Preface
We are pleased to present the third edition of Contemporary
College Physics. By building on
the strengths of the first two editions of our non-calculus general
physics text, we feel this edition introduces students to the beauty
and usefulness of physics while teaching problem-solving skills that
can help them throughout their studies and careers. With considerable
help from students and instructors from across the country, we have
updated and improved a wide variety of elements and introduced new
features to create the third edition.
New
to the Third Edition
Consistent
color coding of line art elements helps students identify and
differentiate between force vectors, velocity vectors, acceleration
vectors, magnetic fields, and positive and negative charges.
Master
the Concept boxes walk students
through the principles that apply to a given situation to clarify
the application of concepts.
Strategy
boxes have been added throughout to guide students through
problem-solving issues.
An
enhanced art program features more photographic illustrations of
concepts and principles.
The
number of worked examples in the chapters has been significantly
increased to help students understand how to approach problem
solving.
Expanded
end-of-chapter exercises include conceptual questions as we as
computational problems.
New
interior design makes this text easier to use than ever before.
2001 Update
This 2001 Update of Contemporary College
Physics, third edition, differs
from the 1999 third edition in two ways. First, we have further
highlighted biomedical applications of physics and added coverage of
some recent technologies. For example, we introduce hydrostatic
weighing (to determine percentage of body fat) as an example of
Archidemdes' principle, and our new discussion of recent advances in
laser eye surgery is accompanied by a detailed illustration (see page
957). This focus on the life and health sciences, achieved through
new topic coverage as well as photographs and illustrations added to
the Update, should help to motivate the many students who take this
course in preparation for a career in health-related fields. For a
list of relevant applications, see page xix following this preface.
The second change
to the third edition is the expansion and improvement of the
Interactive Student Tutorial, the CD-ROM that accompanies the book.
The CD supports problems-solving practice with a wealth of new
examples and exercises. For details, see the description of the CD
under "Supplements" on page xvi.
The organization
and exericise sets of the 1999 third edition remain unchanged in the
Update, so the solutions manuals and other supplements have not
changed, nor will users of the third edition need to change their
lesson plans in any way.
Goals
Our main goals are to increase student
understanding of natural laws and to develop the analytical skills
critical for success in both educational undertakings and lifetime
decision making. We approach these goals by empasizing basic
principles and the unity of physics.
We have the additional goal of providing
students a thorough coverage of modern physics so that students will
better comprehend the important public policy issues facing them as
citizens. We want students to see that physics is a dynamic, exciting
field. We are now preparing students for the twenty-first century,
when the need for scientific understanding will be greater than ever.
Classical physics is presented from a contemporary perspective.
Modern physics is treated thoroughly, as an integral part of the
course. The entire book speaks to today's students, using the latest
pedagogical aids.
We introduce the concept of a model in
Chapter 1 and then point out throughout the text how physicists use
models as part of the scientific process. We emphasize that the first
part of developing any theory is to make a model of the physical
situation and state its assumptions. Then we show how later
observations serve to refine the model and improve our overall
understanding. Examples include such fundamental models as the
kinetic theory of gases, the free electron model of metals, the wave
model of particles, and the quark model of matter.
Problem Solving
Solving physics problems has long been regarded by physics
instructors as a key to learning. We are aware of the difficulty
students have in developing good problem-solving skills and habits.
For this reason, we have put special emphasis on helping students
with problems.
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Examples
There are over 340 worked examples
in the body of the text, and in most cases the solutions are divided
into three sections: strategy, solution, and discussion. The strategy
section shows the students a conceptual way of analyzing the problem
in order to decide what to do. The solution section presents the analysis
and computation, and the discussion section points our to the student
the significance of the answer and analysis. This approach helps direct
students to a more productive way of solving problems than merely
grasping for equations.
Problem-Solving Guidelines
A general step-by-step guide to problem solving is given in Section
1.7 (p. 19) and this approach is reinforced throughout the book: in
the examples, in the Hints for Solving Problems distributed
throughout the end-of-chapter problems, and in the Problem-Solving
Strategy boxes included in the narrative.
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Master
the Concepts A step-by-step solution of conceptual
questions is presented utilizing the basic principles. This nonnumerical
analysis will help students visualize the concepts involved.
Color Key
We have
implemented a color key to help students identify elements in the
illustrations. (Below.)
Problems
The end-of-chapter problem sets have been
significantly expanded. There are now over six hundred conceptual
questions and more than 2,250 problems, many of them new or revised.
The problems are divided into three levels of difficulty. Those
marked with one or two bullets typically require the synthesis of two
or more ideas for their solution and occasionally include material
from previous chapters. About two-thirds of the problems are arranged
according to the section of the chapter in which the topic is
discussed. Answers to the odd-numbered problems appear at the end of
the text.
