TABLE OF CONTENTS The purpose of this course is to explore the development and content of the major ideas that have led to our understanding of the physical universe. As in any science course you will learn about many of the important concepts, theories, and laws that make up the content of the science, physics in this case. But this course goes beyond that; it presents science as experience, as an integrated and exciting intellectual adventure, as the product of humankind's continual drive to know and to understand our world and our relationship to it.
Not only will you learn about the many ideas and concepts that make up our understanding of the physical world today but, equally important, these ideas will come alive as we look back at how they arose, who the people were who arrived at these ideas in their struggle to understand nature, and how this struggle continues today. Our story has two sides to it: the ideas of physics and the people and atmosphere of the times in which these ideas emerged. As you watch the rise and fall of physical theories, you will gain an appreciation of the nature of...
