Physics for Beginners: Preface

Table of Contents

Physics For Beginners: Preface

Preface: September 18, 2000

As indicative of my writing style, I have written this preface last instead of first. Having not been schooled in the ways of writing, the reader will have to forgive the many grammatical errors and lack of clarity.

Having dispatched with the disclaimer, let me say a couple of things which might be useful when reading these pages. First, the purpose of these pages is to introduce some concepts in physics to those people who have had little or no experience in physics. If you have taken many courses in physics, these pages will be of little interest to you. Second, while I have kept the level of mathematics to a minimum, it will be helpful if you know some rudimentary algebra. It is inevitable that mathematics is involved because mathematics is the language in which physics is cast. However, my hope is that, even if you don't know algebra, you will be able to get some idea of physics from these pages. In fact, the majority of these pages do not involve mathematics and are more concerned with the concepts in physics. Third, as is true when learning new concepts, the best thing to do is to go slow and take your time, making sure you understand the basics before moving on. Physics builds upon basic concepts, and it will be worth your time to thoroughly understand those basic concepts before proceeding to other concepts. As you will see, we will often refer back to those basic concepts as we proceed through these pages. For instance, while Newton's Laws of Motion are introduced on the very first page, we will often refer back to them in later pages. Finally, if you don't understand something the first time through, don't get frustrated with yourself. In those cases, take a break and come back to that section later. The section might just be confusing because of my own inability to explain concepts clearly. If that is the case, please refer to the aforementioned apology in the previous paragraph. (By the way, while you are taking a break, why not visit with the pokemon and view some never-before-released episodes.)

Next, for those who really abhor mathematics or just don't have access to a calculator, there is an Equation Solver section included which is for use with the Physics For Beginners section. The Equation Solver can be used to solve most of the problems in these pages. There is a link to the Equation Solver at the top left hand corner on every page in the Physics For Beginners section. To get an idea of how to use the Equation Solver, go to that page and then click on the link titled feet to meters under the Length Conversions section of the Converting Units section. The purpose of this link is to convert the number of feet into meters. After clicking on the appropriate link, you will be prompted to enter the appropriate information in a pop-up window. After entering all of the required information, the solution will be displayed in a pop-up window. When prompted to enter information, enter just the number. Do Not enter the units. In order for the Equation Solver to work properly, you will need to have javascript enabled in your browser. By default, most browsers will have javascript enabled, however if you have set your internet security option high, it might be disabled. In those cases, if you wish to use the Equation Solver, you will need to enable javascript.

Having said all of this, I do have a bit of regret about this page. In the very near future, I will be moving on to something which will not allow me to make regular updates to this page. I had hoped to cover more topics, but alas, I will not have the time to do so. I thank you all for stopping by. And, if I have been of even the slightest assistance to you, I thank you for allowing me to help you. It has been my greatest honor and pleasure to have had the opportunity to help you. If these pages have been of no use to you, I apologize for my own inadequacies as an instructor and hope that, at least, I have done no harm. In the right hands, physics can be a wonderful and exciting subject, and I hope I have not made it into something boring and inaccessible. There is a wealth of physics resources on the internet and, if you found these pages to be unhelpful, please look around the internet for better sites more suited to your needs. For all those who've signed the Guestbook, I thank you for your comments. Your comments have inspired me, and I deeply appreciate you taking the time to send them. While I will probably not have time to respond to email, I will still check back occasionally to look over the comments, so please keep sending me your comments. They will be very helpful if I start updating these pages again. In any event, they will help me be a better instructor.

Lastly, I want to thank my family and friends who have supported me in my new choice of careers. Without your support and love, I would be all but lost. I thank them all for molding me into the person I am today. Thanks to my many cousins, uncles, and aunts who have always been unselfishly kind in their support. Thanks to the staff of the office of J. Yang, M.D. You made work seem less like work, and I thank you all kindly for your love & friendship and for putting up with some of my odd ramblings. Special thanks to the families of J. Yang, M.D. and D. McBurney who gave of themselves freely to help me enter my new career. I thank them for their many hours of work on my behalf, for putting up with a stubborn and dangerously proud man, and for not giving up on what most would consider a lost cause. Special technical thanks to my brother, V., and my friend, S. Gatdula III, who were both instrumental in setting up the internet server on which this site resides. Without them, this page would only be viewable by my three best friends: me, myself, and I. Thanks to C. "Busters" Magoo and D. for befriending and putting up with an incoherent old man and for the countless hours in simulation to sharpen my skills as a virtual counter-terrorist operative. Without their help, my waking hours would be flooded with calls of "Nacho Down". For that, I thank them for preserving my sanity and for satisfying my taste for "nachos". Thanks to my cousin, W., who also helped satisfy my taste for "nachos" and for being unjudgmentally supportive and kind. Finally, thanks to my brother, V., and Mamma H. for putting up with my emotional ramblings and who gave me solid advice & support to help set straight my crooked & unstable mind. Even through my many hours of almost-certifiable insanity, they stood by me, letting me freely bounce my wildly incoherent ideas off their more stable minds. I thank them for keeping me grounded and for listening without judgment but mostly for their love. I am truly blessed for all of this undeserved kindness and love. To everyone who has come across my life, I say to you, "Thanks".

Your friend,
S.

P.S.
By the way, Men In Black has finally been released on dvd as of this writing. Remember, this was written after the Physics For Beginners section had been written.