LEVEL: This book covers waves, fluids, sound, heat, and light from trig-based physics at the university level. (If instead you’re looking for a calculus-based physics book, search for ISBN 1941691196.)

DESCRIPTION: This combination of physics study guide and workbook focuses on essential problem-solving skills and strategies:

• Fully solved examples with explanations show you step-by-step how to solve standard university physics problems.
• Handy charts tabulate the symbols, what they mean, and their SI units.
• Problem-solving strategies are broken down into steps and illustrated with examples.
• Answers, hints, intermediate answers, and explanations are provided for every practice exercise.
• Terms and concepts which are essential to solving physics problems are defined and explained.

VOLUME: This volume covers waves, fluids, sound, heat, and light, including simple harmonic motion, standing waves, the Doppler effect, Archimedes’ principle, the laws of thermodynamics, heat engines, principles of optics, Snell’s law, thin lenses, spherical mirrors, diffraction, interference, polarization, and more.

AUTHOR: The author, Dr. Chris McMullen, has over 20 years of experience teaching university physics in California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana (and has also taught physics to gifted high school students). Dr. McMullen currently teaches physics at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He has also published a half-dozen papers on the collider phenomenology of superstring-inspired large extra dimensions. Chris McMullen earned his Ph.D. in particle physics from Oklahoma State University (and his M.S. in physics from California State University, Northridge).

Dr. McMullen is well-known for:

• engaging physics students in challenging ideas through creativity
• breaking difficult problems down into manageable steps
• providing clear and convincing explanations to subtle issues
• his mastery of physics and strong background in mathematics
• helping students become more fluent in practical math skills

SOLUTIONS: The back of the book includes a detailed section of hints, intermediate answers, final answers, and explanations to help you solve each problem one step at a time. It’s like having a physics tutor in the back of the book. (However, if you would prefer complete solutions, search for ISBN 194169120X.)

USES: This study guide workbook can be used to:

• learn how to solve fundamental problems in trig-based physics
• find fully-solved examples of standard physics problems
• develop fluency in physics via practice exercises that include answers, hints, and explanations
• quickly find the most essential physics terms, concepts, and formulas
• prepare for the AP physics exam
• review for standardized exams, such as AP Physics or the fundamentals of the GRE.

CALCULATOR: Every problem in this book can be solved without the aid of a calculator. This is handy for students who will take a standardized exam like the GRE Physics, which doesn’t allow a calculator. (It’s also a handy skill to be able to estimate an answer without relying on a calculator.)