College Physics: A Strategic Approach, Global Edition, 4th edition

Published by Pearson (June 27, 2023) © 2023

  • Randall D Knight California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
  • Brian Jones Colorado State University
  • Stuart Field Colorado State University

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Title overview

Intended for algebra-based introductory physics courses.

Building on the research-proven instructional techniques introduced in Knight's Physics for Scientists and Engineers, College Physics: A Strategic Approach sets a new standard for algebra-based introductory physics gaining widespread critical acclaim from professors and students alike. The text, supplements, and optional MasteringPhysics work together to help students see and understand the big picture, gain crucial problem-solving skills and confidence, and better prepare for lecture and their future.

For the 3rd Edition, Randy Knight, Brian Jones and Stuart Field have incorporated student feedback and research to strengthen their focus on student learning, and to apply the best results from educational research and extensive user feedback and metadata.

Key features

  • Problem-Solving Strategy Overviews show the big picture and state the types of problems a strategy is intended for and how to use it.
  • Tactics Boxes give explicit procedures for developing specific skills (drawing free-body diagrams, using ray tracing, etc.).
  • Looking Back Pointers provide just-in-time references and encourage students to refer back to relevant material in earlier chapters.
  • Integrated Examples demonstrate problem solving within the context of a multi-concept real-world scenario.
  • Critical Thinking and Reasoning Emphasis gives students essential practice in applying core physical principles to real-world situations.
  • Preface: Studying for and Taking the MCAT Exam gives students tips on preparing for the exam with MCAT-Style Passage Problems.

New to this edition

  • Real-world data in hundreds of new end-of-chapter questions and problems ensure students can make sense of answers grounded in the real world.
  • Key Concept figures encourage students to actively engage with key or complex figures by asking them to reason with a related STOP TO THINK question. Additional questions provide crucial practice and concept checks as students go through the chapters.
  • Physics topics connect to other courses that students are likely to take. For example, a new section connects the concept of the conservation of energy to topics from chemistry.
  • Examples use chapter concepts to explore interesting and realistic situations, such as how a study of force and torque in the jaw explains why dogs have long snouts and cats don't. The STRATEGIZE step shows students the big picture view before delving into the details.
  • Topics of interest to life science students provide current coverage of topics relevant in the Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences community.
  • Chapter Previews focus on the 3 most important ideas and align to specific learning objectives, giving students a chance to build on their knowledge from previous chapters.
  • Learning Objectives help students check their understanding and optimise study time.

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Table of contents

  • I. FORCE AND MOTION
  • 1. Representing Motion
  • 2. Motion in One Dimension
  • 3. Vectors and Motion in Two Dimensions
  • 4. Forces and Newton's Laws of Motion
  • 5. Applying Newton's Laws
  • 6. Circular Motion, Orbits, and Gravity
  • 7. Rotational Motion
  • 8. Equilibrium and Elasticity
  • II. CONSERVATION LAWS
  • 9. Momentum
  • 10. Energy and Work
  • 11. Using Energy
  • III. PROPERTIES OF MATTER
  • 12. Thermal Properties of Matter
  • 13. Fluids
  • IV. OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES
  • 14. Oscillations
  • 15. Traveling Waves and Sound
  • 16. Superposition and Standing Waves
  • V. OPTICS
  • 17. Wave Optics
  • 18. Ray Optics
  • 19. Optical Instruments
  • VI. ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
  • 20. Electric Fields and Forces
  • 21. Electrical Potential
  • 22. Current and Resistance
  • 23. Circuits
  • 24. Magnetic Fields and Forces
  • 25. Electromagnetic Induction and Electromagnetic Waves
  • 26. AC Electricity
  • VII. MODERN PHYSICS
  • 27. Relativity
  • 28. Quantum Physics
  • 29. Atoms and Molecules
  • 30. Nuclear Physics

Author bios

Randy Knight taught introductory physics for 32 years at Ohio State University and California Polytechnic State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Physics. Professor Knight received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of California, Berkeley and was a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics before joining the faculty at Ohio State University. It was at Ohio State that he began to learn about the research in physics education that, many years later, led to Five Easy Lessons: Strategies for Successful Physics Teaching and this book, as well as Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach. Professor Knight's research interests are in the fields of laser spectroscopy and environmental science.

Brian Jones has won several teaching awards at Colorado State University during his 30 years teaching in the Department of Physics. His teaching focus in recent years has been the College Physics class, including writing problems for the MCAT exam and helping students review for this test. In 2011, Brian was awarded the Robert A. Millikan Medal of the American Association of Physics Teachers for his work as director of the Little Shop of Physics, a hands-on science outreach program. He is actively exploring the effectiveness of methods of informal science education and how to extend these lessons to the college classroom. Brian has been invited to give workshops on techniques of science instruction throughout the United States and in Belize, Chile, Ethiopia, Azerbaijan, Mexico, Slovenia, Norway, and Namibia. 

Stuart Field has been interested in science and technology his whole life. While in school he built telescopes, electronic circuits, and computers. After attending Stanford University, he earned a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago, where he studied the properties of materials at ultralow temperatures. After completing a postdoctoral position at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he held a faculty position at the University of Michigan. Currently at Colorado State University, Stuart teaches a variety of physics courses, including algebra-based introductory physics, and was an early and enthusiastic adopter of Knight's Physics for Scientists and Engineers. Stuart maintains an active research program in the area of superconductivity.

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