Paul G. Hewitt

Former silver-medal boxing champion, sign painter, uranium prospector, and soldier, Paul began college at the age of 27, with the help of the GI Bill. He pioneered the conceptual approach to teaching physics at the City College of San Francisco. He has taught as a guest teacher at various middle schools and high schools, the University of California at both the Berkeley and Santa Cruz campuses, and the University of Hawaii at both the Manoa and Hilo campuses. He also taught for 20 years at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, which honored him with its Outstanding Educator Award in 2000. He is the author of Conceptual Physics and a co-author of Conceptual Physical Science and Conceptual Physical Science Explorations (with John Suchocki and Leslie Hewitt).

• 1. About Science
• I. MECHANICS
• 2. Newton’s First Law of Motion: Inertia
• 3. Linear Motion
• 4. Newton’s Second Law of Motion: Force and Acceleration
• 5. Newton’s Third Law of Motion: Action and Reaction
• 6. Momentum
• 7. Energy
• 8. Rotational Motion
• 9. Gravity
• 10. Projectile and Satellite Motion
• II. PROPERTIES OF MATTER
• 11. Atomic Nature of Matter
• 12. Solids
• 13. Liquids
• 14. Gases and Plasmas
• III. HEAT
• 15. Temperature, Heat and Expansion
• 16. Heat Transfer
• 17. Change of Phase
• 18. Thermodynamics
• IV. SOUND
• 19. Vibrations and Waves
• 20. Sound
• 21. Musical Sounds
• V. ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM
• 22. Electrostatics
• 23. Electric Current
• 24. Magnetism
• 25. Electromagnetic Induction
• VI. LIGHT
• 26. Properties of Light
• 27. Color
• 28. Reflection and Refraction
• 29. Light Waves
• 30. Light Emission
• 31. Light Quanta
• VII. ATOMIC AND NUCLEAR PHYSICS
• 32. The Atom and the Quantum
• 33. Atomic Nucleus and Radioactivity
• 34. Nuclear Fission and Fusion
• VIII. RELATIVITY
• 35. Special Theory of Relativity
• 36. General Theory of Relativity
• Appendices
• A. Systems of Measurement
• B. More About Motion
• C. Graphing
• D. More About Vectors
• E. Exponential Growth and Doubling Time