Inquiry into Physics (with InfoTrac)
Editorial Reviews
Book Description
The Fifth Edition of INQUIRY INTO PHYSICS maintains the perfect balance of quantitative and conceptual content by carefully incorporating problem solving into a discernible conceptual framework. The text integrates simple mathematics so students can see the practicality of physics and have a means of testing scientific validity. Throughout the text, Ostdiek and Bord emphasize the relevance of physics in our daily lives. This text is committed to a concept- and inquiry-based style of learning, as evidenced in the ExploreItYourself boxes, concept-based flow-charts in the chapter openers, and Learning Checks. Students will also find applied examples throughout the text, such as metal detectors, Fresnel lenses, kaleidoscopes, and smoke detectors. The text also periodically reviews the historical development of physics, which is particularly relevant as context for non-science majors.
About the Author
Vern Ostdiek is an Associate Professor at Benedictine College, where he has a joint appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. In addition to teaching courses in physics, mathematics, and computer science, he oversees the Computer Discovery Lab. Vern was named BC's Educator of the Year in 1999. His research interests are currently centered on the nocturnal dynamics of the lower part of the Earth's atmosphere. Past research topics include noctilucent clouds and frontal zones. Vern is co-author of INQUIRY INTO PHYSICS, Fifth Edition (Brooks/Cole, 2004), an introductory text for non-science majors. Don Bord is Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Michigan -Dearborn, where he has been employed since 1984. Prior to that, he taught at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas, where his collaboration with Vern Ostdiek led to the development and publication of INQUIRY INTO PHYSICS, now to appear in its Fifth Edition. Don has an abiding interest in physics and astronomy education, particularly as it pertains to laboratory instruction, and he has published several articles in "The American Journal of Physics," "The Physics Teacher," and "Sky and Telescope" in this area. He was also co-editor, with Clint Sprott, of the first edition of GREAT IDEAS FOR TEACHING PHYSICS. Don's research focuses on determining the abundance of heavy and rare-earth elements in chemically peculiar stars and the Sun using high-resolution spectra. To support this effort, he has also performed ab initio atomic structure calculations to determine energy levels, oscillator strengths and partition functions for many of the ions of interest. This work has involved collaborators from around the world, but particularly at the European Southern Observatory and the University of Lund in Sweden, as well as UM-Dearborn undergraduates, and has appeared in such as "Physica Scripta," "Astronomy and Astrophysics," and "Solar Physics." Don has also been active in campus administration, having served as department chair, associate dean for planning and faculty development, and interim dean of the College. He was recently named the first recipient of the University of Michigan Jackie Lawson Award for his contributions in the area of faculty governance.
Inquiry into Physics (with InfoTrac),Vern J. Ostdiek,Donald J. Bord,Brooks Cole,0534491685,Physics,Science,Science/Mathematics,Science / Physics
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