Great Ideas of Classical Physics

Great Ideas of Classical Physics, one of the latest additions to The Teaching Company's “Great Lectures” series, charts the evolution of ideas, discoveries, and concepts related to physics, from the work of Aristotle to the near-science-fiction sounding theories propounded in the 20th century. Taking a quasi-historical approach for the 24-lecture series, Dr. Stephen Pollock of the University of Colorado at Boulder guides viewers through key developments in various areas of physics: the laws of motion, acceleration, and mass; electricity and magnetism; light and sound; heat and thermodynamics; astronomy; and a brief introduction to quantum mechanics. Pollock does an excellent job of presenting complex ideas in layperson's terms (an extra fun feature is Pollock's Physics Education Technology SIM lab—found at http://phet.colorado.edu/web-pages/index.html—where viewers can experiment with various learning activities, such as building your own solar system). An excellent complementary course to The Teaching Company's Physics in Your Life (VL-7/05)—with separately available course guidebooks including outlines, transcripts, maps, a timeline, glossary, and bibliography—this is a fine choice for high school and academic libraries (as well as a solid pick for public libraries serving adult learners). Highly recommended. Aud: H, C, P. (L. Stevens)