External Resources: Foundations

The Physics Hypertextbook™
© 1998-2008 by Glenn Elert -- A Work in Progress
All Rights Reserved -- Fair Use Encouraged

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Introduction
- no resources for this topic

Units
1. International Systemhttp://gtresearchnews.gatech.edu/newsrelease/kilogram.htm
  - general
    - Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM), the authority responsible for the International System
    - International System of Units, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), USA
  - the kilogram
    - Electronic Kilogram, National Institutes of Science & Technology (NIST)
    - A Better Definition for the Kilogram? Scientists Propose a Precise Integer Number of Carbon Atoms, John Toon, Georgia Research Tech News, 21 September 2007
2. Gaussian System
  - general
    - Units of Measurement, Russ Rowlet
    - Unit Systems in Electromagnetism, University of Surrey
    - World Weights and Measures, Past and Present, sizes.com
3. English System
  - general
    - Dictionary of Measures, Units and Conversions, Frank Tapson
    - Units of Measurement, Russ Rowlet
    - World Weights and Measures, Past and Present, sizes.com
  - anti-metric system rants
    - British Weights and Measures Association (footrule.org), "Welcome to the world of real measurement."
    - freedom2measure.org, "Our way of measuring is under threat."
    - metricsucks.com, "The Metric system sucks. The English system kicks ass"
4. Miscellaneous Units
  - general
    - Dictionary of Measures, Units and Conversions, Frank Tapson
    - Units of Measurement, Russ Rowlet
    - World Weights and Measures, Past and Present, sizes.com
5. Time
  - general
    - A Walk Through Time, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
    - Attosecond metrology comes of age, Ferenc Krausz, Technische Universität Wien
    - Barbour, Julian. The End of Time: The Next Revolution in Physics. New York: Oxford University Press (2000).
    - Clocks and Time, Gordon T. Uber
    - Time Travel, Steve Preston
  - calendars
    - Calendar Origins Page, Larry Freeman
    - Calendar Reform, Rick McCarty, East Carolina University
    - Calendar Studies, Peter Meyer, Hermetic Systems
    - Calendars and their History, L. E. Doggett, reprinted from Explanatory Supplement to the Astronomical Almanac
    - Calendars Through the Ages, Claus Tøndering
    - Seven Day Week, Ed Stephan, Western Washington University
  - clocks & watches
    - A Brief History of Clocks from Thales to Ptolemy, Jesse Weissman, Tufts University
    - How Stuff Works, Marshall Brain
    - On the Disturbances of Pendulums and Balances, and on the Theory of Escapements, George Airy, first published 1826
    - Quartz Watch, Smithsonian Institution
  - day
    - Earth's Rotation, Bundesamt für Kartographie und Geodäsie
    - International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS)
      - hpiers.obspm.fr
      - www.iers.org
    - NASA Details Earthquake Effects on the Earth['s Rotation]
    - Rotation of the Earth, Nigel Bunce & Jim Hunt, University of Guelph
  - global positioning system
    - GPS Overview, Peter H. Dana, University of Texas at Austin
    - GPS Primer, Aerospace Corporation
    - GPS: The Role of Atomic Clocks, Gary Taubes, National Academy of Science
  - humor
    - New "Time" to Keep Everything from Happening at Once, The Onion, 19 April 2000
  - network time protocol
    - NTP: The Network Time Protocol, University of Delaware
    - Network Time Synchronization Project, Dave Mills, University of Delaware
  - sundials
    - Sundials on the Internet, British Sundial Society
  - time services
    - France
      - Bureau International des Poids et Mesures (BIPM)
    - UK
      - National Physical Laboratory (NPL)
    - US
      - National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
      - United States Naval Observatory (USNO)
      - www.time.gov
  - time zones
    - Date and Time Gateway, Berkeley Software Design
    - World Time, Cable News Network
  - urls
6. Unit Conversion
  - conversion calculators
  - dictionaries/encyclopedia
    - A Dictionary of Units Frank Tapson, University of Exeter
  - mars climate orbiter
    - Mars Climate Orbiter Team Finds Likely Cause Of Loss, NASA
    - Oregon Students Have NASA's Number,The Oregonian
    - Schoolkid Blunder Brought Down Mars Probe, New Scientist
Measurement
1. Significant Digits
  - no resources for this topic
2. Orders of Magnitude
  - general
    - How Big Are Things? Mitchell N. Charity
    - Magnitudes of Physics, George Goth, Skyline College
    - Powers of Ten, Eames Office (Official site of the Charles and Ray Eames film)
    - Powers of Ten, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (Java applet in the style of the Eames film)
Graphs
1. Graphical Representation of Data
  - hand drawn graphs
    - Free Online Graph Paper / Grid Paper PDFs, Incompetech
  - historical
    - Hankins, Thomas L. "Blood, Dirt, and Nomograms: A Particular History of Graphs." Isis. Vol. 90, No. 1 (March 1999): 50-80.
2. Linear Regression
  - gender gap in the 100 m dash
    - Athletics: Momentous sprint at the 2156 Olympics? Andrew J. Tatem, Carlos A. Guerra, Peter M. Atkinson & Simon I. Hay. Nature 431, 525 (30 September 2004).
    - Will Women Outpace Men in 2156? Helen Pearson, news @ nature.com (29 September 2004)
    - Women May Outrun Men in the 2156 Olympics, Oxford University News (30 September 2004)
3. Curve Fitting
  - general
    - Create a Graph
    - Six Common Types of Bad Plots, Ben Mathiesen, University of Michigan
  - data sets
    - Australian Data And Story Library (OzDASL), Gordon Smyth, Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
    - Data And Story Library (DASL), Carnegie Mellon University
    - Energy Information Administration, US Department of Energy
      - Energy Perspectives: Trends and Milestones 1949-2000
      - Energy in the United States: 1635-2000
    - Exploring Data
    - Journal of Statistics Education - Data Archive
    - Qualitative Environmental Learning Project (QELP), Seattle Central Community College
    - Statistical Reference Datasets, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST)
  - humor
    - Google Trends: average temperature, carbon dioxide. Compare search volume for these two phrases. The graph looks like something from An Inconvenient Truth.
4. Calculus
  - general
    - The Integrator, Wolfram Research
    - The Mechanical Universe and Beyond (video on demand, login required)
      - Derivatives, The function of mathematics in physical science and the derivative as a practical tool.
      - Integration, Newton and Leibniz arrive at the conclusion that differentiation and integration are inverse processes.
Vectors
1. Scalars, Vectors, Tensors
  - general
    - The Mechanical Universe and Beyond (video on demand, login required)
      - Vectors, Physics must explain not only why and how much, but also where and which way.
2. Vector Addition & Subtraction
  - general
    - The Mechanical Universe and Beyond (video on demand, login required)
      - Vectors, Physics must explain not only why and how much, but also where and which way.
3. Vector Resolution & Components
  - general
    - The Mechanical Universe and Beyond (video on demand, login required)
      - Vectors, Physics must explain not only why and how much, but also where and which way.
4. Vector Multiplication
  - no resources for this topic
Miscellaneous Pages
1. Symbols Used in This Book
  - no resources for this topic
2. Physical Constants
  - no resources for this topic
3. Astronomical Data
  - no resources for this topic
4. Periodic Table of the Elements
  - no resources for this topic
5. Personalities in Physics
  - no resources for this topic
6. Nobel Prize Winners in Physics
  - no resources for this topic

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