There are many reasons for studying the workings of the physical universe; we assume you have your reasons and a knowledge of elementary algebra including some trigonometry. Otherwise, verv little is required as a prerequisite to this book.
As the title suggests, our approach to an understanding of physics is through the simple behavior of ordinary objects. We do not seek to accumulate a multitude of results, but instead to trace out a few generalizations of considerable breadth and power. Rather than covering a lot, our strategy is to uncover the most important.
The text falls into five main areas:

The classical conservation laws—mass, momentum, and energy (Chapters 1 to 11)
The classical interactions—gravitational, electric, and magnetic (Chapters 12 to 16)
Light and waves (Chapters 17 to 20)
The physics of the very fast—relativity (Chapters 21 and 22) The physics of the very small—quantum theory, atoms, nuclei, and elementary particles (Chapters 23 to 28)
In developing these topics we have tried to choose arguments that are concise, yet inescapably clear. These conditions are frequently met by the actual historical approach—for example, Christian Huygens’ introduction of energy.
A word about some special notations used in this book. The symbol + marks a section that is extra, in the sense that it is an interesting extension of the main theme but is not essential to the continuing story. The symbol c marks other extra items for which calculus is required. A reader unfamiliar with calculus may simply skip this material.