by Gary N. Felder and Kenny M. Felder
Below is a list of the 14 chapters and 10 appendices in the book. Professors can contact Cambridge University Press to
request an evaluation copy.
Click the [+] next to any chapter to see the sections.
Preface (a brief overview of the philosophy and structure of the book)
• Available online and in the printed book
Active Learning Exercises for Modern Physics
• Available online and in the printed book
List of Derivations in the Book
• Available online
- Relativity I: Time, Space, and Motion [+]
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Galilean Relativity
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Einstein's Postulates and Time Dilation
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Length Contraction and Simultaneity
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The Lorentz Transformations
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Velocity Transformations and the Doppler Effect
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Chapter Summary
- Relativity II: Dynamics [+]
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Spacetime Diagrams
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Momentum and Energy
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Mass and Energy (and the Speed of Light Squared)
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Four-Vectors
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More About the Michelson-Morley Experiment
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Chapter Summary
- The Quantum Revolution I: From Light Waves to Photons [+]
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Math Interlude: Interference
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The Young Double-Slit Experiment
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One Photon at a Time
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Blackbody Radiation and the Ultraviolet Catastrophe
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The Photoelectric Effect
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Further Photon Phenomena
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Chapter Summary
- The Quantum Revolution II: Matter and Wavefunctions [+]
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Atomic Spectra and the Bohr Model
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Matter Waves
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Wavefunctions and Position Probabilities
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The Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle
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Chapter Summary
- The Schrödinger Equation [+]
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Force and Potential Energy
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Energy Eigenstates and the Time-Independent Schrödinger Equation
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The Infinite Square Well
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Other Bound States
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Math Interlude: Complex Numbers
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Time Evolution of a Wavefunction
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Chapter Summary
- Unbound States [+]
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Math Interlude: Standing Waves, Traveling Waves, and Partial Derivatives
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Free Particles and Fourier Transforms
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Momentum Eigenstates
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Wave Packets and Moving Particles
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Scattering and Tunneling
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The Time-Dependent Schrödinger Equation
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Chapter Summary
- The Hydrogen Atom [+]
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Quantum Numbers of the Hydrogen Atom
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The Schrödinger Equation in Three Dimensions
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Math Interlude: Spherical Coordinates
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Schrödinger's Equation and the Hydrogen Atom
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Spin
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Spin and the Problem of Measurement
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Splitting of the Spectral Lines
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Chapter Summary
- Atoms [+]
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The Pauli Exclusion Principle
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Energy Levels and Atomic States
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The Periodic Table
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X-Ray Spectroscopy and Moseley's Law
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Chapter Summary
- Molecules [+]
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Ionic and Covalent Bonds
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Bonding and Antibonding States
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Vibrations, Rotations, and Molecular Spectra
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Chapter Summary
- Statistical Mechanics [+]
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Microstates and Macrostates
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Entropy and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
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Temperature
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The Boltzmann Distribution
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Some Applications of the Boltzmann Distribution
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Quantum Statistics
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Blackbody Radiation
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Bose-Einstein Condensation
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Chapter Summary
- Solids [+]
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Crystals
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Band Structure and Conduction
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Semiconductors and Diodes
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Transistors
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Why Do Crystals Have a Band Structure?
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Magnetic Materials
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Heat Capacity
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Chapter Summary
- The Atomic Nucleus [+]
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What's in a Nucleus?
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Experimental Evidence for Nuclear Properties
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Nuclear Models
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Three Types of Nuclear Decay
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Nuclear Fission and Fusion
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Chapter Summary
- Particle Physics [+]
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Forces and Particles
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The Standard Model
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Detecting Particles
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Symmetries and Conservation Laws
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Quantum Field Theory
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Chapter Summary
- Cosmology [+]
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The History of the Universe
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How Do We Know All That?
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Infinite Universe, Finite Universe, Observable Universe
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The Friedmann Equations
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Dark Matter and Dark Energy
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Problems with the Big Bang Model
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Inflation and the Very Early Universe
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Chapter Summary
Appendices
Appendix A: A Chronology of Modern Physics
Appendix B: Special Relativity Equations
Appendix C: Quantum Mechanics Equations
Appendix D: The Electromagnetic Spectrum
Appendix E: Interference and Diffraction
Appendix F: Properties of Waves
Appendix G: Energy Eigenstates of the Hydrogen Atom
Appendix H: The Periodic Table
Appendix I: Statistical Mechanics Equations
Appendix J: The Standard Model of Particle Physics
The following sections are available online only
Chronology of Modern Physics (an expanded version of Appendix A in the text)
Introduction to General Relativity
Interpretations of Quantum Mechanics
The Quantum Eraser
Bell's Theorem and Locality
Open Questions in Cosmology
Antimatter
Wave Packets
Answers to Check-Yourself Questions in Exercises
Errata: A list of known typos in the text.