Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

This non-traditional introduction to basic ideas of physics, emphasises logical development of ideas without getting bogged down in mathematical derivations/applications. It conveys the ever-present excitement of physics dating back to Greek origins of Western thought. Emphasis is placed on orgins, meanings and significance of the concepts of physics. The historical approach is used as an aid in the presentation, but not over-developed so that the physical ideas are always dominant.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Partial table of contents
• Introduction
• Dominant Themes in Physics
• Science and Other Areas of Human Endeavor: Distinctions and Similarities
• Copernican Astronomy
• Early Scientific Stirrings in the Mediterranean Area
• Geocentric Theory of the Universe
• The Heliocentric Theory: Revival by Copernicus
• New Data and a New Theory
• Newtonian Mechanics and Causality
• Aristotelian Physics
• Galilean Mechanics
• Logic, Mathematics, and Science
• The Energy Concept
• Interactions and Conservation Laws
• Heat and Motion
• Entropy and Probability
• Heat and Temperature
• The Natural Flow of Heat
• Transformation of Heat Energy into Other Forms of Energy
• The Third Law of Thermodynamics
• Relativity
• Galilean-Newtonian Relativity
• Attempts to Detect the Ether
• General Theory of Relativity
• Quantum Theory and the End of Causality
• Cavity of Blackbody Radiation
• The Nuclear Atom and Atomic Spectra
• The Use of Models in Describing Nature
• The Impact of Quantum Theory on Philosophy and Literature
• Conservation Principles and Symmetries
• The Nuclear Force and Nuclear Structure
• Conservation Laws and Symmetries
• Index

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

YA A nontechnical discussion of the major aspects of physics, this is a revised edition of a college text intended for liberal arts majors. The ``seven ideas'' include: Copernican astronomy, Newtonian mechanics, the energy concept, entropy and probability, relativity, quantun theory, and conservation principles and symmetries. In the first two sections Spielberg and Anderson give an exciting historical account of the events that gave rise to what is now known as classical physics. They make readers understand the importance of the work of such men as Kepler, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, and others. The authors also do a fairly good job of making readers understand the excitement in the new physics of today (quarks, leptons, the color force, etc.). The ideas of relativity and quantum physics are not as vividly presented, but on the whole, the book succeeds in providing a descriptive lesson on the ``history of physics.'' High-school physics and chemistry students, as well as teachers, should find the book useful as a reference. Robyn Schuster, Episcopal High School , Bellaire (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Spielberg and Anderson examine the most influential concepts in physics, from the sun-centered universe of Copernicus to the symmetries of quarks. Discussions of history focus on prior theory and experiment, with the context for Newtonian mechanics defined by introducing ``the procedures and mental tools of science'' and analyzing the six laws of motion. Supplemented by algebraic formulas and scientific postulates, a wide range of ideas is charted, with jargon explained and important experiments cited in readable prose. The authors make enlightening connections especially in their discussion of energy between the working world and the ivory towers of science and between past and future research. Later material covers Einstein and relativity and the world of submicroscopic particles. A swift and thorough catch-up on science for those who discovered its charms after school was out. Notes, references, and index. VND. 500.2 Physics / Mechanics / Astronomy [CIP] 86-15996