Publisher's Synopsis
This text provides an understanding of the foundations and structure of physical science by emphasizing science as a search for truth rather than an accumulation of facts. It develops the subject through concrete examples such as inclined planes and levers, speeds and displacements, progressing to consideration of forces and the concept of inertia, and the idea of energy. Similarly, a study of observable chemical reactions advances to the ways in which atoms combine, separate and displace one another, and how observable masses of reactants and products illustrate how the atoms are combining. The fundamental ideas are applied to astronomy, optics, geology, music and the chemical compounds of life processes. The wide variety of end-of-chapter problems and multiple choice questions reinforce comprehension of each topic.