Physics Help and Problems

Physics. The bane of many students’ existence. We want to make physics as easy as possible! Here, we have resources to help you with many of the complicated topics found in physics! Top physics tutors from all of Wyzant have been asked to contribute their knowledge to help you pass that class, or to just learn a little more! Here, you can read about motion or learn the difference between work and energy. For a slightly more advanced review, be sure to check out our page on gravitation or our page on magnetism.


Angular Momentum

Also known as moment of momentum and rotational momentum, angular momentum is a vector quantity represented by the product of an object’s rotational inertia and its angular velocity. Read on for explanations and examples of this important physics concept.

Center of Mass

Do you know where to find the center of mass in a donut? How would you chart the trajectory of a flipping Olympic diver? Learn how to calculate an object’s center of mass in this lesson.

Conservation of Energy

The law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy of an isolated system is conserved, but what does that really mean, and how does it apply to the Incredible Hulk? Read this lesson for more information and fun examples, without any complicated math.

Electricity and Ohm’s Law

This lesson presents an introduction to electricity. Learn how electric circuits work, and how voltage, current, and resistance are tied together in Ohm’s Law.

Friction and Inclines

Learn how friction affects the motion of objects on inclined planes. With detailed explanations, this lesson will walk you through key terms and multiple sample problems.

What is gravitation?

Learn all about the force that keeps you from flying off into space. This lesson covers gravitation and related concepts like acceleration due to gravity, gravitational potential energy, and more. And we’ve got plenty of diagrams and example problems to help you out.

Heat and Energy

Heat and energy are complex topics in the world of physics. This lesson breaks them down, introducing you to complex ideas in everyday terms. Learn about Newtons, entropy, and what Einstein’s famous equation actually means.

What is the Ideal Gas Law?

The Ideal Gas Law is a combination of three laws into one equation: Boyle’s Law, Gay Lussac’s Law, and Charles’ Law. This detailed discussion of the Ideal Gas Law walks you through the concept, from its history to the equation itself.

What is linear momentum?

Related to Newton’s second law of motion, linear momentum is the product of mass and velocity of an object. This lesson describes linear momentum, with examples and practice problems.

Kinematics

Need to know how to calculate velocity in one dimension, or acceleration in three dimensions? Kinematics describes the motion of objects and can be used to solve these problems. Read on to learn about vectors, scalars, speed, acceleration, and more.

Kinetic and Potential Energy

Kinetic energy is energy that comes from motion. Potential energy is related to an object’s potential. In this lesson, learn about these two basic forms of energy and how they relate to the Law of Conservation of Energy.

Magnetism

Magnets, how do they work? Magnetic fields are generated by moving electric charges. This lesson covers topics like magnetic fields and forces, as well as some helpful tips you can use like the “right hand rule.”

The difference between mass and weight

Is mass the same as weight? Never mix the two terms up again by reading this lesson, which includes clear definitions and simple examples.

Newton’s 1st Law of Motion

What does it take to make something move, and what does it take to stop it? This lesson covers Newton’s First Law of Motion. Also called the law of inertia, the law describes the tendency all material has to take the low energy route and not change its state.

Newton’s 2nd Law of Motion

Learn about Newton’s Second Law of Motion in this lesson. Newton’s Second Law states that when an external force acts on an object, then that object accelerates at a rate proportional to the mass of the object.

Optics

Optics is the branch of physics which studies the behavior of light. This in-depth lesson discusses reflection, refraction, diffraction and interference, all wavelike behaviors or light.

Pendulums

Pendulums are common in our daily lives: theme park rides, clocks, and metronomes can all be considered pendulums. How do we define and explain these oscillating objects? In this lesson you will learn about the period of a pendulum, restoring forces, and more.

Resonance

Resonance is the tendency of something to oscillate at a dramatically greater amplitude than other frequencies. But how does it happen? This lesson will answer the question and explain how resonance works in different objects.

Temperature and Heat

In this lesson you will learn about temperature and heat from several different perspectives. Temperature and heat are important in different branches of physics, such as statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. Whether you’re looking for a comprehensive lesson or a quick review, read on to learn how to define and measure these two important terms.

Torque

Torque describes the ability of a force to produce angular motion. How do you calculate the magnitude of torque? In this lesson you can read about the relationship between torque, force, and the lever arm (also called moment arm).

Uniform Circluar Motion

Having trouble with circular motion? Confused about radians? This lesson introduces the concept of uniform circular motion. Read on to learn the next step for physics students who are comfortable with linear motion.

What is a vector?

Simply put, a vector is a number with a direction. In this lesson you will learn how to describe vectors, as well as related concepts like vector equilibrium.

Waves

Learn what makes cell phones and television work in our lesson on waves! This lesson provides an overview of the topic, exploring what a wave is, different types of waves, and other important topics such as wavelength and amplitude.

Weightlessness

How do you define weightlessness, and what’s actually happening when you’re floating in space? This lesson explains the pushing and pulling forces that cause feelings of weightlessness. Test your knowledge after with these illustrated practice problems.

Work and Energy

Work and energy are two fundamental concepts in physics and this lesson introduces both. Work is defined by the force causing a displacement of an object. Energy can be divided into several types, such as kinetic energy and potential energy.

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