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Georgia Tech Student Wiki for Introductory Physics.

This resource was created so that students can contribute and curate content to help those with limited or no access to a textbook. When reading this website, please correct any errors you may come across. If you read something that isn't clear, please consider revising it for future students!

Looking to make a contribution?

1. Pick one of the topics from intro physics listed below
2. Add content to that topic or improve the quality of what is already there.
3. Need to make a new topic? Edit this page and add it to the list under the appropriate category. Then copy and paste the default Template into your new page and start editing.

Please remember that this is not a textbook and you are not limited to expressing your ideas with only text and equations. Whenever possible embed: pictures, videos, diagrams, simulations, computational models (e.g. Glowscript), and whatever content you think makes learning physics easier for other students.

Source Material

All of the content added to this resource must be in the public domain or similar free resource. If you are unsure about a source, contact the original author for permission. That said, there is a surprisingly large amount of introductory physics content scattered across the web. Here is an incomplete list of intro physics resources (please update as needed).

• A physics resource written by experts for an expert audience Physics Portal
• A wiki written for students by a physics expert MSU Physics Wiki
• A wiki book on modern physics Modern Physics Wiki
• The MIT open courseware for intro physics MITOCW Wiki
• An online concept map of intro physics HyperPhysics
• Interactive physics simulations PhET
• OpenStax intro physics textbooks: Vol1, Vol2, Vol3
• The Open Source Physics project is a collection of online physics resources OSP
• A resource guide compiled by the AAPT for educators ComPADRE
• The Feynman lectures on physics are free to read Feynman
• Final Study Guide for Modern Physics II created by a lab TA Modern Physics II Final Study Guide

Resources

• Commonly used wiki commands Wiki Cheatsheet
• A guide to representing equations in math mode Wiki Math Mode
• A page to keep track of all the physics Constants
• A page for review of Vectors and vector operations
• A listing of Notable Scientist with links to their individual pages

Physics 1

Week 1

Help with VPython

• Python Syntax

Vectors and Units

• Vectors
• SI Units

VPython

• VPython
• VPython basics
• VPython Common Errors and Troubleshooting
• VPython Functions
• VPython Lists
• VPython Loops
• VPython Multithreading
• VPython Animation
• VPython Objects
• VPython 3D Objects
• VPython Reference
• VPython MapReduceFilter
• VPython GUIs

Vectors and Units

• Vectors
• SI Units

Interactions

• Types of Interactions and How to Detect Them

Velocity and Momentum

• Newton's First Law of Motion
• Velocity
• Mass
• Speed and Velocity
• Relative Velocity
• Derivation of Average Velocity
• 2-Dimensional Motion
• 3-Dimensional Position and Motion

Week 2

Momentum and the Momentum Principle

• Momentum Principle
• Inertia
• Net Force
• Derivation of the Momentum Principle
• Impulse Momentum
• Acceleration
• Momentum with respect to external Forces
• Relativistic Momentum

Iterative Prediction with a Constant Force

• Newton’s Second Law of Motion
• Iterative Prediction
• Kinematics
• Newton’s Laws and Linear Momentum
• Projectile Motion

Week 3

Analytic Prediction with a Constant Force

• Analytical Prediction

Iterative Prediction with a Varying Force

• Predicting Change in multiple dimensions
• Spring Force
• Hooke's Law
• Simple Harmonic Motion
• Iterative Prediction of Spring-Mass System
• Terminal Speed
• Determinism

Week 4

Fundamental Interactions

Main Idea

• Gravitational Force
• Fluid Mechanics
• An Application of Gravitational Potential
• Electric Force
• Reciprocity

Week 5

Conservation of Momentum

• Conservation of Momentum

Properties of Matter

• Kinds of Matter
• Ball and Spring Model of Matter
• Density
• Length and Stiffness of an Interatomic Bond
• Young's Modulus
• Speed of Sound in Solids
• Malleability
• Ductility
• Weight
• Hardness
• Boiling Point
• Melting Point
• Change of State

