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    College Physics - 2e

    (48 reviews)

    Paul Peter Urone, Sacramento, California

    Roger Hinrichs, Oswego County, New York

    Kim Dirks, New Zealand

    Copyright Year:

    ISBN 13: 9781951693602

    Publisher: OpenStax

    Language: English

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    Reviews

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    Reviewed by S. Vaitheeswaran, Assistant Professor, Westfield State University on 7/4/24

    The book covers all the topics one would want in an introductory physics text. read more

    Reviewed by Sharma Dipti, Contract/Adjunct Professor of Physics, Bunker Hill Community College on 10/9/22

    This is a good Physics textbook for Algebra based Physics courses taught in colleges. This textbook covers almost every topic for two semester Physics I and Physics II courses. Physics instructor can use this Open Textbook as an option for their... read more

    Reviewed by S. Vaitheeswaran, Assistant Professor, Westfield State University on 6/29/21

    The text is comprehensive and serves as the main text for two semesters of algebra-based introductory physics in our department. read more

    Reviewed by Stacy Hootman, Assistant Professor, University of Indianapolis on 4/19/21

    This text covers all of the topics that we cover in our two semester algebra/trigonometry-based physics course. I was pleased to see that it separates fluid statics and fluid dynamics into two separate chapters as this often times confuses... read more

    Reviewed by Mazn Khasawneh, Visiting Assistant Professor-Physics, Earlham College on 3/8/21

    Similar to a typical algebra based first year physics book. You may more than two semesters to cover the whole book. read more

    Reviewed by Nathan Tompkins, Assistant Professor, Wabash College on 2/13/21

    This text covers every topic that might be included in an algebra based physics course and more. It would likely take three semesters to cover the entire book. read more

    Reviewed by Jason Hyatt, Professor, Massachusetts Maritime Academy on 6/15/20

    I have taught College Physics 1 and 2 many many times and this book covers all of the topics that every other book covers. The order may not be exactly what you find in other books, but college physics textbooks are all so similar these days, but... read more

    Reviewed by Joseph Eccles, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Raritan Valley Community College on 4/13/20

    I am looking at this text from the viewpoints of both a two semester algebra-based physics course for engineering majors and a one-semester algebra course aimed at students in medical and technology and technology programs. All the standard... read more

    Reviewed by Mazin Khasawneh, Assistant Professor, Earlham College on 10/29/19

    I found the book to be suitable for an intro physics course. The authors presented the material in the typical order starting from mechanics to modern physics; The table of content is easy to navigate, just click on any chapter you want to and... read more

    Reviewed by Saul Novo, Associate Professor, Michigan State University on 10/18/19

    The book is very complete for an intro physics class. The topics are presented in the typical order (from mechanics to modern physics) and it is easy to access and find different topics with the search tool and the glossary. read more

    Reviewed by Eric Bubar, Associate Professor of Physics, Marymount University on 7/8/19

    Definitely contains all of the relevant information that a student in an algebra-based college physics course would need. As stated in other reviews, the modern physics information could be updated, but otherwise its an excellent text. read more

    Reviewed by James Wetzel, Visiting Assistant Professor, Augustana College on 5/31/19

    This book more than covers a standard 2-semester college physics curriculum - from mechanics to thermal to optics to modern, including up to date information on the latest areas of active research. read more

    Reviewed by Chuck Crabtree, Director of STEM, Physics Instructor, Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC) on 4/22/19

    College Physics includes all the major topics for an introductory non-calculus-based classical physics course. There are also seven chapters covering topics in modern physics. read more

    Reviewed by Ryan Johnson, Associate Professor, Gettysburg College on 3/19/19

    The book is fairly comprehensive for a 2nd semester non-major physics course. There is sufficient depth to explore many different practical aspects of a topic and it does a good job of using medically-motivated example problems and discussions. read more

    Reviewed by Lisa Paulius, Professor, Western Michigan University on 12/14/18

    The text covers all the major areas and the index and glossary are clear and appropriate. The text would benefit from being more concise. read more

