Doctors Think, makes clear the value of some of the methods of thinking we are trying to encourage in this class in the context of health care.

• Scales
1. Powers of Ten (the 1977 version - slightly outdated in our scientific knowledge at the upper and lower limits)
2. Powers of Ten (the Simpsons version -- take it cum grano salis )
3. There is a more modern IMAX version (narrated by Morgan Freeman), but the version downloaded to youtube doesn't include the small, only the large. If anyone finds a version of this on the web, let me know so I can add a link to it.
• Basic Math
1. Algebra Referesher (West Texas A&M review of algebra)
2. Scientific Notation
   For practice, try the Scientific Notation quiz from our Astronomy Department!
3. Trig Refresher (I haven't found one I like. Let me know about what you have found.)
• Vectors
1. Raffles Junior College Adding and subtracting vectors with applets (mostly head-to-tail rule)
2. Cal Poly Adding and subtracting vectors with applets (lots of rules)

• University of Colorado Physics Education Technology (PhET) Simulations (Main page)
1. The moving man (good for linking graphs of position, velocity, and acceleration)
2. Forces in 1-D (pushing various objects with applied forces and friction)
3. The ramp (pushing objects up a ramp with friction -- and letting them slide down)
4. Projectile motion (some amusing variations)
5. Energy skate park (a very cool sim showing the balance of kinds of energy)

RETURNS

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Last revision 26. August, 2007.