This short text is designed more for self-study or review than for …
This short text is designed more for self-study or review than for classroom use; full solutions are given for nearly all the end-of-chapter problems. For a more traditional text designed for classroom use, see Fundamentals of Calculus (http://www.lightandmatter.com/fund/). The focus is mainly on integration and differentiation of functions of a single variable, although iterated integrals are discussed. Infinitesimals are used when appropriate, and are treated more rigorously than in old books like Thompson's Calculus Made Easy, but in less detail than in Keisler's Elementary Calculus: An Approach Using Infinitesimals. Numerical examples are given using the open-source computer algebra system Yacas, and Yacas is also used sometimes to cut down on the drudgery of symbolic techniques such as partial fractions. Proofs are given for all important results, but are often relegated to the back of the book, and the emphasis is on teaching the techniques of calculus rather than on abstract results.
For a semester-length course, all seven chapters can be covered. For a …
For a semester-length course, all seven chapters can be covered. For a shorter course, the book is designed so that chapters 1, 2, and 5 are the only ones that are required for continuity; any of the others can be included or omitted at the instructors discretion, with the only constraint being that chapter 6 requires chapter 4.
In this book I've attempted an innovation in the order of topics …
In this book I've attempted an innovation in the order of topics for freshman E&M, the goal being to follow the logical sequence while also providing plenty of opportunities for relating abstract ideas to hands-on experience. The typical sequence starts by slogging through Coulomb's law, the electric field, and Gauss's law, none of which are well suited to practical exploration in the laboratory. In this book, each of the first 5 chapters is short and includes a laboratory exercise that can be completed in about an hour and a half. The approach I've taken is to introduce the electric and magnetic field on an equal footing (which is in fact the way the subject was developed historically). As empirically motivated postulates, we take some primitive ideas about relativity along with the expressions for the energy and momentum density of the fields.
Another goal is to introduce the laws of physics in their natural, local form, i.e., Maxwell's equations in differential rather than integral form, without getting bogged down in an extensive development of the toolbox of vector calculus that would be more appropriate in an honors text like Purcell. Much of the necessary apparatus of div, grad, and curl is developed first in visual or qualitative form.
This is a textbook on general relativity for upper-division undergraduates majoring in …
This is a textbook on general relativity for upper-division undergraduates majoring in physics, at roughly the same level as Rindler's Essential Relativity or Hartle's Gravity. The book is meant to be especially well adapted for self-study, and answers are given in the back of the book for almost all the problems. The ratio of conceptual to mathematical problems is higher than in most books. The focus is on "index-gymnastics" techniques, to the exclusion of index-free notation. Knowledge of first-year calculus and lower-division mechanics and electromagnetism is assumed. Special relativity is introduced from scratch, but it will be very helpful to have a thorough previous knowledge of SR, at the level of a book such as Taylor and Wheeler's Spacetime Physics or my own text Special Relativity.
This is an introductory text intended for a one-year introductory course of …
This is an introductory text intended for a one-year introductory course of the type typically taken by biology majors, or for AP Physics 1 and 2. Algebra and trig are used, and there are optional calculus-based sections. My text for physical science and engineering majors is Simple Nature.
This is a calculus-based book meant for the first semester of the …
This is a calculus-based book meant for the first semester of the type of freshman survey course taken by engineering and physical science majors. A treatment of relativity is interspersed with the Newtonian mechanics, in optional sections. The book is designed so that it can be used as a drop-in replacement for the corresponding part of Simple Nature, for instructors who prefer a traditional order of topics. Simple Nature does energy before force, while Mechanics does force before energy. Simple Nature has its treatment of relativity all in a single chapter, rather than in parallel with the development of Newtonian mechanics.
This type of physics course can easily seem to the student like …
This type of physics course can easily seem to the student like a random grab-bag of topics, consisting of everything that didn’t fit in the earlier semesters on mechanics and electromagnetism. But there is a clear organizing principle for most of what we’ll be studying. It has to do with two surprising facts about time. In particular, one of these facts leads us to the conclusion that light and matter can’t really be made of particles, as envisioned by Isaac Newton’s grand vision of the universe — they must be made of waves.
The Physics 205/206 and 210/211 sequences are intended for biology majors. If …
The Physics 205/206 and 210/211 sequences are intended for biology majors. If you're an engineering major, you should be in Physics 221. If you just need a gen ed class, you should be in Physics 130. Physics 205/206 satisfies your physics requirement if you're a biology major transferring to a Cal State. The prerequisites for 205 are Math 141 (precalculus) and Math 142 (trig). Physics 210/211 satisfies your physics requirement if you're a biology major transferring to a UC (or a Cal State). The prerequisites for 210 are Math 141 (precalculus) and Math 142 (trig), and the corequisite is Math 150A (calculus).
This is a set of lecture notes for my course Relativity for …
This is a set of lecture notes for my course Relativity for Poets at Fullerton College. It's a nonmathematical presentation of Einstein's theories of special and general relativity, including a brief treatment of cosmology.
This is a calculus-based physics textbook meant for the type of freshman …
This is a calculus-based physics textbook meant for the type of freshman survey course taken by engineering and physical science majors, or for AP Physics C. It uses a nontraditional order of topics, with energy coming before force. For instructors who prefer the traditional sequence, there is a drop-in replacement for ch. 0-4, Mechanics, that covers force before energy. My text for the type of course usually taken by biology majors is Light and Matter.
This a textbook on special relativity, aimed at undergraduates who have already …
This a textbook on special relativity, aimed at undergraduates who have already completed a freshman survey course. The treatment of electromagnetism assumes previous exposure to Maxwell's equations in integral form, but no knowledge of vector calculus.
Spotter is a program that lets students check their answers to math …
Spotter is a program that lets students check their answers to math and science questions. It handles symbolic as well as numerical answers. The software is free and open source.
When is an extremely simple personal calendar program, aimed at the Unix …
When is an extremely simple personal calendar program, aimed at the Unix geek who wants something minimalistic. It can keep track of things you need to do on particular dates.
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