• Mechanics
    • —
      • M1. Vectors vs. Vector Quantities; Scalars vs. Scalar Quantities
      • M2. Significance of Newton’s First Law
      • M3. Newton’s Third Law: Its Formulation, Its Significance
      • M4. Momentum Conservation; Its Central Role
      • M5. Space Homogeneity And Momentum Conservation
      • M6. Inertial Mass
      • M7. Gravitational Mass
    • —
      • M8. Angular Momentum Characteristics
      • M9. Vanishing Of Total Internal Torque
      • M10. The Isotropy Of Space And Angular-Momentum Conservation
      • M11. Energy, A Central Concept
      • M12. Work And Its Relation To Kinetic And Potential Energy
      • M13. From Kepler’s Laws To Universal Gravitation
      • M14. Error And Uncertainty Distinguished
  • Thermodynamics
    • —
      • T1. What Is Thermodynamics
      • T2. Heat Vs. Internal Energy
      • T3. Equipartition And Degrees Of Freedom
      • T4. Frozen Degrees Of Freedom
      • T5. Six Versions Of The Second Law Of Thermodynamics
    • —
      • T6. Available And Unavailable Energy
      • T7. Entropy On Two Levels
      • T8. Subtleties Of Entropy
      • T9. The Arrow Of Time
  • Electricity & Magnetism
    • —
      • E1. Charge
      • E2. Early Links Between Electricity And Magnetism
      • E3. Monopoles, Not!
      • E4. The Q-ℰ-ℬ Triangle
    • —
      • E5. Inductance
      • E6. The Nature Of Light
      • E7. Why Light Travels At Speed C
      • E8. Notes On The History Of Electromagnetism
  • Relativity
    • —
      • R1. Agreement And Disagreement: Relativistic And Classical
      • R2. Transformations: Galilean And Lorentz
      • R3. “Michelson Airspeed Indicator”
      • R4. c = Constant Means Time Must Be Relative
      • R5. More Relativity And More Invariance
      • R6. E = mc2 As Einstein Derived It
    • —
      • R7. Momentum In Relativity, And Another Approach To E = mc2
      • R8. The Fourth Dimension: Spacetime And Momenergy
      • R9. Versions Of The Twin Paradox
      • R10. The Principle Of Equivalence
      • R11. Geometrodynamics
  • Quantum Physics
    • —
      • Q1. Five Key Ideas Of Quantum Mechanics
      • Q2. Granularity
      • Q3. Probability
      • Q4. Annihilation And Creation
      • Q5. Waves And Particles (The de Broglie Equation)
      • Q6. The Uncertainty Principle
      • Q7. Why Is The Hydrogen Atom As Big As It Is?
      • Q8. Localization Of Waves; Relation To Uncertainty Principle
    • —
      • Q9. Planck’s Quantum Not Yet A Photon
      • Q10. Planck’s Constant As The Particle-Wave Link
      • Q11. The Bohr Atom: Obsolete But Important
      • Q12. Bohr’s Key Atomic Postulates
      • Q13. Bohr’s Triumph: Explaining The Rydberg Constant
      • Q14. H-Atom Wave Functions And Classical Correspondence
      • Q15. The Jovian Task: Building The Atoms
      • Q16. Feynman Diagrams
  • Nuclear Physics
    • —
      • N1. Why Are There No Electrons In The Nucleus?
      • N2. The Line Of Nuclear Stability Bends And Ends
      • N3. The “Miracle” Of Nuclear Stability
      • N4. Pauli Letter Proposing What Came To Be Called The Neutrino
    • —
      • N5. Early History Of Radioactivity And Transmutation
      • N6. Bohr-Wheeler Theory Of Fission
      • N7. Sun’s Proton-Proton Cycle
  • General, Historical, Philosophical
    • —
      • G1. Faith In Simplicity As A Driver Of Science
      • G2. Science: Creation Vs. Discovery
      • G3. Is There A Scientific Method?
      • G4. What Is A Theory?
