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[Phys-l] KARPLUS/INTRO PHYSICS: A MODEL APPROACH (review in TPT)



[fyi. posted by Jane Jackson, because HS teachers who use Modeling Instruction
are telling me that they find this textbook an excellent resource.]


A REVIEW of the Second Edition of the college textbook:
Introductory Physics: A Model Approach
by Robert Karplus
"a genuinely outstanding text for non-science students
as well as a font of stimulation and wisdom for teachers"

Reviewer: Peter B. Kahn, Professor of Physics Emeritus, Stony Brook
University. He has a strong interest in physics education ...

Published in THE PHYSICS TEACHER vol.42 (Dec. 2004, p. 561-2)

[Excerpts follow.]
Robert Karplus, a Berkeley physicist and science educator, originally
wrote /Introductory Physics/ in 1969 for non-science students. The book
acquired a strong reputation among physics teachers; it was infused with
Karplus' lively, down-to-earth style, his joy of discovery, and his
intimate knowledge of Piaget.

The book went out of print before a second, revised edition could be
written, but now Fernand Brunschwig has brought it back to life in an
inexpensive, eminently usable paperback that successfully preserves the
spirit of the original. Brunschwig has intelligently edited the text,
eliminating errors, smoothing off certain rough edges and bringing the
book more up-to-date. The graceful line drawings and the clean, readable
page layout have been retained, as has the striking cover with Karplus'
photograph of circular waves on a pond. ... Before further critiquing the
Second Edition, we must recall the unique features of the original. As
Karplus pointed out in his preface: Newtonian mechanics, traditionally
at the beginning of most physics courses, requires strong abstract
reasoning power, which often "acts as a deterrent to non-science
students' full appreciation of physics. Therefore, I have placed
Newtonian physics at the end of the text." In doing this Karplus was
following the example of the Physical Science Study Committee (PSSC) in
the initial versions of their ground-breaking high school textbook.

Karplus had a very deep understanding of the way beginning students
think about physics, and he had many years of experience with preparing
curricula for elementary schools. As a result, the first quarter of his
book (Part I, or Chapters 1-4) is unique and represents, to this
reviewer at least, an approach that is extraordinarily promising.

Chapters 3 and 4 (in which Karplus develops the concepts of interaction,
systems, and energy) are particularly valuable. These three concepts,
along with the idea of a "scientific model" (Ch. 1) are explained at a
relatively understandable, "intermediate" level of abstraction. Karplus
uses all of these concepts as a foundation for the study, in Part II
(Ch. 5-8), of waves, light, sound, the Bohr atom and wave mechanics,
and, in Part III (Ch. 9-12), of energy, temperature, and heat. In
Chapter 11, he shifts back to the Newtonian framework, introducing force
and work, and then closing the circle to the previously-introduced
concept of energy. Ch. 12 (the final Chapter in Part III) focuses on
electrical circuits and energy transfer. Finally, Part IV addresses
Newtonian mechanics head on: kinematics, Newton's Laws, gravity,
periodic motion, and kinetic theory.

As we know from relativity and electromagnetic theory, the concepts of
velocity, acceleration and force have limited usefulness in trying to
understand modern physics. In contrast, as Karplus demonstrates
convincingly in Chapter 8, by building directly on the concepts from
Part I (models, systems, interaction, energy and momentum) plus
familiarity with wave phenomena, one can develop the fundamentals of
atomic physics and quantum mechanics in a coherent and honest way that
beginners can understand.

Overall, Brunschwig has done an excellent job in maintaining the style
and improving the clarity of the text....

The format of this textbook is somewhat old-fashioned: just simple
black-and-white line drawings, photographs and text; no color; no
high-tech graphics; also, no study guide, no web site, no PowerPoint
slides, and no CD-ROM. But this can be a strength as well as a weakness.
There are some (including myself) who feel that the color, graphics, and
peripherals are often overdone, thus increasing the price while
decreasing the understandability. If you are among them, here's an
alternative.

This is a clear, exceptionally well-written textbook with verve, the
ability to connect with beginners, and an innovative conceptual
structure. Given all that has been learned about physics teaching in the
last 35 years, especially the many insights from physics education
research (PER), Karplus' approach seems especially on-target. In
summary, the Second Edition of /Introductory Physics: A Model Approach
/by Robert Karplus is a genuinely outstanding text for non-science
students as well as a font of stimulation and wisdom for teachers.

----------------------
FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING HOW TO ORDER MULTIPLE COPIES AT A DISCOUNT:
Captain's Engineering Services
http://www.captainsengsvc.com

ORDER ONE COPY from Barnes & Noble: www.bn.com or Amazon.com.
Cost is about $40 (paperback).
Search on Brunschwig or Karplus.
ISBN# 0972172610

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