Six Ideas that Shaped Physics: Unit N - Laws of Physics are Universal

by Thomas A. Moore

Six Ideas that Shaped Physics is comprised of six units, providing a unique approach to a two- or three-semester calculus-based introductory physics course. The text is designed to teach students to apply basic physical principles to realistic situations, and to resolve contradictions between their preconceived notions and the laws of physics. Through integrated practice, students learn to solve realistic problems, and organize the ideas of physics into an integrated hierarchy.

The six units are:
Unit C: Conservation laws constrain interactions
Unit N: The laws of physics are universal (Newtonian mechanics)
Unit R: The laws of physics are frame-independent (Relativity)
Unit E: Electricity and magnetism are unified
Unit Q: Matter behaves like waves (Quantum physics)
Unit T: Some processes are irreversible (Thermal physics)

Genres: Nonfiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 1997

About the author

There is more than one Thomas A. Moore in the Goodreads catalog. This entry is for Thomas ^ A. Moore, professor of physics.

Thomas A. Moore is Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Pomona College, in Claremont, California, USA.

Moore is a theoretical astrophysicist who has done most of his published research on the generation and detection of gravitational waves. Currently, he is working to better understand what space-based gravitational wave detectors should expect to see and what they might tell us about the universe. He is also deeply interested in problems in physics education and has published several papers (as well as given a number of talks and workshops) on new approaches to teaching physics.

He served for seven years on the steering committee of the Introductory University Physics Project, and his work for that project led him to write a fairly radical introductory physics textbook titled Six Ideas That Shaped Physics (2003). He is also the author of two other textbooks, A General Relativity Workbook (2013) and A Traveler’s Guide to Spacetime (1996).

His scholarly interests are in gravitational waves, physics education, the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, solar energy, and the intersection of science and religion.

Education
B.A. Carleton College (1976)
M. Phil. Yale University (1978)
Ph. D. Yale University (1981)