I am a PHYS-L lurker who feels the need to put in my $0.02 for
Randy Knight's text PHYSICS: A Contemporary Perspective (Addison-Wesley).
It comes in two volumes and student workbooks are available- and essential!
The workbooks have a great set of exercises ideal for short group
activities during the lecture period and/or for part of a lab session.
The activities really address the deeper conceptual aspects of the
physics. I've used the text for several years and I like it a little more
each year.
For example, in Chapter 1 students are taught how to draw motion diagrams.
When I first used the text, this chapter was the one I liked least- no math
at all!! Now that I've used the text several times, Chap. 1 is one of my
favorite chapters. Why oh why do we plunge into kinematics without first
just being sure students can draw proper diagrams of motion?
My suggestion is to get an exam copy- text and workbook- and work through a
few chapters.
I sound like an ad for Knight- sorry! The text was just such a breath of
fresh air
for me.
I will now go back to lurking.
Dr. David Ward
Dept. of Chemistry & Physics
UNU#3160
Union University
1050 Union University Dr.
Jackson, TN 38305
ph. 901-661-5241
email- dward@uu.edu