Autorentext

Richard W. Robinett obtained his Ph. D. in theoretical physics from the University of Minnesota in 1981, followed by postdoctoral appointments at the University of Wisconsin Madison and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He joined the faculty of the Physics Department at Penn State in 1986 as an Assistant Professor, and became a full Professor in 2000. He served as Interim Associate Dean of the Eberly College of Science twice, and as Associate Department Head for Undergraduate and Graduate Studies, until his retirement in 2023. He was selected a Fellow of the American Physical Society in 2003.

Klappentext

Aimed at students throughout the undergraduate Physics curriculum, this textbook emphasizes the utility of dimensional analysis techniques in research applications, with examples ranging from famous papers in the historical literature to recent advances, and includes an extensive array of worked examples and end-of-chapter problems.

Inhalt

• I Preparing to explore the landscape of physics

• 1: Getting started

• 2: Warm-up: Dimensional analysis confronts data

• II The `quadrivium' of physics

• 3: Classical mechanics: Point particles and continuum systems

• 4: Electricity and magnetism

• 5: Thermal physics

• 6: Quantum mechanics

• III Exploring more advanced topics

• 7: Advanced quantum mechanics

• 8: Condensed matter physics

• 9: Astrophysics and gravitation

• IV Resources for exploration

• 10 Ancillary material