The Physics of Everyday Phenomena: A Conceptual Introduction to Physics, 4/e
Thomas Griffith
ISBN: 0072509775 Copyright year: 2004
Book Preface
Introduction
The satisfaction of understanding how rainbows are formed, how ice skaters spin, or why ocean tides roll in and out - phenomenon that we have all seen or experienced - is one of the best motivators available for building scientific literacy. This book attempts to make that sense of satisfaction accessible to non-science majors. Intended for use in a one semester or two-quarter course in conceptual physics, this book is written in a narrative style, frequently using questions designed to draw the reader into a dialogue about the ideas of physics. This inclusive style allows the book to be used by anyone interested in exploring the nature of physics and explanations of everyday physical phenomena.
How This Book Is Organized
With the exception of the reorganization of chapters 15, 16, and 17 dictated by the addition of new material, we have retained the same order of topics as in the previous two editions. It is traditional with some minor variations. The chapter on energy (chapter 6) appears prior to that on momentum (chapter 7) so that energy ideas can be used in the discussion of collisions. Wave motion is found in chapter 15, following electricityand magnetism and prior to chapters 16 and 17 on optics. The chapter on fluids (chapter 9) follows mechanics and leads into the chapters on thermodynamics. The first 17 chapters are designed to introduce students to the major ideas of classical physics and can be covered in a one-semester course with some judicious paring.
The complete 21 chapters could easily support a two-quarter course, and even a two-semester course in which the ideas are treated thoroughly and carefully. Chapters 18 and 19 on atomic and nuclear phenomena, are considered essential by many instructors, even in a one-semester course. If included in such a course, we recommend curtailing coverage in other areas to avoid student overload. Sample Syllabi for these different types of courses can be found on the Instructor Center of the Online Learning Center.
Some instructors would prefer to put chapter 20 on relativity at the end of the mechanics section or just prior to the modern physics material. Relativity has little to do with everyday phenomena, of course, but is included because of the high interest that it generally holds for students. The final chapter (21) introduces a variety of topics in modern physics -including particle physics, cosmology, semiconductors, computers, andsuperconductivity - that could be used to stimulate interest at various points in a course.
One plea to instructors, as well as to students using this book: Don't try to cram too much material into too short a time! We have worked diligently to keep this book to a reasonable length while still covering the core concepts usually found in an introduction to physics. These ideas are most enjoyable when enough time is spent in lively discussion and in consideration of questions so that a real understanding develops. Trying to cover material too quickly defeats the conceptual learning and leaves students in a dense haze of words and definitions. Less can be more if a good understanding results.
Mathematics in a Conceptual Physics Course
The use of mathematics in a physics course is a formidable block for many students, particularly non-science majors. Although there have been attempts to teach conceptual physics without any mathematics, these attempts miss an opportunity to help students gain confidence in using and manipulating simple quantitative relationships.
Clearly mathematics is a powerful tool for expressing the quantitative relationships of physics. The use of mathematics can be carefully limited, however, and subordinated to the physical concepts being addressed. Many users of the first edition of this text felt that mathematical expressions appeared too frequently for the comfort of some students. In response, we substantially reduced the use of mathematics in the body of the text in thesecond edition. Most users have indicated that the current level is about right, so we have not changed the mathematics level in this edition.
Logical coherence is a strong feature of this book. Formulas are introduced carefully after conceptual arguments are provided, and statements in words of these relationships generally accompany their introduction. We have continued to fine tune the Try This Boxes that present sample exercises and questions. Most of these provide simple numerical illustrations of the ideas discussed. No mathematics prerequisite beyond high school algebra should be necessary. A discussion of the basic ideas of very simple algebra is found in Appendix A, together with some practice exercises, for students who need help with these ideas.
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2004 McGraw-Hill Higher Education