The following is a physics textbook from 1943 with an expired copyright. That puts it in creative commons and allows me to share its contents with you freely. I hope you enjoy learning from this textbook as much as I did and still do. If you find that any information is incorect or out dated please email me at velocityofstuff@gmail.com and I will add an adendem with the correction but leave the original text intact for reference. For instance, the book marks the speed of light in Earth's atmosphere as 299,796 km/s but The Encyclopedia Britanica states that the same variable has a value of 299,792.458 km/s. Disclaimer: some chapters make casual references to non-European nations and tribal groups as uncivilized or savage. The first chapter particularly. I have left the transcription of these offensive remarks for historical record keeping purposes only. I have written notes in those sections with context or explanation of how to refer to these peoples and that such remarks are inapropriate. I do not condone racism, casual or not. Disclaimer 2: Many of the images used are not the ones in the original text, as I could not find them.
By: Elmer E. Burns - Frank L Verwieme - and Herbert G. Hazel
Table of Contents of Physics a Basic Science
Chapter
1. Measurement
Unit 1. How Liquids Behave
2. Force and Pressure in Liquids
3. Water Systems and Dams
4. Pascals Law and the Hydrolic Press
5. Archimede's Pricipal
6. Specific Gravity and Desity
Unit 2. Molecules
7. Molecules and Their Actions
8. Molecular Forces in Liquids and Solids
Unit 3. The Atmosphere
9. The Weight and Pressure of Air
10. The Barometer and its Uses
11. Compression and Expansion of Gasses
12. Applications of Fluid Pressure
Unit 4. Forces
13. Composition of Forces
14. Resolution of Forces
Unit 5. Falling Bodies and Accelerated Motion
15. Galileo and The Laws of Falling Bodies
16. Accelerated Motion
Unit 6. Gravitation and Newton's Laws of Motion
17. Gravitation
18. Newton's First Law of Motion
19. Newton's Second Law of Motion
20. Newton's Third Law of Motion
21. Introdution to Arodynamics
Unit 7. Machines
22. Work and Friction
23. The Principle of Work
24. The Priciple of Moments and the Conditions for Equilibrium
25. Some Simple Machines
Unit 8. Energy and Power
26. Energy
27. Power
Unit 9. Heat and Molecules
28. The Nature of Heat
29. Temperature and Thermodynamics
30. Expansion of Solids, Liquids, and Gasses
31. How Heat Travels
Unit 10. Measurement of Heat
32. Heat Units
33. Melting and Freezing
34. Evaporation
35. Some Effects of Evaporation and Condenstion
Unit 11. Heat as a Source of Power
36. Heat and Work
37. Heat Engines
Unit 12. Sound
38. What is Sound?
39. Reflection and Combination of Sound Waves
40. Sympathetic Vibrations and Resonance
41. The Properties of Musical Sounds
42. Musical Instruments
43. Musical Scales
Unit 13. The Nature of Light
44. The Nature and the Speed of Light
45. Illumination
Unit 14. The Reflextion of light
46. The Reflection of Light
47. Images formed by Mirrors
Unit 15. The Refraction of Light
48. The Refraction of Light
49. The Index of Refraction
50. Images Formed By Lenses
Unit 16. Optical Instruments
51. The Camera and the Eye
52. The Microscope and the Telescope
Unit 17. Color
53. Spectra
54. Color
Unit 18. Magnetism
55. How Magnets Behave
56. The Earth as a Magnet
Unit 19. Static Electricity
57. Electric Charges
58. Atmospheric Electricity and Electrostatic Machines
Unit 20. Electric Charges in Motion
59. Electric Cells
60. The Chemical Effects of an Electric Current
61. The Magnetic Effects of an Electric Current
Unit 21. Electric Circuts
62. Electrical Resistance
63. Ohm's Law
64. Series and Parallel Circuts
Unit 22. Electromagnetic Induction
65. How a Magnetic Field Produces an Electric Current
66. Electric Dynamos or Generators
67. The Induction Coil and The Transformer
68. The Telephone
69. Electric Motors
Unit 23. Electric Power and Energy
70. The Heating Effect of an Electric Current
71. Electric Power and Energy
Unit 24. Alternating Current
72. Alternating Current
73. Inductance and Capacitance
74. Power in an Alternating Curent Circut
75. Electric Oscilations and Waves
Unit 25. Electronics
76. Conduction of Electricity Through Glass
77. Emission of Electrons from Solids
78. Fundamentals of Radio
79. Trasmiters and Recievers
80. Nuclear Physics
Page 1
Content of Chapter 1
1-1. The International Bureau of Weights and Measures. On the Banks of the Siene not far from Paris, France, is a tract of land 6 acres, which the civilized nations of the world have contracted to keep strictly nuetral at all times. A formal treaty was concluded in 1875 to establish and maintain on this tract a specially constructed to be known as the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (Figure 1-1). In it are guarded and preserved with the utmost scientific care the international standards of measurement. These standards are based on the metric system, which originated in France at about the time of the French Revolution and was finally adopted with certain minor changes as the International Scientific System by the Treaty of 1875. The term Civilized Nations used here refers to the nations that had western values and/or had power at the time of writing. That time was 1943, during WWII. I personally don't like or agree to the term civilized nations but I feel it necesarry to preserve the original text.
1-2. Units and Systems. Our common units--feet, pounds, acres, bushels, etc.--appear to be simple and convenient because we have grown acustomed to using them. As a matter of fact, Scientist find them rather awkward. The troy pound and the avoidupois pound are different. The dry quart and the liquid quart are not at all the same. Not may of us know whether mils, points, roods, and firkins are units of measure or the names of savage tribes*. Furthermore, with 12 inches in a foot, 3 feet in a yard, 5.5 yards in a rod, and so on, the relations between various units of our systems are quite confusing.
In the metric system the unit of length is based on the size of the Earth, which is more dificult to mesure but certainly more permanant than the size of a king's foot or the length of his arm. A quarter of a great circle of the Earth is known as a quadrant. The metric standard unit of length, the meter, was intended to be 1/10,000,000 of a quadrant.
(The proper term is indigenous peoples. They are not savages.)
Table of Contents
Chapter 2