Great Ideas in Physics

This is an interdisciplinary textbook in physics for non-science majors and is accessible to students with little science background. The text focuses on four ideas: the conservation of energy, the second law of thermodynamics, the relativity of time, and the wave-particle duality of nature. Each idea, occupying a separate chapter, is first discussed in its scientific terms. The treatment uses only pre-calculus mathematics. The new edition contains quantitative problems with solutions, though emphasis is placed on concepts, rathter than facts. Each idea is also discussed in terms of its direct impact on the humanities, using excerpts from science greats as well as famous authors and philosophers.