A Radically Modern Approach to Introductory Physics Volume 1: Fundamental Principles

This nontraditional text arose from the conviction that science and engineering students would benefit from an introductory course which covers all of physics from a modern point of view. The text takes the perspective of a modern particle physicist and is based more on wave dynamics and relativity than on classical mechanics. The subject matter is split into two volumes of twelve chapters each: • Volume 1 – Waves, including geometrical optics – Theory of relativity – Relativistic matter waves and quantum mechanics – Classical mechanics as the geometric optics limit of quantum mechanics • Volume 2 – Gravity – A treatment of electromagnetism which builds on relativity – Atomic, nuclear, and particle physics – Statistical mechanics and thermodynamics The result is a conceptually challenging but mathematically simple text which can be covered in two semesters or three quarters without omitting any content. Such a course has been offered for over ten years at New Mexico Tech to incoming physics majors and other interested students who are well prepared in high school physics and mathematics.