Understanding Physics

By: David C. Cassidy, Gerald Holton, F. James Rutherford

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Paperback | 14 November 2014

At a Glance

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880 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
25.4 x 17.78 x 5.08

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UNDERSTANDING PHYSICS is an innovative introductory course designed for students preparing to enter careers in fields outside of science or engineering, including students planning to teach, or already teaching, in K-12 classrooms. It is inspired by the famous Project Physics Course, which became known for its success in inspiring students with the excitement of physics by placing its concepts within a broader humanistic context.--UNDERSTANDING PHYSICS enables students to gain a full appreciation of physics both as a discipline and as a body of knowledge: a sense of what the concepts mean, where they came from, and why we think we know what we know. The course is among the first to accommodate recommendations of the "National Science Education Standards" from the National Academy of Sciences and the "Benchmarks for Science Literacy" from Project 2061 at the college level. Understanding Physics also incorporates the most recent advances in understanding how students learn physics and where they encounter difficulties, and it offers great flexibility to instructors to adapt the course to the needs of their students and to their own needs and interests.--The course components - textbook, student guide, instructor guide - all work together to provide students with an integrated experience in physics. --The text provides a conceptual framework and connecting narrative for the course that promotes an active engagement with the material. --Each chapter contains questions designed to help students confirm what they have learned as well as questions to encourage them to go beyond the reading, in individual study, laboratory work, and group discussion. --The student guide provides both written and hands-on activities for enhancing understanding--The suggested laboratory work includes in-depth explorations, student-designed inquiries, and text-related mini-explorations that may be used as hands-on activities or as demonstrations with student participation.

Industry Reviews

From the reviews:

"Understanding Physics provides a thorough grounding in contemporary physics while placing physics into its social and historical context...develops facility in critical thinking, reasoned argumentation, evaluation of evidence, mathematical modelling, and ethical values."

--Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics

"The writing is clear and...precise...it would be possible to assemble a very interesting and exciting course using this text. The general university undergraduate needs to be acquainted with these basic ideas - and this might be just the place to start!"

--The Physicist

"If a book is required which develops the basic concepts of physics in a detailed but completely readable and always interesting way from first principles, then this could certainly be a candidate. It uses the rather outdated historical approach to each chapter's material, but far from obscuring the important physical results, the approach as used here has been so carefully constructed that one is led to an understanding of the concepts without really noticing that one has arrived!" (Prof. F. W. Bullock, Contemporary Physics, Vol. 44 (6), 2003)

"Understanding Physics is an integrated introductory physics course written primarily for undergraduate college students ... . I was much impressed by the quality of this textbook. I think that one could recommend it ... as supplementary reading for undergraduate students in physics. ... Professor G. Holton, one of the three authors, is well known for his numerous contributions to the history of science and to epistemology. His influence has left a clear imprint on the style of presentation of Understanding Physics." (Freddy Binon, Physicalia, Vol. 25 (4), 2003)

"Understanding Physics provides a thorough grounding in contemporary physics while placing physics into its social and historical context. Based in large part on the highly respected Project Physics Coursedeveloped by two of the authors, it also integrates the results of recent pedagogical research. The text thus teaches the basic phenomena in the physical world and the concepts developed to explain them; ... develops facility in critical thinking, reasoned argumentation, evaluation of evidence, mathematical modelling, and ethical values." (Meteorology and Atmospheric Physics, Vol. 84 (1-2), 2003)

"Basic laboratory experiments are also included in this guide that would be a valuable aid for anyone presenting this course. ... The writing is clear and ... precise. The presentation is generally good with many interesting photos and clear drawings. ... In all cases the field is developed slowly and carefully which would be appreciated by students new to the concepts of physics. ... The general university undergraduate needs to be acquainted with these basic ideas - and this might be just the place to start!" (L. Peak, The Physicist, Vol. 40 (2), 2003)

"This is a revised and updated version of

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