Physics Foundations

Refreshers for the physical principles the other books lean on.

A second shared companion, alongside Math Foundations. Short, focused chapters on the physical machinery the other books invoke — Newtonian mechanics, kinetic theory, thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, elasticity, surface tension, waves as physical objects. Each chapter is a single page: link in from anywhere, scan, return.

Chapters

1. Chapter 1MechanicsForce, momentum, energy, rotation, the continuum limit, and the variational view
2. Chapter 2Kinetic theory & equipartitionPressure from collisions, Maxwell–Boltzmann, equipartition, mean free path, transport
3. Chapter 3ThermodynamicsState variables, the three laws, entropy, and the thermodynamic potentials
4. Chapter 4Free energy and phase transitionsFree energy from total entropy, chemical potential, phase coexistence, Clausius–Clapeyron, nucleation
5. Chapter 5Fluid mechanicsMaterial derivative, continuity, Euler, Bernoulli, Navier–Stokes, Reynolds number, Stokes flow, boundary layers
6. Chapter 6Viscosity, diffusion, and transportNewtonian viscosity, Fourier and Fick, random walks, Stokes drag, the Einstein relation, transport timescales
7. Chapter 7Elasticity and continuum mechanicsStress and strain tensors, Hooke’s law in 3-D, elastic wave speeds, strings and plates, viscoelasticity
8. Chapter 8Intermolecular forces and the liquid stateLennard-Jones, London dispersion, molecular bulk modulus, hydrogen bonds, van der Waals, the tensile spinodal
9. Chapter 9Surface tension and capillarityYoung–Laplace, contact angle, wetting, meniscus, surface free energy
10. Chapter 10Waves as physical objectsPlane-wave ansatz, dispersion, phase and group velocity, impedance, energy and radiation pressure, reflection, WKB
11. Chapter 11ElectromagnetismElectrostatics, capacitance, currents, magnetostatics, induction, Maxwell’s equations and EM waves
12. Chapter 12Scaling and dimensionless numbersReynolds, Mach, Strouhal, ka, Weber, Capillary — when each one matters
13. Chapter FCheat sheetEvery key formula, in order, at a glance
14. GlossaryGlossaryTerms used in this book
15. Chapter HHistoryA chronological narrative
16. Chapter SStudySpaced-repetition review
17. BibliographyBibliographySources and further reading