Synopsis
PHYSICS: A CONCEPTUAL WORLD VIEW provides an engaging and effective introduction to physics through an ongoing storyline that describes the development of the current physics "world view." This story provides readers with a clear understanding of the laws of nature and the context to fully appreciate the importance of physics. The book's appealing style and minimal use of math also help to make complex material interesting and easy to grasp, even for readers intimidated by physics or math. In addition, the new Seventh Edition includes a thoroughly revised art program featuring elements such as balloon captions and numerous illustrations to help readers better visualize key concepts. In this remarkable book, the authors masterfully translate the logic, vocabulary, and values of physics into a compelling narrative that general readers can readily understand and enjoy.
About the Authors
Larry Kirkpatrick has always been a teacher; he just didn't know it. After receiving a B.S. in physics from Washington State University and a Ph.D. in experimental high-energy physics from MIT, he began his academic career at the University of Washington as a typical faculty member. However, he found that he was spending more and more time in the classroom and less and less time in the laboratory. Finally, he decided that he would get a position teaching physics full time or he would quit physics and use his computer skills to make lots of money. Fortunately, Montana State University hired him to teach physics. He served for eight years as academic director of the U.S. Physics Team that competes in the International Physics Olympiad each summer and has also served as President of the American Association of Physics Teachers. He retired in 2002 to concentrate on teaching, writing, ranching, and playing golf.
Greg Francis is first and foremost a teacher. As an undergraduate at Brigham Young University he taught recitation sections normally reserved for graduate students. Later as a graduate student studying plasma physics at MIT he regularly found opportunities to teach classes normally reserved for research faculty. After finishing his doctorate in 1987 he served as a postdoctoral fellow at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratories. Although his day job gave him the opportunity to work with world-class scientists on exciting problems, he found that he really preferred his night job, teaching physics classes at the local community college. In 1990, Greg joined the Physics Education Research Group at the University of Washington-Seattle, learning the "science" of effective physics teaching. Since 1992 Greg has continued to experiment with active learning approaches in large introductory classes at Montana State University where he is currently an Associate Professor of Physics.
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