Online Physics Tutor
Our Physics Tutor is On Call For You
What do we mean when we say that a Tutorzilla Physics Tutor is "On Call"? Just that all you need is an internet connection and a browser to be connected, and our tutors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Not only are we here for your convenience day or night, as icing on the cake, your first Physics session is totally FREE! And that is "free" meaning No Credit Card Required. We are competely confident in our exceptional Physics tutoring, so we don't charge you for the first session. We know that after your first session, you'll want more quality tutoring with us! Just follow the 3 steps listed below for your free Physics tutoring session:
Step 1:
Start an account: Don't worry, you'll know all the information off the top of your head! We just need the basics for Your Account page, and then you can access our full Tutoring Services. You can get started by clicking HERE.
Step 2:
Scheduling your Physics Session: We made this as simple as possible for you. Just locate the Scheduler tab, which is located at the top of Your Account page. From this point, you can set the date and time of your session and get a confirmation number. With the peace of mind that you have help scheduled in the near future, you can now move onto other things or play around on our website some more!
Step 3:
Connecting with your Online Physics Tutor: Once the date and time of your session rolls around, you just do the following on your account: Click on session manager, and from the session manager page, you click the "start session" button. After that, you should be directed right to your online session and your tutor will be waiting for you.
That is all that is required of you to get your Physics down pat. The Tutorzilla Physics tutors are here to help 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. Now that you see how easy it is, get started right away!
Physics Overview
The word "physics" comes from the Greek word "physis" meaning nature. Understanding our natural world is what your physics tutoring will be all about. You will look at discovering and characterizing laws that govern specific things like time, energy, space and matter. Some of the concepts of physics may seem familiar to you, and that's because they probably are. The laws of physics play a role in chemistry and biology since both of these fields investigate systems whose properties depend on these laws. Of course, physics is a science by itself, and the basic theories of physics are: classical mechanics, electromagnetism, relativity, thermodynamics and quantum mechanics. These theories build off of each other, so if you don't know one area, it's hard to understand the others. What do we mean? Well, classical mechanics correctly describes the motion of objects we see everyday, but it breaks down at the atomic scale, where quantum mechanics takes over, and at speeds approaching the speed of light, where relativistic effects become important.
Classical Mechanics
Classical mechanics is used for describing the motion of macroscopic or larger objects that can be seen with the naked eye. Classical mechanics is usually divided into categories, which are statics: when an object is at rest; kinematics: when an object is in motion; and dynamics: when an object is subjected to forces. What do we need it for? Well, classical mechanics can describe the motion for things that happen in an everyday environment, like throwing a basketball or baseball. It produces very accurate results for the domain of everyday life, and is one of the oldest and largest subjects in science.
The classical mechanics of continuous and deformable objects is continuum mechanics, a related specialty to classical mechanics. Continuum mechanics can be broken down into solid mechanics and fluid mechanics, depending on whether you're studying a solid, liquid, or gas matter. The mechanics of liquids and gases can be broken down into hydrostatics, hydrodynamics, pneumatics, aerodynamics, and other fields.
In the study of mechanics, classical mechanics and all that falls under its umbrella is one of two major sub-fields of study. The other sub-field is quantum mechanics, which we discuss later on. Feeling muddled about mechanics? We have a great online physics tutor for you, who can explain the concepts and related mathematics so that you can be everyone's favorite physics study partner.
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism is the science used to explain the interactions between charged particles with electric fields and charged particles with magnetic fields. Electromagnetism can be broken down into electrostatics: the study of interactions between electric charges at rest; and electrodynamics: the study of interactions between charges that are moving and radiation.
Let's break down the basics a little more. What is a magnetic field and how does it happen? Well, the magnetic field is produced by the motion of electric charges, which we also call electric current. Electricity and magnetism must be kind of related then, yes? First, when you imagine the magnetic field, then think of the magnetic force associated with magnets. Like the magnets on your refridgerator, or the one you use to pick up paperclips in elementary school.
We know that electric and magnetic fields have some sort of relation to each other, right? Think of it in this way: A changing magnetic field produces an electric field (this is the phenomenon of electromagnetic induction). The opposite is true too! A changing electric field generates a magnetic field. Because electric and magnetic fields are interdependent like this, it makes sense to consider them as one entity—the electromagnetic field.