Week 6

Identifying Forces

• Free Body Diagram
• Inclined Plane
• Compression or Normal Force
• Tension

Curving Motion

• Curving Motion
• Centripetal Force and Curving Motion
• Perpetual Freefall (Orbit)

Week 7

Energy Principle

• The Energy Principle
• Conservation of Energy
• Kinetic Energy
• Work
• Power (Mechanical)

Week 8

Work by Non-Constant Forces

• Work Done By A Nonconstant Force

Potential Energy

• Potential Energy
• Potential Energy of Macroscopic Springs
• Spring Potential Energy
• Ball and Spring Model
• Gravitational Potential Energy
• Energy Graphs
• Escape Velocity

Week 9

Multiparticle Systems

• Center of Mass
• Multi-particle analysis of Momentum
• Momentum with respect to external Forces
• Potential Energy of a Multiparticle System
• Work and Energy for an Extended System
• Internal Energy
  • Potential Energy of a Pair of Neutral Atoms

Week 10

Choice of System

• System & Surroundings

Thermal Energy, Dissipation, and Transfer of Energy

• Thermal Energy
• Specific Heat
• Heat Capacity
• Calorific Value(Heat of combustion)
• Specific Heat Capacity
• First Law of Thermodynamics
• Second Law of Thermodynamics and Entropy
• Temperature
• Predicting Change
• Energy Transfer due to a Temperature Difference
• Transformation of Energy
• The Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution
• Air Resistance

Rotational and Vibrational Energy

• Translational, Rotational and Vibrational Energy

Week 11

Different Models of a System

• Point Particle Systems
• Real Systems

Models of Friction

• Friction
• Static Friction

Week 12

Collisions

• Newton's Third Law of Motion
• Collisions
• Elastic Collisions
• Inelastic Collisions
• Maximally Inelastic Collision
• Head-on Collision of Equal Masses
• Head-on Collision of Unequal Masses
• Scattering: Collisions in 2D and 3D
• Rutherford Experiment and Atomic Collisions
• Coefficient of Restitution

Week 13

Rotations

• Rotation
• Angular Velocity
• Eulerian Angles

Angular Momentum

• Total Angular Momentum
• Translational Angular Momentum
• Rotational Angular Momentum
• The Angular Momentum Principle
• Angular Momentum Compared to Linear Momentum
• Angular Impulse
• Predicting the Position of a Rotating System
• Angular Momentum of Multiparticle Systems
• The Moments of Inertia
• Moment of Inertia for a cylinder
• Right Hand Rule

Week 14

Analyzing Motion with and without Torque

• Torque
• Torque 2
• Systems with Zero Torque
• Systems with Nonzero Torque
• Torque vs Work
• Gyroscopes

Week 15

Introduction to Quantum Concepts

• Bohr Model
• Energy graphs and the Bohr model
• Quantized energy levels
• Quantized energy levels part II
• Entropy

Physics 2

Week 1

3D Vectors

• Vectors
• Right-Hand Rule
• Right Hand Rule

Electric field

• Electric Field
• Electric Field and Electric Potential

Electric force

• Electric Force
• Lorentz Force

Electric field of a point particle

• Point Charge

Superposition

• Superposition Principle
• Superposition principle

Dipoles

• Electric Dipole
• Magnetic Dipole

Week 2

Interactions of charged objects

• Electric Field
• Electric Potential
• Electric Force
• Lorentz Force

Tape experiments

• Polarization
• Electric Polarization

Polarization

• Polarization
• Electric Polarization
• Polarization of an Atom

Week 3

Insulators

• Insulators
• Potential Difference in an Insulator
• Charged Conductor and Charged Insulator
• Charged conductor and charged insulator

Conductors

• Conductivity
• Charge Transfer
• Resistivity
• Polarization of a conductor
• Charged Conductor and Charged Insulator
• Charged conductor and charged insulator

Charging and Discharging

• Charge Transfer
• Electrostatic Discharge
• Charged Conductor and Charged Insulator
• Charged conductor and charged insulator

Week 4

Field of a charged rod

• Charged Rod

Field of a charged ring/disk/capacitor

• Charged Ring
• Charged Disk
• Charged Capacitor