Introductory Physics, Building Understanding

by Jerold Touger

Book Overview

For over two decades, physics education research has been transforming physics teaching and learning. Now in this new algebra-based introductory physics text, Jerry Touger taps this work to support new teaching methodologies in physics. Introductory Physics: Building Understanding recognizes that students learn better in guided active learning environments, engages students in a conceptual exploration of the physical phenomena before mathematical formalisms, and offers explicit guidance in using qualitative thinking to inform quantitative problem solving.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0471418730
• ISBN13: 9780471418733
• Release Date: January 2005
• Publisher: Wiley
• Length: 904 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 8.8" x 11.2"

Customer Reviews

physics book review

The book is in good condition but it does have a lot of highlighting in it other then that nothing is torn up in it

Finally a good PER based textbook

There are now a handful of introductory physics textbooks out there whose design reflect an awareness of research conducted by the physics education research (PER) community and which don't drastically reduce or alter the breadth of topics addressed in the standard curriculum. Of these Touger's book is the most successful one I've seen, better than Knight or Cummings/Halliday, Resnick, Walker. I'm currently teaching a high school physics using Touger. The book has an excellent treatment of energy conservation and momentum conservation. It introduces stuff like circuits qualitatively first, then quantitatively. It also has a lot of check-your-understanding reading questions that are well formulated. Like many physics textbooks at the end of each chapter of Touger there are conceptual questions as well as conventional word problem. However, among the problems, there are a number of questions that ask students to reason using equations rather than "plug-n-chug." Some are phrased a little awkwardly, but overall, they address a need that most texts ignore. On the down side the book's a bit too busy in its design. It tries to span a wide range of abilities in its problems and reading so when teaching from it, one needs to be careful that assigned problems are appropriate for the students. I don't like some of the choices regarding scope and sequence. It also falls a bit short is in the online materials and the student workbook. They are okay, but not the best out there. Compared to the standard intro physics book (Walker; Giancoli) this book has much better written explanations. Compared to harder texts (Tipler; Halliday, Resnick, Walker; Serway) it's not quite a substitute but is probably an excellent supplement if the lecturer associated with the course is poor. Compared to Hewitt, it's more problem-solving focused, less descriptive. (I would also add "less infantilizing" though Hewitt fans might disagree.)