Basics of Physics

Rusty L. Myers is professor of environmental science at Alaska Pacific University where he has taught for the past 25 years. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in chemistry, environmental science, and statistics. Dr. Myers' research includes work on air quality, water quality, science education, and science and the humanities. He has received several national awards for teaching, including the 1994 Alaska Professor of the Year award from the Carnegie Foundation for Higher Education.

Myers has written, for the Basics of the Hard Sciences series, an introductory book for students with a broad prospective. The basics of classical, quantum, and nuclear physics, as well as relativity, are discussed with many diagrams and tables for the uninitiated. A section is provided with physics experiments that are simple enough for most high school students. Myers offers a brief history of the theories and facts presented, something missing in many science works. There is also a brief introduction to the field of physics as a career, possibly encouraging a student to study further. Finally, the book contains a fairly handy glossary, table of elements, conversion tables, selected bibliography, and good index. Recommended. General readers; lower-division undergraduates.

• Introduction: Physics and its Early FoundationsThe Development of Classical PhysicsTranslational MotionRotational MotionWork and EnergyHeatMatterVibrations, Waves, and SoundLight and OpticsQuantum PhysicsA Modern View of the AtomNuclear PhysicsElectricityMagnetism and ElectromagnetismRelativityPhysics ExperimentsPhysics as a CareerGlossarySelected Symbols, Abbreviations, and UnitsSelected Bibliography and Internet Resources