James Walker’s Physics Fifth Edition provides college students with a strong conceptual understanding of physics that may be expressed quantitatively and applied to the real world around them. Students and Instructors praise Walker’s Physics for its pleasant voice, the author’s expertise for making complicated ideas understandable, an inviting art program, and the range of fantastic homework problems and example-types that provide guidance with solving problems. The Fifth Edition consists of new “just-in-time” studying aids such as “Big Ideas” to quickly orient students to the overarching principles of every chapter, new Real-World Physics and Biological applications, and a wealth of problem-solving support features to coach college students by the process of applying logic and reasoning to problem-solving.

Meant for algebra-based introductory physics courses.

About the Author

James Walker obtained his Ph.D. in theoretical physics from the University of Washington in 1978. He then served as a post-doc at the University of Pennsylvania, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the University of California at San Diego before joining the physics faculty at Western Washington University. Professor Walker’s research interests include statistical mechanics, chaos, and critical phenomena. His many publications on the application of renormalization-group theory to systems ranging from absorbed monolayers to binary-fluid mixtures have appeared in Physical Review, Physica, Physical Review Letters, and a number of different publications. He has also participated in observations on the summit of Mauna Kea, in search of proof of extra-solar planets.

Jim Walker likes to work with students in many levels, from judging elementary school science fairs to writing research papers with graduate college students and has taught introductory physics for many years. His enjoyment of this course and his empathy for college students have earned him a repute as an enthusiastic, innovative, and effective instructor. Jim’s educational publications include “Reappearing Phases” (Scientific American, May 1987) in addition to articles in The Physics Teacher and American Journal of Physics. In recognition of his contributions to the teaching of physics at Western Washington University, Jim was named the Boeing Distinguished Professor of Science and Mathematics Education for 2001–2003.

When he’s not teaching, conducting research, writing, or developing new classroom demonstrations and pedagogical materials, Jim enjoys amateur astronomy, bird and dragonfly watching, eclipse chasing, juggling, unicycling, boogie boarding, and kayaking. Jim is also an avid jazz pianist and organist. He has served as ballpark organist for a number of Class A minor league baseball teams, including the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes, an affiliate of the San Francisco Giants and Bellingham Mariners, an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. He can play Take Me Out To The Ball Game in his sleep.