Discover Physics

Since birth, you've wanted to discover things. You started out by putting every available object in your mouth. Later you began asking the grownups all those "why" questions. None of this makes you unique — humans are naturally curious animals. What's unusual is that you've decided to take a physics course. There are easier ways to satisfy a science requirement, so evidently, you're one of those uncommon people who has retained the habit of curiosity into adulthood, and you're willing to tackle a subject that requires sustained intellectual effort. Bravo!

Contents:

The Rules of the Rules

A Preview of Noether's Theorem

1.3 What Are The Symmetries?

Lab 1a: Scaling

The Ray Model of Light

Rays Don't Rust

Time-Reversal Symmetry

The Speed of Light

Reflection

Lab 2a: Time-Reversal and Reflection

Lab 2b: Models of Light

Lab 2c: The Speed of Light in Matter

Real and Virtual Images

Angular Magnification

Lab 3a: Images

Lab 3b: A Real Image

Lab 3c: Lenses

Lab 3d: The Telescope

Conservation of Mass

Conservation of Energy

Newton's Law of Gravity

Noether's Theorem for Energy

Equivalence of Mass and Energy

Lab 4a: Conservation Laws

Lab 4b: Conservation of Energy

Conservation of Momentum

Translation Symmetry

The Strong Principle of Inertia

Momentum

Lab 5a: Interactions

Lab 5b: Frames of Reference

Lab 5c: Conservation of Momentum

Lab 5d: Conservation of Angular Momentum.

The Principle of Relativity

Distortion of Time and Space

Combination of velocities

Equivalence of mass and energy

Electricity and Magnetism

Electrical Interactions

Newton's quest

Charge and electric field

Circuits

Voltage,

Resistance

Electromagnetism

Magnetic interactions

Relativity requires magnetism

Magnetic fields,

Electromagnetic signals

What's Left?

Lab 7a: Charge

Lab 7b: Electrical Measurements

Lab 7c: Is Charge Conserved?