Physics Study Aid Textbook

Quick Links

Package Contents

The Topics

Try Out / Samples

Comments from Customers

"You have given me new found energy to wake up in the morning and go to school" ...Michael, student

Painless Physics is a comprehensive study aid for high school Physics. It covers topics such as motion, Newton's Laws, optics, energy, waves, forces and astronomy, and uses a conversational, informal teaching style. Every topic is explained in detail, with sample questions and fully worked solutions to work through. It also contains all the practical tips, tricks, and advice picked up by myself, my fellow students, and the students I've tutored over the years, as well as from the 5000 students who bought my previous textbooks. Whether you're a current high school student, a parent, an adult going back to further study, a teacher or a tutor, Painless Physics will help you, your children, or your students with Physics.

What's in the Package?

Painless Physics (144 fully illustrated pages)

The book is fully illustrated and filled with explanations, worked solutions and handy hints. Package ISBN is 0-9581375-0-1.

"I also purchased your physics book and it is also fantastic" ...Laura, student

The Topics

Here is a list of the topics covered in Painless Physics:

INTRODUCTION
UNITS & CONVENTIONS
MOTION IN ONE DIMENSION
INSTANTANEOUS SPEED
CONSTANT ACCELERATION
SIGN CONVENTION FOR ONE DIMENSIONAL MOTION
GRAPHS OF ONE-DIMENSIONAL MOTION
VELOCITY TO POSITION CONVERSION
VELOCITY TO ACCELERATION CONVERSION
MOTION IN TWO DIMENSIONS
OPERATING WITH VECTORS
Vector Components
Adding and Subtracting Vectors
USING COMPONENT NOTATION
WIND/CURRENT EFFECT PROBLEMS
Relative Velocities
PROJECTILE MOTION IN TWO DIMENSIONS - SOLVING PROBLEMS
HUNTER & MONKEY PROBLEM
FREE FALL WITH AIR RESISTANCE
SPACIAL DIMENSIONS
SCALARS AND VECTORS
PREFIXES
SIGNIFICANT FIGURES
Addition
Scientific Notation
Converting From Scientific Notation to Normal Form
Converting from normal form to scientific notation
Converting Between Different Units
DERIVED UNITS
NEWTON'S LAWS
FIRST LAW
SECOND LAW
THIRD LAW
What is mass?
What is inertia?
What is a force?
What is weight?
SIMPLE ACCELERATION PROBLEMS
TICKER TAPE DIAGRAMS
FREE - BODY DIAGRAMS
FRICTION
Static Friction
Kinetic Friction
MOMENTUM
IMPULSE
COLLISIONS

THE LAW OF MOMENTUM CONSERVATION
NEWTON'S THIRD LAW IN COLLISIONS
What is an Isolated System?
CIRCULAR MOTIONCENTRIPETAL ACCELERATION
Useful Expressions
G FORCES
ENERGY AND WORK
TYPES OF ENERGY
Chemical Energy
Kinetic Energy
Potential Energy
Thermal Energy
VARIABLE FORCES & WORK
POWER
POTENTIAL ENERGY
GRAVITY
NEWTON'S LAW OF GRAVITY
KEPLER'S LAWS
What is an ellipse?
Astronomical Units
GEOSYNCHRONOUS ORBITS
GRAVITATIONAL POTENTIAL ENERGY
CONSERVATION OF ENERGY
ESCAPE SPEED
GRAVITATIONAL FIELDS
Solid Spheres versus Hollow Spheres
OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES
SIMPLE HARMONIC MOTION
CIRCULAR MOTION AND SHM
SIMPLE PENDULUMS
WAVES
TRANSVERSE WAVE REFLECTION
HARMONIC WAVES
THREE-DIMENSIONAL WAVES
THE DECIBEL SYSTEM
THE DOPPLER EFFECT
WAVE SUPERPOSITION
WAVE PATTERNS FROM MULTIPLE SOURCES
STANDING WAVES
NODES & ANTINODES
UNDERSTANDING RESONANCE
LIGHT
THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM
LIGHT AS A WAVE
LIGHT INTERACTION WITH OBJECTS
COLOUR MIXING
SPECTRA
REFLECTION AND REFRACTION