    Reviewed by Amber Hicks, Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/2/18

    This book covers all areas and ideas of the subject but is not catered to the diversity that make up community college students. I would also love to see focus on short term trainings and stackable certifications. As modern as online learning... read more

    Reviewed by Greg Gerstner, Civil and Mechanical Engineering Technology Instructor, Portland Community College on 8/2/18

    The text is quite comprehensive to the subject of College Physics. With 34 Chapters, the text covers an incredible span of Physics from Kinematics to Quantum Physics. Students have informed me that they have referred to this text in other... read more

    Reviewed by Robert Riggs, Associate Teaching Professor, University of Missouri-Kansas City on 6/19/18

    This is a very comprehensive text. The text incorporated "real world" parameters that aren't usually covered in the "corporate" textbooks. Things such as draft and the Magnus force were introduced in the projectile motion discussion so students... read more

    Reviewed by Antony Timmins, Assistant Professor, University of Houston on 5/21/18

    I found this book rather comprehensive. My point of comparison was Physics, Walker (4th edition) which is currently our main textbook for the our non calculus Physics courses. I compared the contents in detail, and found almost 100% overlap with a... read more

    Reviewed by Donna Stokes, Associate Professor, University of Houston on 5/21/18

    The textbook is comprehensive. It covers all topics typical to a college physics course. The table of conten is very clear and easy to follow. The appendices are verey detail, some almost give too much detail, i.e., the definition of various... read more

    Reviewed by Mikel Holcomb, Associate Professor, West Virginia University on 3/27/18

    The book covers all material typically covered in an algebra based two semester introductory course. The index is useful and clickable to go directly to the material desired. read more

    Reviewed by Lih-Sin The, Dr. / Senior Lecturer, Clemson University on 2/1/18

    The textbook covers all materials shown in most other College Physics textbooks. The textbook is even more comprehensive as it covers more materials than most other textbooks. read more

    Reviewed by Eric Mandell, Lecturer, Bowling Green State University on 2/1/18

    This text covers all of the expected content in a College Physics course, encompassing both semesters, and includes several modern physics topics. This allows instructors flexibility in choosing the topics they would like for each semester of... read more

    Reviewed by Dr. Sriparna Bhattacharya, Adjunct Faculty / Assistant Research Professor, Wofford College / Clemson University on 2/1/18

    The book discusses all the topics of the subject that are covered by any standard introductory physics textbook. However, I found that the numerical problems at the end of this book are not as varied as compared to other standard textbooks. As a... read more

    Reviewed by James Kennicutt, Adjunct Professor, Portland Community College on 8/15/17

    The textbook covers all the content you would expect from an introductory algebra-based physics course. I didn’t find any gaps in content. All the topics i cover in my course are included in this textbook. read more

    Reviewed by Raymond Duplessis, Associate Professor, Delgado Community College on 6/20/17

    The coverage in the book is similar to others such as Cutnell Physics or Knight. The chapter topics and order are virtually the same.I found the index to be more straightforward and organized in a way that "'students would think" to find... read more

    Reviewed by Darrell Lim, Faculty, Portland Community College on 6/20/17

    The book covers what’s to be expected in college-level physics, with some sections being rather bare, yet factual. For example, the book didn’t seem to introduce dot and cross products, which I feel could be introduced at an appropriate math level... read more

    Reviewed by Gabriele Belle, Assistant Professor, George Mason University on 6/20/17

    This book is an excellent comprehensive text for a 200-level algebra-based physics course. It explains all relevant physics concepts in a clear and consistent manner. The book also has a chapter on the “Frontiers” of physics which distinguishes it... read more

    Reviewed by Edward Davis, Research Associate Professor, North Carolina State University on 6/20/17

    I have been in the business of teaching Freshman physics courses for more than 20 years. In that time, I’ve had to work with half-a-dozen mainstream texts from publishing houses like Pearson and Wiley. As regards comprehensiveness, Openstax’s... read more

    Reviewed by Henry Smith, Assistant Professor, River Parishes Community College on 6/20/17

