A research-driven approach to physics

Physics for Scientists and Engineers incorporates Physics Education Research and cognitive science best practices that encourage conceptual development, problem-solving skill acquisition, and visualization. Knight stresses qualitative reasoning through physics principles before formalizing physics mathematically, developing student problem-solving skills with a systematic, scaffolded approach. The text presents a finely tuned, practical introduction to physics with problems that relate physics to everyday life and includes models, modeling, and advanced topics.

With the 5th Edition, new and expanded media and assessments in Mastering and the Pearson eText provide fully integrated print and digital resources for both the active and traditional classroom. New content includes key topics such as Entropy quantitatively, Viscosity and Poiseuille’s Equation, and Carnot Efficiency details.

About the Author

Randy Knight taught introductory physics for thirty-two years at Ohio State University and California Polytechnic State University, where he is Professor Emeritus of Physics. Professor Knight received a PhD in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, and was a post-doctoral fellow at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics before joining the faculty at Ohio State University. A growing awareness of the importance of research in physics education led first to Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach and later College Physics: A Strategic Approach. Professor Knight’s research interests are in the fields of laser spectroscopy and environmental science. When he’s not in front of a computer, you can find Randy hiking, traveling, playing the piano, or spending time with his wife Sally and their five cats.