| Titles in the Physical World series The Restless universe » Describing motion Predicting motion Classical physics of matter Static fields and potentials Dynamic fields and waves Quantum physics: an introduction Quantum physics of matter |
Describing motion concerns the quantative description of a variety of physically important motions. Starting with simple examples of motion along a line, key concepts, such as position, velocity and acceleration are introduced and expressed using the fundamental rules of differential calculus. A study of projectile motion is used to generalize the discussion to two and three dimensions and to introduce the important idea of a vector. The descriptive power of calculus and vectors is then illustrated by studying a variety of repetitive periodic motions, including the circular motion of communications satellites, the simple harmonic motion of pendulums and mechanical oscillators, and the elliptical orbits of planets and space probes. Describing motion is in a series of books which along with interactive multimedia, is used in the Open University course The Physical World. Each book combines richly illustrated text with questions (and answers) for self-assessment, and is ideally suited for students working independently. |
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