Table Of ContentSCHAUM'S OUTLINE OF
THEORY AND PROBLEMS
of
B E G I N " G PHYSICS 11
Waves, Electromagnetism, Optics,
and Modern Physics
ALVIN HALPERN, Ph.D.
Professor of Physics
Brook Zy n CoZ leg e
City University of New York
ERICH ERLBACH
Professor Emeritus of Physics
City College
City University of New York
SCHAUM'S OUTLINE SERIES
McGRAW-HILL
New York San Francisco Washington, D.C. Auckland Bogotu
Caracas Lisbon London Madrid Mexico City Milan Montreal
New Delhi San Juan Singapore Sydney Tokyo Toronto
ALVIN HALPERN, Ph.D., Professor of Physics at Brooklyn College of
the City University of New York. Dr. Halpern has had extensive teaching
experience in physics at all college levels. elementary through doctoral. He
was chairman of the physics department at Brooklyn College for ten years,
and Vice President for Research Development at the Research Foundation
of CUNY for four years. He presently is Acting President of the Research
Foundation and University Dean for Research.
ERICH ERLBACH, Ph.D., is Professor Emeritus of Physics at The City
College of the City University of New York. He has had over 35 years of
experience in teaching physics courses at all levels. Dr. Erlbach served as
chairman of the physics department at City College for six years and served
as Head of the Honors and Scholars Program at the College for over ten
years.
Schaum’s Outline of Theory and Problems of
BEGINNING PHYSICS I1 : Waves, Electromagnetism, Optics, and Modern Physics
Copyright 0 1998 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Printed in the
United States of America. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this
publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a data
base or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 PRS PRS 9 0 2 109 8
ISBN 0-07-025707-8
Sponsoring Editor: Barbara Gilson
Production Supervisor: Sherri Souffrance
Editing Supervisor: Maureen B. Walker
Library of Congress Catalogiag-in-PublicationD ata
Halpern, Alvin M.
Schaum’s outline of theory and problems of beginning physics 11:
waves, electromagnetism, optics, and modern physics/Alvin Halpern,
Erich Erlbach.
p. cm.- (Schaum’s outline series)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-07-025707-8
1. Physics. I. Erlbach, Erich. 11. Title.
QC23.H213 1998 98-24936
5304~21 CIP
McGraw -Hi22 E
A Division of The McGmwHill Companies
This book is dedicated to
Edith Erlbach, beloved wife of Erich Erlbach
and
to the memory of Gilda and Bernard Halpern,
beloved parents of Alvin Halpern
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Preface
Beginning Physics II : Waves, Electromagnetism, Optics and Modern Physics is
intended to help students who are taking, or are preparing to take, the second half
of a first year College Physics course that is quantitative in nature and focuses on
problem solving. From a topical point of view the book picks up where the first
volume, Beginning Physics I: Mechanics and Heat leaves off. Combined with volume
I it covers all the usual topics in a full year course sequence. Nonetheless, Beginning
Physics II stands alone as a second semester follow on textbook to any first semes-
ter text, or as a descriptive and problem solving supplement to any second semester
text. As with Beginning Physics I, this book is specifically designed to allow students
with relatively weak training in mathematics and science problem solving to quickly
gain quantitative reasoning skills as well as confidence in addressing the subject of
physics. A background in High School algebra and the rudiments of trigonometry is
assumed, as well as completion of a first course covering the standard topics in
mechanics and heat. The second chapter of the book contains a mathematical
review of powers and logarithms for those not familiar or comfortable with those
mathematical topics. The book is written in a “user friendly” style so that those
who were initially terrified of physics and struggled to succeed in a first semester
course can gain mastery of the second semester subject matter as well. While the
book created a “coaxing” ambiance all the way through, the material is not
watered down ”. Instead, the text and problems seek to raise the level of students’
“
abilities to the point where they can handle sophisticated concepts and sophisticated
problems, in the framework of a rigorous noncalculus-based course.
