PHYS 110 Textbook: A Calculus Based Introduction to Mechanics

The textbook for UVic Physics 110. Intended for any first-year introductory physics course taken concurrently with calculus. From the preface: The course for which this text is designed has as its intended prerequisites a high school level algebra-based survey of physics, and a similar level pre- calculus course. It is intended to be taken concurrently with an introductory calculus course. As there are several mathematical topics that are essential to the understanding of mechanics, this text includes brief and self-contained introductions to vector algebra, differentiation, and integration. The choices that we have made for topics and order of presentation deviate from many of the introductory texts that are available. In particular, we open with a discussion of vectors and then apply this concept directly to translational and rotational equilibrium. This is done in part because our experience is that manipulating vectors is novel for our students, and in need of reinforcement. It is also done in part because we expect the course to be taken concurrently with a calculus course and the typical introductory calculus course takes a little while to introduce derivatives. Our development of acceleration and velocity only touches briefly on one-dimensional motion, because of the time we spent developing vectors. We include discussions of Newtonian gravity, the Coulomb force, and the Lorentz force. Our treatment of work and energy is vector-calculus based.