      • G5. The “Great Theories” Of Physics
      • G6. Natural Units, Dimensionless Physics
      • G7. Three Kinds Of Probability
      • G8. The Forces Of Nature
      • G9. Laws That Permit, Laws That Prohibit
    • —
      • G10. Conservation Laws, Absolute And Partial
      • G11. Math As A Tool And A Toy
      • G12. The “System Of The World”: How The Heavens Drove Mechanics
      • G13. The Astromical World, Then And Now
      • G14. Superposition
      • G15. Physics At The End Of The Nineteenth Century: The Seeds Of Rel & QM
      • G16. The Submicroscopic Frontier: Reductionism
      • G17. Submicroscopic Chaos
      • G18. The Future Path Of Science
  • Supplemental
    • Rainbows: Figuring Their Angles
  • Index
Basic PhysicsBasic Physics
A Resource for Teachers by Ken Ford
  • Mechanics
    • —
      • M1. Vectors vs. Vector Quantities; Scalars vs. Scalar Quantities
      • M2. Significance of Newton’s First Law
      • M3. Newton’s Third Law: Its Formulation, Its Significance
      • M4. Momentum Conservation; Its Central Role
      • M5. Space Homogeneity And Momentum Conservation
      • M6. Inertial Mass
      • M7. Gravitational Mass
    • —
      • M8. Angular Momentum Characteristics
      • M9. Vanishing Of Total Internal Torque
      • M10. The Isotropy Of Space And Angular-Momentum Conservation
      • M11. Energy, A Central Concept
      • M12. Work And Its Relation To Kinetic And Potential Energy
      • M13. From Kepler’s Laws To Universal Gravitation
      • M14. Error And Uncertainty Distinguished
  • Thermodynamics
    • —
      • T1. What Is Thermodynamics
      • T2. Heat Vs. Internal Energy
      • T3. Equipartition And Degrees Of Freedom
      • T4. Frozen Degrees Of Freedom
      • T5. Six Versions Of The Second Law Of Thermodynamics
    • —
      • T6. Available And Unavailable Energy
      • T7. Entropy On Two Levels
      • T8. Subtleties Of Entropy
      • T9. The Arrow Of Time
  • Electricity & Magnetism
    • —
      • E1. Charge
      • E2. Early Links Between Electricity And Magnetism
      • E3. Monopoles, Not!
      • E4. The Q-ℰ-ℬ Triangle
    • —
      • E5. Inductance
      • E6. The Nature Of Light
      • E7. Why Light Travels At Speed C
      • E8. Notes On The History Of Electromagnetism
  • Relativity
    • —
      • R1. Agreement And Disagreement: Relativistic And Classical
      • R2. Transformations: Galilean And Lorentz
      • R3. “Michelson Airspeed Indicator”
      • R4. c = Constant Means Time Must Be Relative
      • R5. More Relativity And More Invariance
      • R6. E = mc2 As Einstein Derived It
    • —
      • R7. Momentum In Relativity, And Another Approach To E = mc2
      • R8. The Fourth Dimension: Spacetime And Momenergy
      • R9. Versions Of The Twin Paradox
      • R10. The Principle Of Equivalence
      • R11. Geometrodynamics
  • Quantum Physics
    • —
      • Q1. Five Key Ideas Of Quantum Mechanics
      • Q2. Granularity
      • Q3. Probability
      • Q4. Annihilation And Creation
      • Q5. Waves And Particles (The de Broglie Equation)
      • Q6. The Uncertainty Principle
      • Q7. Why Is The Hydrogen Atom As Big As It Is?
      • Q8. Localization Of Waves; Relation To Uncertainty Principle
    • —
      • Q9. Planck’s Quantum Not Yet A Photon
      • Q10. Planck’s Constant As The Particle-Wave Link
      • Q11. The Bohr Atom: Obsolete But Important
      • Q12. Bohr’s Key Atomic Postulates
      • Q13. Bohr’s Triumph: Explaining The Rydberg Constant
      • Q14. H-Atom Wave Functions And Classical Correspondence
      • Q15. The Jovian Task: Building The Atoms
      • Q16. Feynman Diagrams
  • Nuclear Physics
    • —
      • N1. Why Are There No Electrons In The Nucleus?
      • N2. The Line Of Nuclear Stability Bends And Ends
      • N3. The “Miracle” Of Nuclear Stability
      • N4. Pauli Letter Proposing What Came To Be Called The Neutrino
    • —
      • N5. Early History Of Radioactivity And Transmutation
      • N6. Bohr-Wheeler Theory Of Fission
      • N7. Sun’s Proton-Proton Cycle
  • General, Historical, Philosophical
    • —
      • G1. Faith In Simplicity As A Driver Of Science
      • G2. Science: Creation Vs. Discovery
      • G3. Is There A Scientific Method?
      • G4. What Is A Theory?
      • G5. The “Great Theories” Of Physics
      • G6. Natural Units, Dimensionless Physics
      • G7. Three Kinds Of Probability
      • G8. The Forces Of Nature
      • G9. Laws That Permit, Laws That Prohibit
    • —
      • G10. Conservation Laws, Absolute And Partial
      • G11. Math As A Tool And A Toy
      • G12. The “System Of The World”: How The Heavens Drove Mechanics
      • G13. The Astromical World, Then And Now
      • G14. Superposition
      • G15. Physics At The End Of The Nineteenth Century: The Seeds Of Rel & QM
      • G16. The Submicroscopic Frontier: Reductionism
      • G17. Submicroscopic Chaos
      • G18. The Future Path Of Science
  • Supplemental
    • Rainbows: Figuring Their Angles
  • Index

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