    The contents of this book are complete, and it is done in an orderly manner. The chapter titles are easily matched to the contents of the chapters. At the back of the book there is a glossary, but no index except for the electronic index. ... read more

    Reviewed by Medini Padmanabhan, Assistant Professor, Rhode Island College on 4/11/17

    This book has an exhaustive list of all introductory physics topics. It has pretty much everything i need (and then some!) to teach a 2-semester course for non-science majors. read more

    Reviewed by William Mekeel, Instructor, Riverland College on 4/11/17

    At 34 chapters and 1400 words, this introductory textbook covers a myriad of topics. While obviously not a text intended to read cover-to-cover, the depth and breadth of content allows an instructor to choose the topics most appropriate for their... read more

    Reviewed by Daniel Sheehy, Associate Professor, Louisiana State University on 2/8/17

    The textbook is very comprehensive, covering all topics in a typical two-semester algebra-based introductory physics coruse. Each chapter concludes with a glossary that is also comprehensive, covering terms defined in that chapter. In addition, ... read more

    Reviewed by Julia Olsen, Faculty, Program Director, University of Arizona on 2/8/17

    My interest in the text is for use as a physics content resource for specialized courses and workshops for STEM teachers. As such, it includes all topics - and more - that I'd expect from a single introductory college text at a level accessible... read more

    Reviewed by Tatsu Takeuchi, Associate Professor, Virginia Tech on 2/8/17

    The textbook is indeed comprehensive and covers all the topics that are discussed in a traditional algebra based introductory physics course. However, at more than 1400 pages long, I wonder if the textbook could have been made more amenable to... read more

    Reviewed by Jeanette Eggert, Professor of Math and Physics, Concordia University, Portland, Oregon on 2/8/17

    The OpenStax textbook coverage of content for a one-year algebra-based physics course exceeds standard textbooks that I have recently used. Because I have many biology majors in my physics course that are headed into medical or physical therapy... read more

    Reviewed by Lawrence Rees, Professor, Brigham Young University on 12/5/16

    The book covers all the subjects traditionally included in an algebra-based college physics course. It includes bio-med applications, as is expected for this course, including dedicated chapters to there are dedicated chapters to fluid dynamics... read more

    Reviewed by Alan Covell, Instructor, University of North Caronlina at Greensboro on 12/5/16

    OpenStax's college physics includes all topics, with standard examples, that would normally be found in an introductory college physics text. I have not found anything lacking. read more

    Reviewed by Michael Murray, Professor, University of Kansas on 8/21/16

    Our interest in the book is for our algebra based physics sequence. Our students in these courses are mainly in the medical and biological areas. We are trying to focus these courses on the human body as a mechanical, electrical and thermodynamic... read more

    Reviewed by James Rittenbach, Professor, Rogue Community College on 8/21/16

    At over 1400 pages, this is the most complete algebra-based physics textbooks I’ve ever seen. As many of the students in the algebra-based physics sequence are pre-med or otherwise biologically oriented, the many biological/medical examples do a... read more

    Reviewed by Lawrence Davis, Associate Professor, Umpqua Community College on 8/21/16

    This book is designed for the 200-level algebra based introductory physics course, which is typically taken by students in the biological sciences and health science majors. The book covers the full range of topics typically covered in such a... read more

    Reviewed by Rod Lee, Physics and Astronomy Instructor, Portland Community College on 1/7/16

    The text covers all of what we cover in our General Physics sequence (i.e. PHY 201-202-203). There are additional chapters that we don't necessarily cover like "Physics of Hearing" and "Vision and Optical Instruments", although much of this... read more

    Reviewed by Kriton Papavasiliou, Instructor, Virginia Tech on 6/10/15

    It is hard to find topics that should be included in an introductory text such as this one that have been left out. All the standard topics are there as well as additional material not found in most introductory physics books. I especially like... read more

    Reviewed by Elena Bassiachvili, Instructor, Langara College on 10/9/13

    a. Glossary is provided at the end of each chapter, but I feel the definitions are not detailed enough and are too specialized without referencing the particular cases where it is applicable. For example, the rms equations work for sinusoidal... read more

