Fundamentals of Physics

Preface

The Goal

The principal goal of Fundamentals of Physics, seventh edition, is the one established by David Halliday and Robert Resnick in their first edition over 40 years ago: to provide instructors with a tool by which they can teach students how to effectively read scientific material, identify fundamental concepts, reason through scientific questions, and solve quantitative problems.

This process is not easy for either students or instructors. Indeed, the course associated with this book may be one of the most demanding of all the courses taken by a student. However, it can also be one of the most rewarding, because it reveals the world’s fundamental clockwork from which all scientific and engineering applications spring.

Why a New Edition?

Some people question: “Because Fundamentals of Physics is so widely used and has been so well accepted, why write a new edition?” There are two primary reasons why this seventh edition was written:

Many users of the sixth edition (both instructors and students) sent in comments and suggestions to improve the book. These improvements are now incorporated into the narrative and problems throughout the book. We (the current author Jearl Walker and the publisher John Wiley & Sons) regard the book as an ongoing project and encourage more input from users. You can send suggestions, corrections, and positive or negative comments to John Wiley ...