Coverage
As with the previous two editions, the coverage of topics is
comprehensive, but not encyclopedic. We introduce a new section on
measurements and models. Model building is introduced with
discussions of blackbody radiation and Planck's discovery. We have
expanded our treatment of vectors and included more material on
vector addition. There is more coverage of Maxwell's equations and
electromagnetic waves. Care has been taken to include all topics
covered on the MCAT.
We understand that different teachers will emphasize different
parts of the text. To make the choices easier, we have designated
some material as optional. Sections marked with an asterisk may be
safely omitted without fear
that their content will be needed in subsequent sections or chapters.
Emphasis on Basic Principles
"The student can't see the forest for the trees," say
our colleagues. Having heard this over and over again, we have made
the emphasis of basic principles one of our highest priorities. A
good example is our treatment of conservation laws. The ability to
explain and predict observations using conserved quantities is
emphasized conceptually as well as mathematically.
Unity of Physics
Our treatment of conservation laws also illustrates another of our
goals: to show that physics is not just a collection of independent
ideas but is an interconnected whole. We believe this approach
reflects the spirit of physics today, and we also believe that it
helps students retain more of what they've learned after they leave
the course.
If you read a mystery novel all the way through in one sitting,
you immediately have at your fingertips all the clues necessary to
solve the puzzle. However, students generally read a physics textbook
in small sections and cover groups of chapters over a period of time.
As a result, they inevitably forget some of the clues and are less
prepared to solve the puzzle - or in this case, to see the big
picture and appreciate the beauty of physics. For this reason, we
give frequent reminders in the text and examples of previously
covered topics and of topics to be covered later.
Level
The text assumes that students have no previous background in
physics. The basic mathematical working tools are algebra, and
trigonometry, and a high school course in these subjects is certainly
a prerequisite. One of the challenges in teaching this course is that
the students' math preparation is often weaker than the teacher would
like. Most students need a math refresher beyond the typical review
stuck in the back of texts. To that end, we have includedcx chapter
appendices on key math topics in those chapters where they are first
needed: quadratic equations (Chapter 2), basic trigonometry (Chapter
3), simultaneous equations (Chapter 4), and the exponential function
(Chapter 12).
The exponential function is first used in Chapter 12 in describing
the barometric formula and the distribution of molecular speeds.
Subsequently, it appears in analyses of electric circuits,
radioactive decay, and other topics. The addition of the exponential
function to the usual mix of algebra and trigonometry affords
students a better comprehension of the individual topics.
Motivation
Teachers frequently hear the complaint that the subject matter has
no relavance to the students' subsequent courses and careers. To
overcome this misconception, we have made a special effort to show
applications of fundamental principles in everyday life as well as in
biology, medicine, architecture, and technology.
Physics in Practice
Applications can be found in the text and examples and in special
essays called Physics in Practice, which
deal with topics ranging from automobile tires to liquid-crystal
displays. Great care has been taken to provide a diversity of
applications that will appeal to the broadest range of students. A
list of these applications follows on page xix.
Back to the Future Physics
is a science based on the efforts of real men and women struggling
to understand how the world works. In essays called Back to the
Future, we present physics as a human activity in which new
ideas are constantly being tried and in which scientific truth is
never absolute. We generally introduce a new topic by describing the
efforts of the scientists who made the breakthrough discoveries and
advances. For example, in Chapter 1 we present the work of Arno
Penzias and Robert W. Wilson, and discuss the problems they
encountered on their way to the discovery of cosmic background
radiation. This type of real-world illustration of the topics of
measurements, models, and analysis is meant to bring to life the
world of physics. Throughout, we have emphasized physics as a way of
thinking, investigating, and understanding rather than as a body of
facts and theories.
Accuracy
We have made a strenous effort to
ensure accuracy.
Realistic Examples: We have
made a point to make the text correspond to reality. By this we mean
that if we use an example of an airliner accelerating to takeoff,
the numerical values given for mass, takeoff speed, and so on, are
those of a real airliner. We have tried to introduce reality by
referring to real objects such as baseballs, golfballs, automobiles,
and animals with realistic masses moving with realistic speeds.
Adherence to Nature: We have
taken care to correctly describe what is actually observed in nature
as, for example, in the description of the temperature dependence of
electrical resistivity of metals (Section 18.3) and to give correct
information on friction (Section 4.8).
Fidelity to History: We have
read original papers and the current history-of-science research in
order to ensure the accuracy of the presentation. Discussions of
experiments correspond to what was actually done and discussions of
theories correspond to what the authors actually wrote.
Answers: We were also
determined to have correct answers to the end-of-chapter problems.
Both of the authors have independently worked each of the problems.
University of South Carolina student Jeremy Thomason also worked the
problems and provided insight into wording them more clearly. We
hope that this process not only has confirmed the right answers, but
also has eliminated problems that students might find confusing.
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