Six Ideas that Shaped Physics

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Six Ideas that Shaped Physics
AuthorThomas A. Moore
PublisherMcGraw Hill
Publication date
2002
Publication placeUnited States
ISBN9781264876822
Websitewww.physics.pomona.edu/sixideas

Six Ideas that Shaped Physics is a textbook in calculus based physics, written by Thomas A. Moore based on his introductory course in college physics at Pomona College. It covers special relativity, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics. The impetus for the project to author the book came from the 1987-1996 Introductory University Physics Project (IUPP), which found that most college texts neglected to teach topics in 20th century physics.[1]

Contents

The books opens with 20th century physics, starting with the conservation laws implied by Noether's theorem. It then proceeds to present Newtonian mechanics and the laws of motion as a consequence of underlying physical symmetry, reversing the chronological order in which the study of physics developed as a scientific discipline. The courses include Unit C: Conservation Laws Constrain Interactions (14 chapters), Unit N: The Laws of Physics are Universal (12 chapters), Unit R: The Laws of Physics are Frame-Independent (9 chapters), Unit E:  Electric and Magnetic Fields are Unified (20 chapters), Unit Q:  Particles Behave Like Waves (15 chapters), and Unit T:  Some Processes are Irreversible (11 chapters).[2][3][4]

Editions

First published in 1998, it has been widely adopted[citation needed] and is now in the Fourth edition.

References

  1. ^ Joseph Amato (1996). "The Introductory Calculus‐Based Physics Textbook". Physics Today. 49 (12): 46–51. doi:10.1063/1.881581.
  2. ^ 李广平, 张立彬[] (2012-03-20). "决定物理学发展的六大思想——《Six Ideas That Shaped Physics》赏析". 大学物理 (in Chinese). 31 (3): 55. ISSN 1000-0712.
  3. ^ Mader, Catherine (2005-04-01). "Modifying Six Ideas that Shaped Physics for a Life-Science major audience at Hope College". APS April Meeting Abstracts: R11.007. Bibcode:2005APS..APRR11007M.
  4. ^ Bernatowicz, Thomas J. (2006-03-01). "Post-Use Review. Six Ideas That Shaped Physics (second edition, six volumes)". American Journal of Physics. 74 (3): 243–245. doi:10.1119/1.2149873. ISSN 0002-9505.