Physics For Dummies

For Dummies

by Steven Holzner

Does just thinking about the laws of motion make your head spin? Does studying electricity short your circuits? Do the complexities of thermodynamics cool your enthusiasm? Thanks to this book, you don't have to be Einstein to understand physics. As you read about Newton's Laws, Kepler's Laws, Hooke's Law, Ohm's Law, and others, you'll appreciate the For Dummies law: The easier we make it, the faster people understand it and the more they enjoy it! Whether you're taking a class, helping kids with homework, or trying to find out how the world works, this book helps you understand basic physics. It covers:


Measurements, units, and significant figures Forces such as displacement, speed, and acceleration Vectors and physics notation Motion, energy, and waves (sound, light, wave-particle) Solids, liquids, and gases Thermodynamics Electromagnetism Relativity Atomic and nuclear structures Steven Holzner, Ph.D. earned his B.S. at MIT and his Ph.D. at Cornell, where he taught Physics 101 and 102 for over 10 years. He livens things up with cool physics facts, real-world examples, and simple experiments that will heighten your enthusiasm for physics and science. The book ends with some out-of-this world physics that will set your mind in motion:


The possibility of wormholes in space The Big Bang How the gravitational pull of black holes is too strong for even light to escape May the Force be with you!

Genres: Science, Physics, Nonfiction, Reference, German Literature, Stem, Education

368 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2004

Reviews

[Keyli Irving]

Huge help for my physics class!

[Carolanne]

why did I read this book?
it was supplemental material to help me get through a university physics course. the sole purpose was to help "dumb down" the main concepts and physics formulas.
PROS:
The book is organized well. the cartoons at the beginning of the chapters are entertaining. it was cheap on amazon.
CONS:
I felt there was a lot of unnecessary "fluff." I think it'd be a more useful tool if it were a bit more streamlined.
VERDICT:
I recommend this book as a handy supplemental physics guide.

[Mustafa Nouman]

Physics for Dummies" makes learning physics less daunting. It's user-friendly and simplifies complex topics, breaking them down into digestible pieces of information. However, it occasionally oversimplifies, lacking depth in explanations, especially when it comes for prove writing. Yet, overall, it's a helpful starting point for physics novices , college students and those who are struggling to comprehend basic ideas.( I finished the book in approximately 7 hours due to my familiarity with the covered subjects, btw you won't find astronomy or alot of modern physics topics within this book).

[Lexi]

This book was helpful. I'll definitely want to read it again to help me.

[Speranta]

I might only remember a couple of formulas after reading this, but I found the examples to be super useful for understanding some of the main concepts

[Ginan Aulia Rahman]

Hidup tapi tidak ngerti fisika sepertinya jadi hidup yang menyedihkan. Alam semesta begitu megah dan istimewa, tapi kita tak mengerti sedikit pun mengenai cara kerja semesta? Analoginya seperti ayam yang mati di lumbung padi.

Saya baca buku ini dengan rasa penasaran sedalam palung laut. Rasa penasaran ini sedikit dibumbui rasa dendam, sebab semenjak SMA saya jahiliyah di bidang fisika.

Fisika bicara mengenai besaran dan ukuran. Gerak. Gaya. Energi. Thermodinamika. Magnet. Listrik. Ruang dan Waktu. Relativitas. Objeknya Semesta.

Apa sih gunanya belajar fisika?

Dengan belajar fisika, kita jadi tahu bagaimana alam semesta ini bekerja. Kita akan tahu hukum alam yang berlaku pada semesta. Dengan pengetahuan ini kita bisa membuat pesawat sederhana yang membantu kita pada kehidupan sehari-hari.

Pemahaman terhadap hukum alam  Pemanfaatan hukum alam  Tekhnologi/pesawat sederhana yang memudahkan manusia untuk mendapatkan kebutuhannya.

Fisika itu soal besaran dan ukuran. Kita mencoba mengukur material yang ada di alam. Kemudian kita mencoba untuk membuat prediksi.

Apa sih metode yang dipakai oleh fisika?

Observasi empiris dan penyimpulan induktif. Itu dua pilar penting dalam ilmu fisika. Objek kajian fisika mesti diteliti secara langsung menggunakan indra atau alat pengindra yang disesuaikan dengan objek. Dari obeservasi tersebut disimpulkan menjadi hukum yang berlaku secara umum.

[Anna]

This book was sitting on my shelf for a long time. I inherited it from my sister. She's currently in college and is majoring as an engineer. Since I'm currently struggling a lot in physics, I've used this book to study on the units that I was not able to focus in class. I have use this book to help me with homework and will be studying from it for the upcoming regents exam.
It's really helpful! I highly recommend it.

[Volare]

Not really for Dummies...

[Unknown]

As a matter of fact, over the time I have been reading this book, I was scanning the book. So I was looking for a book that can give me a great introduction for physics because I have no background in it.

I found this book great for introduction. after my scanning and spending some time in less than half of it. It talks about the definition of physics and introduction to measurement units. Overall I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for good introduction of physics.

[Ivan Koma]

Увы, ерунда. Я хоть и не из хейтеров формул и уравнений, но даже меня они задушили на половине книги. Может кому-то и понравится такой подход, но он мне как не нравился в школе, так и не понравился и сейчас

[Gaia Massironi]

well i passed my exam so it definitely did what it was supposed to

[Miles]

Sometimes the For Dummies books are wonderful, sometimes only so-so. I'm afraid that this is one of the so-so ones. It would be a wonderful book for someone who was already in a high school physics class and needed a few of the concepts therein clarified. That's not why I was reading the book, however. I was reading to refresh and expand the knowledge base that I picked up back in high school and college, and for me the book didn't work out all that well. I did not in fact finish it, which is almost unheard of. Also, the chirpy, unrealistic ways that the author tried to apply physics to everyday life were more irritating than educational, although that's a matter of personal preference.

If you have a student who's struggling with basic physics, this book might be some help. Otherwise, I'd recommend finding something else.

[Kristi]

It was Ok. The cartoon strip before each chapter were funny. BUT according to Dr. Strong, this book wouldn't help me. Ergo, if you're like me, don't bother buying it.

[Oscar]

Its good for if u need to learn about physic but it gets all the basics done

[Kristina Wolfe]

Not bad. We'll see how helpful it is when I start summer school.

[Rohan]

Quite good, the speed of the chapters was a bit variable.. Not popsci though..

[Graham]

Brian Cox doesn't make physics this dull...

[بهاء قطان]

Good reference for explanations (no math exercises)

[NJ]

PHYSICS!!