In particular, Beginning Physics II is structured to be useful to pre-professional
(premedical, predental, etc.) students, engineering students and science majors
taking a second semester physics course. It also is suitable for liberal arts majors
who are required to satisfy a rigorous science requirement, and choose a year of
physics. The book covers the material in a typical second semester of a two semester
physics course sequence.
Beginning Physics II is also an excellent support book for engineering and
science students taking a calculus-based physics course. The major stumbling block
for students in such a course is not calculus but rather the same weak background
in problem solving skills that faces many students taking non-calculus based
courses. Indeed, most of the physics problems found in the calculus based course are
of the same type, and not much more sophisticated than those in a rigorous non-
calculus course. This book will thus help engineering and science students to raise
their quantitative reasoning skill levels, and apply them to physics, so that they can
more easily handle a calculus-based course.
ALVINH ALPERN
ERICHE RLBACH
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To the Student
The Preface gives a brief description of the subject matter level, the philosophy and
approach, and the intended audience for this book. Here we wish to give the student
brief advice on how to use the book. Beginning Physics I1 consists of an inter-
weaving of text with solved problems that is intended to give you the opportunity to
learn through exploration and example. The most effective way to gain mastery of
the subject is to go through each problem as if it were an integral part of the text
(which it is). The last section in each chapter, called Problemfor Review and Mind
Searching, gives additional worked out problems that both review and extend the
material in the book. It would be a good idea to try to solve these problems on your
own before looking at the solutions, just to get a sense of where you are in mastery
of the material. Finally, there are supplementary problems at the end of the chapter
which given only numerical answers. You should try to do as many of these as
possible, since problem solving is the ultimate test of your knowledge in physics. If
you follow this regime faithfully you will not only master the subject but you will
sense the stretching of your intellectual capacity and the development of a new
dimension in your ability. Good luck.
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Contents
Chapter I WAVE MOTION ................................................... 1
.......................................
1.1 Propagation of a Disturbance in a Medium 1
.......................................................
1.2 Continuous Traveling Waves 7
.......................................
1.3 Reflection and Transmission at a Boundary 13
.....................................................
1.4 Superposition and Interference 18
...............................................
Problems of Review and Mind Stretching 30
Chapter 2 SOUND ............................................................................ 37
............
2.1 Mathematical Addendum-Exponential and Logarithmic Functions 37
2.2 Propagation of Sound-Velocity. Wave.Fronts. Reflection. Refraction. Diffrac-
................................................................
tion and Interference 42
.......................................................
2.3 Human Perception of Sound 50
....................................................
2.4 Other Sound Wave Phenomena 53
..............................................
Problems for Review and Mind Stretching 58
Chapter 3 COULOMB’S LAW AND ELECTRIC FIELDS ............................ 64
.........................................................................
3.1 Introduction 64
.....................................................................
3.2 Electric Charges 64
......................................................................
3.3 Coulomb’s Law 68
...........................................................
3.4 The Electric Field-Effect 70
.........................................................
3.5 The Electric Field-Source 72
....................................................
3.6 The Electric Field-Gauss’ Law 80
..............................................
Problems for Review and Mind Stretching 90
Chapter 4 ELECTRIC POTENTIAL AND CAPACITANCE ........................... 101
.....................................................
4.1 Potential Energy and Potential 101
..................................................
4.2 Potential of Charge Distributions 103
........................................
4.3 The Electric Field-Potential Relationship 105
.......................................................................
4.4 Equipotentials 110
................................................................
4.5 Energy Conservation 114
..........................................................................
4.6 Capacitance 117
.........................................................
4.7 Combination of Capacitors 120
................................................................
4.8 Energy of Capacitors 123
............................................................................
4.9 Dielectrics 125
..............................................
Problems for Review and Mind Stretching 128
Chapter 5 SIMPLE ELECTRIC CIRCUITS ............................................... 138
....................................................
5.1 Current. Resistance. Ohm’s Law 138
...........................................................
5.2 Resistors in Combination 143
................................................
5.3 EMF and Electrochemical Systems 146
Description:SCHAUM'S OUTLINE SERIES Schaum's outline of theory and problems of beginning physics 11: waves .. Magnetic Force on a Current in a Wire .
