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Advance Praise for Head First Physics
“If you want to learn some physics, but you think it’s too difficult, buy this book! It will probably help,
and if it doesn’t, you can always use it as a doorstop or hamster bedding or something. I wish I had a
copy of this book when I was teaching physics.”
— John Allister, physics teacher
“Head First Physics has achieved the impossible - a serious textbook that makes physics fun. Students all
over will be thinking like a physicist!”
— Georgia Gale Grant, freelance science writer, communicator and broadcaster
“Great graphics, clear explanations and some crazy real world problems to solve! This text is full of
strategies and tips to attack problems. It encourages a team approach that’s so essential in today’s work
world.”
— Diane Jaquith, high school physics, chemistry and physical science teacher
“This is an outstandingly good teacher masquerading as a physics book! You never feel phased if you
don’t quite understand something the first time because you know it will be explained again in a different
way and then repeated and reinforced. ”
— Marion Lang, teacher
“This book takes you by the hand and guides you through the world of physics.”
— Catriona Lang, teacher
“Head First Physics really rocks - I never thought it was possible to enjoy learning physics so much! This
book is about understanding and not about rote learning, so you can get to grips with the physics and
remember it much better as a result.”
— Alice Pitt-Pitts
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Praise for other Head First academic titles
“Head First Statistics is by far the most entertaining, attention-catching study guide on the market. By
presenting the material in an engaging manner, it provides students with a comfortable way to learn an
otherwise cumbersome subject. The explanation of the topics is presented in a manner comprehensible
to students of all levels.”
— Ariana Anderson, Teaching Fellow/PhD candidate in Statistics, UCLA
“Head First is an intuitive way to understand statistics using simple, real-life examples that make learning
fun and natural.”
— Michael Prerau, computational neuroscientist and statistics instructor,
Boston University
“Thought Head First was just for computer nerds? Try the brain-friendly way with statistics and you’ll
change your mind. It really works.”
— Andy Parker
“This book is a great way for students to learn statistics—it is entertaining, comprehensive, and easy to
understand. A perfect solution!”
— Danielle Levitt
“Down with dull statistics books! Even my cat liked this one.”
— Cary Collett
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Praise for the Head First Approach
“There are books you buy, books you keep, books you keep on your desk, and thanks to O’Reilly and the
Head First crew, there is the ultimate category, Head First books. They’re the ones that are dog-eared,
mangled, and carried everywhere. Head First SQL is at the top of my stack. Heck, even the PDF I have
for review is tattered and torn.”
— Bill Sawyer, ATG Curriculum Manager, Oracle
“Elegant design is at the core of every chapter here, each concept conveyed with equal doses of
pragmatism and wit.”
— Ken Goldstein, Executive Vice President, Disney Online
“I feel like a thousand pounds of books have just been lifted off of my head.”
—Ward Cunningham, inventor of the Wiki and founder of the Hillside Group
“This book’s admirable clarity, humor and substantial doses of clever make it the sort of book that helps
even non-programmers think well about problem-solving.”
— Cory Doctorow, co-editor of Boing Boing
Author, Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom
and Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town
“It’s fast, irreverent, fun, and engaging. Be careful—you might actually learn something!”
—Ken Arnold, former Senior Engineer at Sun Microsystems
Co-author (with James Gosling, creator of Java), The Java Programming
Language
“I received the book yesterday and started to read it...and I couldn’t stop. This is definitely très ‘cool.’ It is
fun, but they cover a lot of ground and they are right to the point. I’m really impressed.”
— Erich Gamma, IBM Distinguished Engineer, and co-author of Design
Patterns
“One of the funniest and smartest books on software design I’ve ever read.”
— Aaron LaBerge, VP Technology, ESPN.com
“I ♥ Head First HTML with CSS & XHTML—it teaches you everything you need to learn in a ‘fun
coated’ format.”
