Department of Physics and Astronomy: Publications and Other Research
Date of this Version
1-1958
Abstract
This book is intended for students of science and engineering; it aims to develop both an understanding of the important concepts of physics and some analytical skill in the solutions of problems. The mathematical level of the book is such that it may be used by students who are taking a course in calculus concurrently.
The notations and methods of the calculus are introduced early in the text, beginning with the concept of a derivative in the discussion of motion, and are then extended to more complex problems as the student progresses both in physics and in mathematics. Vector algebra is, of course, also used. The vector notation is introduced at the beginning of the text in treating displacements; it is then extended to include the use of the dot product and cross product of two vectors, and the resolution of a vector into components with the aid of unit vectors. These vector methods are used extensively in the sections on Mechanics and Electricity.
Comments
Published in Physics, by Henry Semat and Robert Katz, New York: Rinehart & Company, Inc., 1958. Copyright © 1958 Henry Semat and Robert Katz. All rights reserved. Used by permission.