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Thank you for your interest in the Core Concepts in Physics CD-ROM series by Saunders College Publishing and Archipelago Productions. The Core Concepts CD-ROMs apply the power of multimedia to calculus- and algebra/trigonometry-based courses, offering unparalleled full-motion animation and video, engaging interactive graphics, clear and concise text, and guiding narration. These CD-ROMs focus on those concepts students typically find most difficult in the course, drawing from mechanics, thermodynamics, electromagnetism, and optics.
This ground-breaking, three-disc CD-ROM product is available in two versions: Core Concepts in Physics (calculus-based) and Core Concepts in College Physics (algebra- and trigonometry-based). See below for a tour through the many assets of this exciting multimedia tool.
Available for both Macintosh® and Windows™.
Chapter introduction
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Each module begins with a list of the topics to be covered and a touchstone example - a video or animation that provides a realworld application of the concepts to be learned. Simple Harmonic Motion and Waves is illustrated by actual footage shot during the devastating earthquake that rocked the city of Kobe, Japan. Content Presentation
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Video, animation, annotated equations, graphics, and audio are used to present concepts and demonstrate dynamic processes. This three-dimensional animation demonstrates the dynamic principle of superposition.
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Some physics concepts are best demonstrated through a combination of animation and video. Here we have a juggler demonstrating the changes in an object's direction and path. Interactivity
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Tools are provided that allow the student to explore and interact with specific concepts. Virtual reality tools allow the user to explore the visual differences between two-dimensional and three-dimensional representations of a concept by rotating and repositioning the vectors and graphs.
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Here the user explores interference patterns by using a simple click-and-drag tool to change the resulting patterns.
Problem Solving
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The ability to understand and solve problems is a key element of physics courses. Example problems demonstrate a strategy for problem-solving and help develop a better conceptual understanding of the process. The student can access a detailed strategy of how to conceptualize the problem with "audio hints" that provide greater insight. The strategy provides step-by-step suggestions on how to think through the problem and reach a solution.
The problems were developed by John Risley of N.C. State University, editor of the Physics Communicator.
Annotated Equations
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Equations are annotated to clearly define the parts, with audio explanations coordinated with graphics.