— Sally Applin, UI Designer and Artist
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Other related books from O’Reilly
Statistics HacksTM
Statistics in a Nutshell
Mind HacksTM
Mind Performance HacksTM
Your Brain: The Missing Manual
Other books in O’Reilly’s Head First series
Head First JavaTM
Head First Object-Oriented Analysis and Design (OOA&D)
Head First HTML with CSS and XHTML
Head First Design Patterns
Head First Servlets and JSP
Head First EJB
Head First PMP
Head First SQL
Head First Software Development
Head First JavaScript
Head First Ajax
Head First Statistics
Head First PHP & MySQL (2008)
Head First Algebra (2008)
Head First Rails (2008)
Head First Web Design (2008)
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Head First Physics
A learner’s companion to
mechanics and practical physics
Wouldn’t it be dreamy if
there was a physics book that
was more fun than going to the
dentist, and more revealing than
an IRS form? It’s probably just a
fantasy...
Heather Lang, Ph.D.
Beijing • Cambridge • Kln • Sebastopol • Taipei • Tokyo
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Head First Physics
by Heather Lang, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2009 O’Reilly Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
Published by O’Reilly Media, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472.
O’Reilly Media books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use. Online editions are
also available for most titles (safari.oreilly.com). For more information, contact our corporate/institutional sales
department: (800) 998-9938 or [email protected].
Series Creators: Kathy Sierra, Bert Bates
Series Editor: Brett D. McLaughlin
Design Editor: Louise Barr
Cover Designers: Louise Barr, Steve Fehler
Production Editor: Brittany Smith
Indexer: Julie Hawks
Printing History:
September 2008: First Edition.
The O’Reilly logo is a registered trademark of O’Reilly Media, Inc. The Head First series designations,
Head First Physics, and related trade dress are trademarks of O’Reilly Media, Inc.
Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish their products are claimed as
trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O’Reilly Media, Inc., was aware of a trademark
claim, the designations have been printed in caps or initial caps.
While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and the authors assume no
responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.
No pizza delivery guys were harmed in the making of this book.
ISBN: 978-0-596-10237-1
[M]
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This book is dedicated to... anyone who made me laugh while writing it!
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the author
Author of Head First Physics
Heather Lang
Heather studied physics in Manchester,
gaining a first class honours degree. She likes
explaining how stuff works and persuading
people to send her chocolate in the post. Her
first foray into science communication was via
the BaBar Particle Physics Teaching Package.
She followed this up with a Ph.D. in the grey
area between physics and biochemistry, but
got fed up of sharing a fridge with petri dishes
and moved on from the lab into education and
Head First Physics.
When not explaining how stuff works, Heather
likes to play extreme sports such as chess and
cricket, play with sliders on a sound desk, or
play the fool while running school chess clubs
(in the name of teaching of course).
viii
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Description:Wouldn't it be great if there were a physics book that showed you how things work instead of telling you how? Finally, with Head First Physics, there is. This comprehensive book takes the stress out of learning mechanics and practical physics by providing a fun and engaging experience, especially for students who "just don't get it." Head First Physics offers a format that's rich in visuals and full of activities, including pictures, illustrations, puzzles, stories, and quizzes -- a mixed-media style proven to stimulate learning and retention. One look will convince you: This isn't mere theory, this is physics brought to life through real-world scenarios, simple experiments, and hypothetical projects. Head First Physics is perfect for anyone who's intrigued by how things work in the natural world. You'll quickly discover that physics isn't a dry subject. It's all about the world we live in, encompassing everything from falling objects and speeding cars, to conservation of energy and gravity and weightlessness, and orbital behavior. This book: Helps you think like a physicist so you can understand why things really work the way they do Gives you relevant examples so you can fully grasp the principles before moving on to more complex concepts Designed to be used as a supplement study guide for the College Board's Advanced Placement Physics B Exam Introduces principles for the purpose of solving real-world problems, not memorization Teaches you how to measure, observe, calculate -- and yes -- how to do the math Covers scientific notation, SI units, vectors, motion, momentum conservation, Newton's Laws, energy conservation, weight and mass, gravitation and orbits, circular motion and simple harmonic motion, and much more If "Myth Busters" and other TV programs make you curious about our physical world -- or if you're a student forced to take a physics course -- now you can pursue the subject without the dread of boredom or the fear that it will be over your head. Head First Physics comes to rescue with an innovative, engaging, and inspirational way to learn physics!
