Cynthia B. Phillips, PhD, is a NASA scientist. She offers astronomy and planetary science lectures to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Dr. Phillips also worked at the SETI Institute for 15 years.

Shana Priwer is an experienced technical writer. Shana and Cynthia are the authors of Astrophysics For Dummies and Space Exploration For Dummies.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Putting Physics into Motion. 5

Chapter 1: Using Physics to Understand Your World 7

Chapter 2: Reviewing the Basics: Math and Measurement 17

Chapter 3: Exploring the Need for Speed 31

Chapter 4: Following Directions: Motion in Two Dimensions 55

Part 2: May the Forces of Physics Be with You 81

Chapter 5: When Push Comes to Shove: Force 83

Chapter 6: Getting Down with Gravity, Inclined Planes, and Friction 103

Chapter 7: Circling Around Rotational Motion and Orbits 121

Chapter 8: Go with the Flow: Looking at Pressure in Fluids 143

Part 3: Manifesting the Energy to Work 167

Chapter 9: Getting Some Work Out of Physics 169

Chapter 10: Putting Objects in Motion: Momentum and Impulse 193

Chapter 11: Winding Up with Angular Kinetics 213

Chapter 12: Round and Round with Rotational Dynamics 239

Chapter 13: Springs 'n' Things: Simple Harmonic Motion 257

Part 4: Laying Down the Laws of Thermodynamics 275

Chapter 14: Turning Up the Heat with Thermodynamics 277

Chapter 15: Here, Take My Coat: How Heat Is Transferred 293

Chapter 16: Best of the Best: The Ideal Gas Law 309

Chapter 17: Heat and Work: The Laws of Thermodynamics 321

Part 5: The Part of Tens 351

Chapter 18: Ten Ways Physics Runs Your Day 353

Chapter 19: Ten Physics Heroes 361

Glossary 367

Index 373