University Physics for the Life Sciences, 1st edition
Published by Pearson (January 1, 2021) © 2022
- Randall D Knight California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo
- Brian Jones Colorado State University
- Stuart Field Colorado State University
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Mastering
- Activate learning for future scientists
- Tailor your course to fit your needs
- Support students with guided practice
For courses in university physics for the life sciences.
Targeting university physics for the life sciences courses
University Physics for the Life Sciences helps premed students understand the connection between physics and biology. By blending light calculus-based physics with biology and consistently presenting the medical application, students see the relevance and real-world application of physics to their careers. Informed by Physics Education Research (PER), Knight/Jones/Field and contributor Catherine Crouch prepare life-science students for success on the MCAT by showing the connections between true biology and physics principles.
Hallmark features of this title
Connect physics and biology
- Topics of interest to life science students provide current coverage of topics relevant in the Introductory Physics for the Life Sciences community.
- Physics and Life boxes in each Chapter Preview show how content about to be presented relates to life science.
The big picture
- Learning Objectives keyed to relevant end-of-chapter problems help students check their understanding and optimize study time.
- Stop to Think questions are interactive questions interspersed throughout each chapter that are based on documented student misconceptions.
- Visual chapter summaries are explicitly hierarchical in design to help students connect the ideas, organize their knowledge, and see the big picture.
Additional features of this title
Connect physics and biology
- Exclusive real-world data in hundreds of end-of-chapter questions and problems ensure students can make sense of answers grounded in the real world. These show physics at work in realistic situations and test types of reasoning using equations, ratios and graphs.
The big picture
- Tactics Boxes and Problem-Solving Strategies help students develop good problem-solving skills.
- Looking Back Pointers direct students to the exact point in a previous chapter to use when they need to apply or review concepts.
- NOTES throughout the chapters call students' attention to concepts or procedures known to cause difficulty.
MCAT preparation
- Prep questions align with the 2015 MCAT exam are based on the Foundational Concepts and Content Categories outlined by the Association of American Medical Colleges.
- Appendix C: Studying for and Taking the MCAT Exam gives students concrete tips on preparing for this exam, and MCAT-Style Passage Problems conclude every chapter, allowing students to practice this style of question.
- Critical thinking and reasoning skills are emphasized in Worked Examples and EOC problems. Students assess answers to see if they make physical sense, learning to reason rather than plug numbers into equations. End-of-chapter problems also cover life-science and biomedical applications.
Features of Mastering Physics for the 1st Edition
- Video Tutor Demonstrations feature pause-and-predict demonstrations of key physics concepts and incorporate assessment to engage students in understanding concepts. Video Tutor Solutions for Worked Examples in the text walk students through the problem-solving process.
- Enhanced End-of-Chapter Questions provide instructional support when and where students need it including links to the eText, Video Tutor Solutions, math remediation and wrong-answer feedback.
- Qualitative Prelecture Videos, focus on biological applications of physics, giving context, examples, and a chance for life science students to practice the concepts they are studying via short multiple-choice questions.
- Ready-to-Go Teaching Modules ease implementation of new course material with suggestions for biology apps and activities that instructors can bring into class and offer as teaching tools.
- Dynamic Study Modules pose a series of question sets about a course topic. The questions adapt to each student's performance and offer personalized, targeted feedback to help them master key concepts.
PART I FORCE AND MOTION
- Physics for the Life Sciences
- Describing Motion
- Motion Along a Line
- Force and Motion
- Interacting Systems
- Equilibrium and Elasticity
- Circular and Rotational Motion
- Momentum
- Fluids
PART II ENERGY AND THERMODYNAMICS
- Work and Energy
- Interactions and Potential Energy
- Thermodynamics
- Kinetic Theory
- Entropy and Free Energy
PART III OSCILLATIONS AND WAVES
- Oscillations
- Traveling Waves and Sound
- Superposition and Standing Waves
PART IV OPTICS
- Wave Optics
- Ray Optics
- Optical Instruments
PART V ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
- Electric Forces and Fields
- Electric Potential
- Biological Applications of Fields and Potentials
- Current and Resistance
- Circuits
- Magnetic Fields and Forces
- Electromagnetic Induction and Electromagnetic Waves
PART VI MODERN PHYSICS
- Quantum Physics
- Atoms and Molecules
- Nuclear Physics
About our authors
Randy Knight taught introductory physics for thirty-two years at Ohio State University and California Polytechnic State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Physics. Professor Knight received a PhD in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics before joining the faculty at Ohio State University. A growing awareness of the importance of research in physics education led first to Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach and later to College Physics: A Strategic Approach. Professor Knight’s research interests are in the fields of laser spectroscopy and environmental science. When he’s not in front of a computer, you can find Randy hiking, traveling, playing the piano, or spending time with his wife Sally and their five cats.
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, Namibia, and Uganda. Brian and his wife Carol have dozens of fruit trees and bushes in their yard, including an apple tree that was propagated from a tree in Isaac Newton’s garden.
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. Stuart enjoys Colorado’s great outdoors, where he is an avid mountain biker; he also plays in local ice hockey leagues.
Contributing author Catherine Hirshfeld Crouch is Professor of Physics at Swarthmore College, where she has taught since 2003. Dr. Crouch’s work developing and evaluating curriculum for introductory physics for life science students has been used by faculty around the country and has been supported by the National Science Foundation. She earned her PhD at Harvard University in experimental condensed matter physics, and then remained at Harvard in a dual postdoctoral fellowship in materials physics and physics education with Eric Mazur, including developing and evaluating pedagogical best practices for undergraduate physics. She has published numerous peer-reviewed research articles in physics education and experimental physics, and has involved dozens of Swarthmore undergraduate students in her work. She is married to Andy Crouch and they have two young adult children, Timothy and Amy.
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