1.2: The Purpose of This Texbook
- Page ID
- 17702
In order to understand why living requires work, and exactly how you get that work done, we need to understand the concepts of work, energy, and entropy. These happen to be some of the most fundamental concepts in all of physics. This textbook will introduce you to these fundamental concepts by analyzing the functioning of your own body. Along the way we will also learn about other physics concepts that help us to understand how we move, respond to forces, sense changes to our environment, and manipulate objects.
The most basic functions of the human body mapped to the main concepts covered in this text. Many of these terms might be new to you, but don’t worry, this is just a preview. Later you will examine the similarities between this type of diagram for the human body and that of heat engines, such as the internal combustion engines, which power most vehicles.