This important textbook is based on, though independent of, an educational TV series The Mechanical Universe broadcast on public television in the United States. Its aim is to guide students and general readers to an understanding of how the physical world works; physics is presented as a human endeavour, with historical development forming a thread throughout the text. The prerequisites are minimal, only basic algebra and trigonometry since the necessary calculus is developed in the text, with physics providing the motivation. New concepts are introduced at the natural, logical point with many historical references to place physics in a social perspective. Many topics from twentieth-century physics are included, for example energy, low temperature physics, relativity and black holes. The book is attractively and profusely illustrated and will be welcomed by students and also by general readers for whom this will be a stimulating alternative to other, less-thorough treatments.
- Provides an understanding of how the physical world works
- Attractively illustrated
- New concepts are introduced at a natural, logical point
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Product details
- Date Published: June 2008
- format: Paperback
- isbn: 9780521715928
- length: 604 pages
- dimensions: 235 x 205 x 30 mm
- weight: 1.92kg
- contains: 415 b/w illus. 20 tables 595 exercises
- availability: Available
Table of Contents
Preface
1. Introduction to the mechanical universe
2. The law of falling bodies
3. Derivatives
4. Inertia
5. Vectors
6. Newton's law
7. Integration
8. The apple and the moon
9. Moving in circles
10. Forces
11. Gravity, electricity, and magnetism
12. The Milliken oil-drop experiment
13. The law of conservation of energy
14. Energy and stability
15. Temperature and the gas laws
16. The engine of nature
17. Entropy
18. The quest for low temperatures
19. The conservation of momentum
20. Harmonic motion
21. Resonance
22. Coupled oscillators and waves
23. Angular momentum
24. Gyroscopes
25. Kepler's laws and the conic sections
26. Solving the Kepler problem
27. Energy and eccentricity
28. Navigating in space
29. Loose ends and black holes
30. The harmony of the spheres: an overview of the mechanical universe
Appendix A. The international system of units
Appendix B. Conversion factors
Appendix C. Formulas from algebra, geometry, and trigonometry
Appendix D. Astronomical data
Appendix E. Physical constants
Selected bibliography
Index.
Look Inside
Instructors have used or reviewed this title for the following courses
- Analytic Physics I
- General Physics 1
- Meaning, Math, and Motion
- Physics with Calculus I
Authors
Richard P. Olenick, University of Dallas
Richard P. Olenick is currently the chair of Department of Physics at University of Dallas. He was Associate Project Director of the PBS Series The Mechanical Universe and Beyond the Mechanical Universe, which accompanied this textbook and its successors. He has received numerous grants from the National Science Foundation and the US Department of Education for his work in physics education. His current project is C3P, which developed an inquiry-based curriculum for high school physics. In 1995, Dr Olenick was named Texas Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and in 1997, he was named a Minnie Piper Steven Professor. In 2003, he became the Nancy Cain Marcus and Jeffrey A. Marcus Chair in Science and in 2005 he received the King Award from the University of Dallas, which is the highest honor the University can bestow on a faculty member.
Tom M. Apostol, California Institute of Technology
Tom M. Apostol joined the California Institute of Technology faculty in 1950 and is now Professor of Mathematics, Emeritus. He is internationally known for his textbooks on Calculus, Analysis, and Analytic Number Theory, which have been translated into 5 languages, and for creating Project MATHEMATICS!, a series of video programs that bring mathematics to life with computer animation, live action, music, and special effects. The videos have won first-place honors at a dozen international video festivals, and have been translated into Hebrew, Portuguese, French, and Spanish. His list of publications includes 98 research papers, 46 of them published since he retired in 1992. He has received several awards for his research and teaching. In 1978 he was a visiting professor at the University of Patras in Greece, and in 2000 was elected a Corresponding Member of the Academy of Athens, where he delivered his inaugural lecture in Greek.
David L. Goodstein, California Institute of Technology
Dr David L. Goodstein is Vice Provost and Professor of Physics and Applied Physics at the California Institute of Technology, where he has been on the faculty for over 35 years. In 1995, he was named the Frank J. Gilloon Distinguished Teaching and Service Professor. In 1999, Dr Goodstein was awarded the Oersted Medal of the American Association of Physics Teachers, and in 2000, the John P. McGovern Medal of the Sigma Xi Society. He has served on and chaired numerous scientific and academic panels, including the National Advisory Committee to the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate of the National Science Foundation. He is a founding member of the Board of Directors of the California Council on Science and Technology. His books include States of Matter and Feynman's Lost Lecture, written with his wife, Dr Judith Goodstein. In the 1980's, he was Director and host of The Mechanical Universe television program which has been viewed by millions.