Foundations of Earth Science--Media Update (3rd Edition) - Softcover

Lutgens, Frederick K.; Tarbuck, Edward J.; Tasa, Dennis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0131461036 ISBN 13: 9780131461031

Publisher: Pearson College Div, 2002

Synopsis

The brief, paperback version of the best-selling Earth Science, this book offers a user-friendly overview of the physical environment. It retains the hallmarks expected from Fred Lutgens and Ed Tarbuck—a reader-friendly writing style, carefully crafted art program, and coverage of the most recent current events. For the first time, each copy of the book comes packaged with the GEODe: Earth Science CD-ROM. Discusses key topics such as Earth materials, earth's external and internal processes, Earth's history, the global ocean, and the atmosphere. For anyone interested in Earth Science.

About this title

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Earth is a very small part of a vast universe, but it is our home. It provides the resources that support our modern society and the ingredients necessary to maintain life. Therefore, a knowledge and understanding of our planet is critical to our social well-being and, indeed, vital to our survival.

In recent years, media reports have made us increasingly aware of our place in the universe and the forces at work in our physical environment. We are also learning that human interactions with natural systems can upset delicate, balances. News stories inform us of new discoveries in the solar system and beyond. Daily reports remind us of the destruction caused by hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, and landslides. We have been made aware of ozone depletion, global warming, and growing environmental concerns about the oceans. To comprehend, prepare for, and solve these and other concerns requires an awareness of how science is done and the scientific principles that influence our planet, its rocks, mountains, atmosphere, and oceans.

The Third Edition of Foundations of Earth Science, like its predecessors, is a college-level text designed for an introductory course in Earth science. It consists of seven units that emphasize broad and up-to-date coverage of basic topics and principles in geology, oceanography, meteorology, and astronomy. The book is intended to be a meaningful, nontechnical survey for undergraduate students with little background in science. Usually these students are taking an Earth science class to meet a portion of their college's or university's general requirements. As such, in addition to being informative and up to date, Foundations of Earth Science is a user-friendly text, a book that is a highly usable "tool" for learning basic Earth science principles and concepts.

Distinguishing Features

Readability. The language of this book is straightforward and written to be understood. Clear, readable discussions with a minimum of technical language are the rule. When new terms are introduced, they are placed in boldface and defined. The frequent headings and subheadings also help students follow discussions and identify the important ideas presented in each chapter. In the present edition, improved readability was achieved by examining chapter organization and flow and writing in a more personal style. Many sections were substantially rewritten in an effort to make the material more understandable.

Illustrations and Photographs. The Earth sciences are highly visual. Therefore, photographs and artwork are a very important part of an introductory book. Foundations of Earth Science, Third Edition, contains dozens of new high-quality photographs that were carefully selected to aid understanding, add realism, and heighten the reader's interest.

The illustrations in each new edition of Foundations of Earth Science keep getting better and better. In the third edition more than 50 pieces of line art are new or revised. The new art illustrates ideas and concepts more clearly and realistically than ever before. Dennis Tasa, a gifted artist and respected Earth science illustrator, carried out the art program.

Focus on Learning. To assist student learning, every chapter opens with a series of questions. Each question alerts the reader to an important idea or concept in the chapter. Upon completion of a chapter, four useful devices help students review. First, a helpful summary—The Chapter in Review—recaps all of the major points. Next is a checklist of Key Terms with page references. Learning the language of Earth science helps students retain the material. This is followed by Questions for Review, which enables students to examine their knowledge of significant facts and ideas. A 20-item chapter test—Testing What You Have Learned—concludes the chapter-end review.

Maintaining a Focus on Basic Principles and Instructor Flexibility. The main focus of the Third Edition remains the same as in the first two—to foster student understanding of basic Earth science principles. With this in mind, we have attempted to provide the reader with a sense of the observational techniques and reasoning processes that characterize the Earth sciences.

Whereas student use of the text is a primary concern, the book's adaptability to the needs and desires of the instructor is equally important. Realizing the broad diversity of Earth science courses in both content and approach, we have continued to use a relatively nonintegrated format to allow maximum flexibility for the instructor. Each of the major units stands alone; hence, they can be taught in any order, A unit can be omitted entirely without appreciable loss of continuity, and portions of some chapters may be interchanged or excluded at the instructor's discretion.

More About the Third Edition

The Third Edition of Foundations of Earth Science represents a thorough revision. Every part of the book was examined carefully with the dual goals of keeping topics current and improving the clarity of text discussions. Based on feedback from reviewers and students, we believe we have succeeded.

Of special interest are the following changes.

• New introduction to external processes (Chapter 3).
• New section on floods and flood control (Chapter 3).
• Updated discussion of the driving mechanism for plate tectonics (Chapter 5).
• Expanded coverage of continental margins (Chapter 9) and ocean circulation (Chapter 10).
• Updated sections on ozone depletion, global warming, and temperature controls (Chapter 11).
• A complete revision and reorganization of Chapter 12, with new discussions of water vapor, processes that lift air, and the influence of stability on the weather.
• New discussion on understanding air pressure (Chapter 13).
• Expanded and updated coverage of severe weather (Chapter 14).
• Revised, simplified, and updated treatment of the planets (Chapter 15).

Edition details

• Publisher: Pearson College Div
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0131461036
• ISBN 13: 9780131461031
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Edition number: 3
• Number of pages: 480