Essential Physics

Book excerpt: Fluency with physics fundamentals and problem-solving has a collateral effect on students by enhancing their analytical reasoning skills. In a sense, physics is to intellectual pursuits what strength training is to sports. Designed for a two-semester algebra-based course, Essential Physics provides a thorough understanding of the fundamentals of physics central to many fields. It omits material often found in much larger texts that cannot be covered in a year-long course and is not needed for non-physics majors. Instead, this text focuses on providing a solid understanding of basic physics and physical principles. While not delving into the more specialized areas of the field, the text thoroughly covers mechanics, electricity and magnetism, light, and modern physics. This book is appropriate for a course in which the goals are to give the students a grasp of introductory physics and enhance their analytical problem-solving skills. Each topic includes worked examples. Math is introduced as necessary, with some applications in biology, chemistry, and safety science also provided. If exposure to more applications, special topics, and concepts is desired, this book can be used as a problem-solving supplement to a more inclusive text.