Physics from Planet Earth - An Introduction to Mechanics AN INTRODUCTION TO CLASSICAL MECHANICS

Expose Your Students to the Elegant World of Physics in an Enticing Way Physics from Planet Earth - An Introduction to Mechanics provides a one-semester, calculus-based introduction to classical mechanics for first-year undergraduate students studying physics, chemistry, astronomy, or engineering. Developed from classroom-tested materials refined and updated for over ten years at Colgate University, the book guides students on a journey beyond standard approaches that use blocks, projectiles, and inclined planes to grander themes involving interplanetary travel, exoplanets, asteroid collisions, and dark matter. Beginning students are often bewildered by the rapid-fire presentation of physical concepts, mathematics, and problem-solving strategies in traditional introductory textbooks. In contrast, this text: Introduces the three conservation laws (momentum, energy, and angular momentum) as fundamental laws of nature from which secondary concepts, such as force and torque, are derived Organizes topics around the conservation laws, avoiding the typical "math overload" that confronts students at the start of standard courses Motivates and illustrates many topics through real, contemporary applications in astronomy, planetary science, and space travel After reviewing the basic mathematical tools needed to study mechanics, the text addresses the conservation of momentum and applications, such as gravity-assisted space travel and rocket propulsion. It next discusses Newton’s Laws and numerous space- and astronomy-based applications. The text then presents evidence for a second conservation principle, energy, which allows us to describe motion as a function of position rather than time. The book also explores the conservation of angular momentum and a variety of applications, including pulsars, orbital eccentricity, and gyroscopes. The text concludes with a discussion of dark matter, dark energy, and the ultimate fate of the universe.

MATHEMATICAL TOOLBOXSurveying the SkiesVectorsUsing Vectors to Describe MotionCONSERVATION OF MOMENTUM The First Conservation Law: Mass, Momentum, and RocketryCollisions and the Center of MassAcceleration, Force, and Newton’s LawsCircular Motion, Simple Harmonic Motion, and Time Kepler’s Laws and Newton’s Discovery of Universal GravitationCONSERVATION OF ENERGY The Second Conservation Law: EnergyGravitational Potential Energy and Orbital MotionCONSERVATION OF ANGULAR MOMENTUM Rotations and the Third Conservation Law: Angular MomentumAngular Momentum and Its ConservationTorque, Angular Momentum, and the Earth–Moon SystemGOING BEYONDDark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the UniverseAppendix A: Physical UnitsAppendix B: Astrophysical DataAppendix C: Physical Constants Index

Joseph C. Amato retired from Colgate University in 2009 as the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Physics. He earned a PhD in experimental solid state physics from Rutgers University. He has conducted research in low-temperature physics, accelerator physics, granular materials, and physics education, including the design of novel laboratory apparatus and exercises for introductory physics courses. Enrique J. Galvez is the Charles A. Dana Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Colgate University. He earned a PhD in physics from the University of Notre Dame. His research interests focus on atomic and optical physics, such as experimental atomic physics with Rydberg atoms, geometric phases in optics, and photon entanglement, as well as physics education, including the development of new quantum mechanics laboratories.