What does all this electric and magnetic talk have to do with anything? Well, you can find examples of electromagnetism in such items as microwaves, satellite communication, while electromagnetic devices include radio/TV, telephones, electric motors, transmission lines, optical fibers, and lasers. Electromagnetism is everywhere you look! Do you need a little physics homework help? We have the best science tutoring you can find online, so sign up for your first session today!
Relativity
Relativity is a generalization of classical mechanics that describes fast-moving or very massive systems. The studies in relativity include special and general relativity. Let's start with the theory of special relativity, which Albert Einstein proposed in 1905, and we've been using it ever since. His theory is based on two postulates: (1) that the mathematical forms of the laws of physics are invariant in all inertial systems; and (2) that the speed of light in a vacuum is constant and independent of the source or observer. In order to reconcile these two ideas, we must require a unification of space and time into the frame-dependent concept of spacetime.
We all have heard of the famous E = mc2, right? Well that formula comes from special relativity, and it is derived from the following ideas. Distance and time depend on the observer, and that time and space are perceived differently, depending on the observer. There is no absolute time and space! This means that there is a change in mass, dimension, and time with increased velocity. This leads to the idea that the equivalence of matter and energy, which is expressed in the formula E = mc2, where c is the speed of light in a vacuum. Other areas of physics support the idea that all velocities are small compared to the speed of light. How fast is the speed of light? Well, special relativity states that it is impossible for any material object to accelerate to light speed, so you won't be able to go that fast...ever.
But Einstein didn't stop with special relavity! He published his geometrical theory of gravitation in 1915-1916, which has become the accepted theory of general relativity. Einstein's theory unifies special relativity, Newton's law of universal gravitation, and the idea that gravitation can be described by the curvature of space and time. In general relativity, the curvature of space-time is produced by the energy of matter and radiation. General relativity is distinguished from other metric theories of gravitation by its use of the Einstein field equations to relate space-time content and space-time curvature.
Do you feel completely left out of the conversation on Relativity? We have expert homework tutors who can explain the concepts and math behind the physics.
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamics is the study of the effects of changes in temperature, pressure, and volume on macroscopic physical systems by analyzing the collective motion of their particles using statistics. When we say "heat", we mean "energy in transit" and dynamics relates to "movement"; so what we study in thermodynamics is the movement of energy and how energy produces movement. Who came up with this and why? Well, thermodynamics developed out of historical need to increase the efficiency of early steam engines.
To really understand thermodynamics, we need to jump into the laws of thermodynamics. These laws postulate: the idea that energy can be exchanged between physical systems as heat or work; and the existence of a quantity named entropy, which can be defined for any system. When we study thermodynamics, we find that interactions between large ensembles of objects are studied and categorized. In order to study these large ensembles, we have the concepts of "system" and "surroundings". A system is composed of particles, whose average motions define its properties, which in turn are related to one another through equations of state. Studying how systems respond to changes in their surroundings is what we are trying to accomplishing with thermodynamics. Of course, we've seen this idea in chemistry and thermodynamic principles can be applied to a wide variety of topics in science and engineering.
Quantum Mechanics
We have one more friend to make in physics: Quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics examines atomic and subatomic systems and their interaction with radiation in terms of observable quantities. How can we observe radiation or energy? Well, we can if we use the observation that all forms of energy are released in discrete units or bundles called "quanta". This examination is usually limited however, because quantum theory permits only probable or statistical calculation of the observed features of subatomic particles, given in terms of wavefunctions.
Why do we need Quantum mechanics? Because is a fundamental branch of physics with wide applications that brings other theories together. Quantum theory bridges mechanics and electromagnetism and provides accurate descriptions for many previously unexplained phenomena, such as black body radiation and stable electron orbits. It has also substantially helped us in explaining many of the features of our world. Quantum mechanics has provided the best way to describe the individual behaviour of the subatomic particles that make up all forms of matter, such as electrons, protons, neutrons, photons, etc. This has been instrumental for making progress not only within physics, but in chemistry and biology as well. Chemistry's mathematics have come mostly from relativistic quantum mechanics, and there is a section of chemistry called quantum chemistry. Now you know the secret: that physics stuff will creep into almost all of your scientific studies!
You can see that physics plays a very important role in being able to satisfactorily describe our natural world, as well as lending its ideas and mathematics to the other sciences as well. If you feel completely lost in your physics class, don't feel like you're alone. This is tough stuff, and many students need a little extra homework help to really understand the concepts and the math. So go ahead, sign up for your first session and get a handle on it with a great Physics tutor!
