Fundemantals of Physics

Welcome to physics, the science of relativity and gravitation, matter and energy, quarks and quanta, lasers and masers, and many other intriguing scientific areas.
Since the appearance of the second edition many new developments have become impor- tant, and this edition has been expanded to include as many as possible of these new ideas without neglecting older, but still valid, concepts.

With the aid of entertaining short stories, anecdotes, lucid explanations and straight-forward figures, this book challenges the perception that the world of physics is inaccessible to the non-expert. Beginning with Neanderthal man, it traces the evolution of human reason and understanding from paradoxes and optical illusions to gravitational waves, black holes and dark energy. On the way, it provides insights into the mind-boggling advances at the frontiers of physics and cosmology.

The Handbook of Physics is a complete desktop reference for scientists, engineers, and students. A veritable toolbox for everyday use in problem solving, homework, examinations, and practical applications of physics, it provides quick and easy access to a wealth of information including not only the fundamental formulas of physics but also a wide variety of experimental methods used in practice. Compiled by professional scientists, engineers, and lecturers who are experts in the day-to-day use of physics, the Handbook covers topics from classical mechanics to elementary particles, electric circuits to error analysis. The previous editions in German are renowned for their clarity and completeness.

The Handbook of Physics is a complete desktop reference for scientists, engineers, and students. A veritable toolbox for everyday use in problem solving, homework, examinations, and practical applications of physics, it provides quick and easy access to a wealth of information including not only the fundamental formulas of physics but also a wide variety of experimental methods used in practice. Compiled by professional scientists, engineers, and lecturers who are experts in the day-to-day use of physics, the Handbook covers topics from classical mechanics to elementary particles, electric circuits to error analysis. The previous editions in German are renowned for their clarity and completeness.

Welcome to physics, the science of relativity and gravitation, matter and energy, quarks and quanta, lasers and masers, and many other intriguing scientific areas.

The author of the story of a science must be guided by the constraints and demands imposed on him by the definition of "science" itself. A science is more than a body of knowledge expounded in original papers and collected in books; it is the active pursuit of this knowledge by a dedicated group of people ( scientists) who are devoted to this '' great adventure'' by an inner drive that they cannot deny.

P. W. Bridgman and the Special Theory oj Relativity Ey W. Bridgman wrote A S,phi,ticati< him" (1962) for the reader "who feels the need to stand back a little for a critical scrutiny of what he has really got" (SP, p. 3). * This was his personal trademark as physicist and philoso­ pher and it is present everywhere in Bridgman's precis of special relativity theory. The reissue of Sophisticate's Primer is particularly wel­ come for it exhibits a quest for clarity in foundations in the style of Ernst Mach and Henri Poincare, in whose philo- • N.B. Papers and books are here cited as follows. Bridgman (1927) refers to Bridgman's book The Logic of Modern Physics in the bibliography. Cross-references to Sophisticate's Primer are indicated with the code (SP, p. "'). Bridgman's extant manuscripts are on deposit at the Harvard University Archives, and here cited by date, for example (MS 2 August 1959, p …. ). Some of the manuscripts were written over a period of days, with sequential paging, with the actual dates indicated. Full citations are given in the bibliography. I am grateful to the Harvard University Archives for permission to quote from these materials, and to Bridgman's daughter, Mrs. Jane Koopman, for permitting me to quote from the draft manuscripts of Sophisticate's Primer, which will be deposited in the Harvard Archives. Reprinted from P. W. Bridgman. Sophisticate's Primer of Relativity, Second Edition. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press, 1983.

This textbook presents a basic course in physics to teach mechanics, mechanical properties of matter, thermal properties of matter, elementary thermodynamics, electrodynamics, electricity, magnetism, light and optics and sound. It includes simple mathematical approaches to each physical principle, and all examples and exercises are selected carefully to reinforce each chapter. In addition, answers to all exercises are included that should ultimately help solidify the concepts in the minds of the students and increase their confidence in the subject.