    Reviewed by Neil Alberding, Senior Lecturer, Simon Fraser University on 10/9/13

    Comprehensive and include much more than could be covered in two one-semester introductory courses. The Index and glossary are find. The pdf version needs a Table of Contents for navigation. read more

    Reviewed by Takashi Sato, Physics & astronomy faculty, Kwantlen Polytechnic University on 10/9/13

    This book has the feel of a typical algebra based first year physics book, suitable for algebra-based first year physics courses anywhere. This book has reportedly been produced as part of a well-funded project (including support from the Hewlett... read more

    Reviewed by Tyron Tsui, Instructor, Langara College on 10/9/13

    The text included and appropriately covered all topics necessary for a first-year algebra-based physics class. An index is provided in the PDF version of the text, but a link to the index in the web version of the text was not found. There are... read more

    Reviewed by Julie Alexander, Physics Faculty, Camosun College on 10/9/13

    While reviewing this textbook we compared it to two other widely used first year algebra based physics textbooks, Physics by Giancoli and College Physics by Knight, Jones and Field. we have taught many courses using both these standard textbooks.... read more

    Table of Contents

    • 1. Introduction: The Nature of Science and Physics
    • 2. Kinematics
    • 3. Two-Dimensional Kinematics
    • 4. Dynamics: Force and Newton's Laws of Motion
    • 5. Further Applications of Newton's Laws: Friction, Drag, and Elasticity
    • 6. Uniform Circular Motion and Gravitation
    • 7. Work, Energy, and Energy Resources
    • 8. Linear Momentum and Collisions
    • 9. Statics and Torque
    • 10. Rotational Motion and Angular Momentum
    • 11. Fluid Statics
    • 12. Fluid Dynamics and Its Biological and Medical Applications
    • 13. Temperature, Kinetic Theory, and the Gas Laws
    • 14. Heat and Heat Transfer Methods
    • 15. Thermodynamics
    • 16. Oscillatory Motion and Waves
    • 17. Physics of Hearing
    • 18. Electric Charge and Electric Field
    • 19. Electric Potential and Electric Field
    • 20. Electric Current, Resistance, and Ohm's Law
    • 21. Circuits and DC Instruments
    • 22. Magnetism
    • 23. Electromagnetic Induction, AC Circuits, and Electrical Technologies
    • 24. Electromagnetic Waves
    • 25. Geometric Optics
    • 26. Vision and Optical Instruments
    • 27. Wave Optics
    • 28. Special Relativity
    • 29. Quantum Physics
    • 30. Atomic Physics
    • 31. Radioactivity and Nuclear Physics
    • 32. Medical Applications of Nuclear Physics
    • 33. Particle Physics
    • 34. Frontiers of Physics
    • Appendix A. Atomic Masses
    • Appendix B. Selected Radioactive Isotopes
    • Appendix C. Useful Information
    • Appendix D. Glossary of Key Symbols and Notation
    • Answer Key
    • Index

    Ancillary Material

    • OpenStax
    • OpenStax
    • About the Book

      College Physics 2e introduces topics conceptually and progresses through clear explanations in the context of career-oriented, practical applications, and meets the scope and sequence of an algebra-based physics course. The narrative of physics and scientific discovery has been even further expanded to focus on including more diverse contributors to the field. Building on the success of the first edition the authors have increased focus on interdisciplinary connections, including enhancements to biological and medical applications. The problem solving approach has been revised to further unify conceptual, analytical, and calculation skills within the learning process, the authors have integrated a wide array of strategies and supports throughout the text for students.

      View the first edition of College Physics at OpenStax.

      About the Contributors

      Authors

      Dr. Paul Peter Urone, Senior Contributing Authors, California State University Sacramento

      Dr. Roger Hinrichs, Senior Contributing Author, State University of New York, College at Oswego

      Dr. Kim Dirks, Contributing Author, University of Auckland

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