TOTAL INTERNAL REFLECTION
POLARIZATION OF LIGHT
THE LAW OF REFLECTION
TYPES OF REFLECTION
MIRROR REFLECTION
Right Angled Mirrors
Concave Mirrors
Steps for drawing ray diagrams
MIRROR EQUATIONS FOR IMAGE MAGNIFICATION AND DISTANCE
CONVEX MIRRORS
SPHERICAL ABBERATION
LENSES
Converging Lenses
Diverging Lenses
IMAGE FORMATION
LENS EQUATIONS FOR IMAGE DISTANCE AND MAGNIFICATION
ELECTRICITY
COULOMB'S LAW
ELECTRIC FIELDS
DRAWING ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRIC FLUX
GAUSS'S LAW
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
POTENTIAL OF A TWO CHARGES
CAPACITANCE
DIELECTRICS
Dielectric Breakdown
SEMI-CONDUCTORS
N-Type Semiconductors
P-Type Semiconductors
Doping
DIODES
CONVERTING AC TO DC
ELECTRIC CURRENT
RESISTANCE
Wire Resistance
RESISTORS
Internal Battery Resistance
RESISTOR COMBINATION RULES
Resistors in Series
Resistors in Parallel
KIRCHOFF'S RULES
RC CIRCUITS
MAGNETISM AND CURRENT
WIRES IN MAGNETIC FIELDS
HOW A MOTOR WORKS
Role of the Commutator
SOLENOIDS
GENERATING CURRENT
GENERATORS
TRANSFORMERS
THERMODYNAMICS
TEMPERATURE
HEAT

"I have two of your books for my children in Year 9 and 10. Not a C Minus and Painless Physics...Your books are fantastic. " ...Julie, mother

Try Out / Samples

You can download a Painless Physics sample by clicking on the following link:

Comments from Customers

Here are some comments from customers who have purchased Painless Physics or my other educational products:

  • Michael, student: "I have been struggling in maths all my life as I missed out on the basics in primary school as a result of changing schools. I would like to take this time just too sincerely thankyou for going out of your way to produce something (Complete School) that has and will help people, like myself, who have been struggling. You have given me new found energy to wake up in the morning and go to school and maths in particular. Thankyou."
  • Tara, student: "Thankyou so much for showing me an easier way to understand Algebra and Trig, your book (Complete School) is easy to follow and explains what my teachers don't , I was struggling to understand and asking my teachers got me no where, my mum got your CD and Book and now I have gone from a C+ to a A- for extended Maths. Even my Teachers are asking me about your book.!...a big Thankyou"
  • Laura, student: "The book was great reading, I loved how it all sounded so simple. It helped me a lot...I also purchased your physics book and it is also fantastic..."
  • David, student: "I recently purchased both of your books and I just wanted to say how much help they have been to me in such a small amount of time. I am currently in year 12 and last year I failed physics and only barely passed Math B. this year I think with the help of your books I can get a high in math B and at least pass physics I already grasp from your books 2 of the sections I failed last year."
  • Belinda, student: "I recently purchased your book and absolutely love it. I don't know what I would have done without it. I only wish that I had it last year in Year 11."               
  • Julie, mother: "I have two of your books for my children in Year 9 and 10. Not a C Minus and Painless Physics...Your books are fantastic."
  • David, teacher: "...great idea...has a conversational style about it, not impersonal like many textbooks."
  • Chris, tutor: "...I recently bought a copy of your book ('Not a C-') for my younger brother...I was thinking of recommending it to the head of maths at . As I also tutor there I will also recommend your books to my students, although it may put some of my colleagues out of a job! When do you hope to release your junior maths book? Well, congratulations on some fine publications..."
  • Steve, teacher: "I have to say I did enjoy the bits of the algebra chapters I read, and found them easy to follow, and understandable."
  • Catherine, student: "A few months ago I purchased your book 'Not a C minus' and it has been a great help with my maths B..."
  • Doug, student: "I have been having trouble with my mathematics I am a year 11 student...I would like to improve my marks dramatically I bought your book not a c minus and its taught me some basic tips I needed to know for maths."
  • Debbie, mother: "We have had Not a C Minus for this term (my son is in Year 11 and doing Maths B) and have found the book very useful..."
  • Joey, student: "I have your book Not a C minus and am finding it to be enormously helpful in my study of the subject."
  • Chris, student: "...after getting your surviving Maths B book, my teacher asked if I could get a copy of the order form to photo-copy and make it so that it was known and available to the senior maths B students... even the head of the maths department is encouraging that this book should be taken advantage of by all the maths B students. P.S. - Thank you for making maths a hell of a lot more bloody easy!, LOL"
  • Debbie, student: "I would just like to thank you for writing the terrific book, "Not a C Minus". The book explains things better than my Maths B teacher does and it is exactly what I need to get me through the otherwise dreaded Maths exams."
  • Kristiana, student: "My name is Kristiana... My mum recently bought your book hearing that it was the latest fad and that it would help me etc. Me, being the stubborn person I am said yeah, whatever. However, today I am having problems graphing polynomials so I decided to check out what your book had on offer. It is pretty good...pretty damn good actually-good on ya mate."
  • Lauren, student: "I just want to say that your book Not A C Minus is awesome and so helpful! I am in grade 10 this year and I have to chose subjects for grades 11 and 12... Your book has shown what it's all about and it's helped me to decide the maths subjects..."

Copyright 2007-2010 Michael Milford