An essential part of studying to become a physical scientist or engineer is learning how to solve problems. This book contains over 200 appropriate physics problems with hints and full solutions. The author demonstrates how to break down a problem into its essential components, and how to chart a course through them to a solution. With problem-solving skills being essential for any physical scientist or engineer, this book will be invaluable to potential and current undergraduates seeking a career in these fields. The book is divided into three parts: questions, hints and solutions. The questions section is subdivided into 15 chapters, each centred on a different area of physics, from elementary particles, through classical physics, to cosmology. The second section provides brief hints, whilst the third sets out full and explicit solutions to each problem. Most begin with thoughts that students might have after reading a problem, allowing the reader to understand which questions they should be asking themselves when faced with unfamiliar situations.

This book will strengthen a student's grasp of the laws of physics by applying them to practical situations, and problems that yield more easily to intuitive insight than brute-force methods and complex mathematics. These intriguing problems, chosen almost exclusively from classical (non-quantum) physics, are posed in accessible non-technical language requiring the student to select the right framework in which to analyse the situation and decide which branches of physics are involved. The level of sophistication needed to tackle most of the two hundred problems is that of the exceptional school student, the good undergraduate, or competent graduate student. The book will be valuable to undergraduates preparing for 'general physics' papers. It is hoped that even some physics professors will find the more difficult questions challenging. By contrast, mathematical demands are minimal, and do not go beyond elementary calculus. This intriguing book of physics problems should prove instructive, challenging and fun.

This book contains 500 problems covering all of introductory physics, along with clear, step-by-step solutions to each problem.

Designed for first and second year undergraduates at universities and polytechnics, as well as technical college students.

Created by NASA for high school students interested in space science, this collection of worked problems covers a broad range of subjects, including mathematical aspects of NASA missions, computation and measurement, algebra, geometry, probability and statistics, exponential and logarithmic functions, trigonometry, matrix algebra, conic sections, and calculus. In addition to enhancing mathematical knowledge and skills, these problems promote an appreciation of aerospace technology and offer valuable insights into the practical uses of secondary school mathematics by professional scientists and engineers. Geared toward high school students and teachers, this volume also serves as a fine review for undergraduate science and engineering majors. Numerous figures illuminate the text, and an appendix explores the advanced topic of gravitational forces and the conic section trajectories.

Table of Contents Mathematical Preliminaries Determinants and Matrices Vector Analysis Tensors and Differential Forms Vector Spaces Eigenvalue Problems Ordinary Differential Equations Partial Differential Equations Green's Functions Complex Variable Theory Further Topics in Analysis Gamma Function Bessel Functions Legendre Functions Angular Momentum Group Theory More Special Functions Fourier Series Integral Transforms Periodic Systems Integral Equations Mathieu Functions Calculus of Variations Probability and Statistics.