About Book

Introductory Physics goes beyond the typical introductory text by assuming a basic understanding among readers and engaging them in dialogue about their own prior conceptions and strategies. The book explores the process of physical sense-making that underlies good problem solving and emphasizes a conceptual understanding as the key to quantitative problem solving. Careful attention is placed on the use of language, story line, visual imagery, and active reflection.

Contents

Section I Mechanics

· Physics, Mathematics, and the Real World

· Describing Motion in One Dimension

· Constructing Two-Dimensional Motion from One-Dimensional Motions

· Interactions and Newton’s Laws of Motion

· Problem-Solving Using Newton’s Laws

· Bookkeeping on Physical Systems: The Concept of Energy

· More Bookkeeping: The Concept of Momentum

· Circular Motion, Central Forces, and Gravitation

Section II Physics Of Extended Rigid Objects and Fluids

· Rotational Kinematics and Dynamics

· Statics and Dynamics of Fluids

· Thermal Properties of Matter

· The Kinetic Theory of Gases, Entropy, and Thermodynamics

Section III Vibrations And Wave Phenomena

· Periodic Motion and Simple Harmonic Oscillators

· Waves and Sound

· Wave Optics

· The Geometry of Wave Paths and Image Formation: Geometric Optics

· Lenses and Optical Instruments

Section IV Electricity and Magnetism

· Electrical Phenomena: Forces, Charges, Currents

· Electric Field and Electric Potential

· Quantitative Treatment of Current and Circuit Elements

· Quantitative Circuit Reasoning

· Magnetism and Magnetic Fields

· Electromagnetic Induction

Section V Physics In The Twentieth Century

· As the Twentieth Century Opens: The Unanswered Questions

· Relativity

· Inroads into the Micro-Universe of Atoms

· The Concept of Quantization

· The Nucleus and Energy Technologies

Appendix

Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems

Photo Credits

Index