Problem Solving for Physics: A Conceptual World View

This mathematical supplement written by the text authors is keyed to the textbook and develops some of the numerical aspects of this course that can be addressed with simple algebra and geometry. It is ideal for courses having a heavier emphasis in problem solving and quantitative reasoning. Readers are alerted to which sections in the textbook have a parallel presentation in Problem Solving by a math icon. The supplement contains extended mathematical discussion for those sections with additional worked examples and numerical end-of-chapter problems with odd-numbered answers in an appendix.

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 a professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. He earned his Ph.D. in cognitive and neural systems from Boston University in 1993. His research investigates properties of neural networks and visual perception. He also was coauthor of the Coglab Reader, Coglab on a CD, and Social Psychology Laboratory.