Preface

About OpenStax

OpenStax is a non-profit organization committed to improving student access to quality learning materials. Their free textbooks are developed and peer-reviewed by educators to ensure readability, accuracy, and alignment with the scope and sequence requirements of modern college courses. Unlike traditional textbooks, OpenStax resources are living documents—hosted online and supported by a community of educators. Through partnerships with companies and philanthropic foundations dedicated to lowering student costs, OpenStax aims to expand access to higher education for all. OpenStax is an initiative of Rice University.

About This Adaptation

This version of College Physics has been adapted for PHY231: Introductory Physics I at Michigan State University (MSU). It retains the core structure and content of the original OpenStax resource while incorporating select modifications for clarity, alignment with MSU’s curriculum, and enhanced student engagement. The adaptation was made by the course instructor(s) at MSU under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license. Portions of this book were refined and polished with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model developed by OpenAI, to improve clarity, consistency, and technical accuracy.

The original College Physics textbook is freely available at https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics. This adapted version continues to honor the spirit of open education and community contribution.

To the Student

This book is written with you in mind. Rooted in the experience of many physicists and educators, it aims to make the subject of physics accessible and relevant to your everyday world. From launching rockets to using medical imaging, physics is everywhere—and we hope this text helps you see that. In PHY231, we will build on this foundation through hands-on problem solving and real-world applications.

Acknowledgments

This adaptation is based on the original College Physics by OpenStax, authored by:

Senior Contributing Authors

• Dr. Paul Peter Urone

• Dr. Roger Hinrichs, State University of New York, College at Oswego

Contributing Authors

• Dr. Kim Dirks, University of Auckland, New Zealand

• Dr. Manjula Sharma, University of Sydney, Australia

Expert Reviewers

• Erik Christensen, P.E, South Florida Community College

• Dr. Eric Kincanon, Gonzaga University

• Dr. Douglas Ingram, Texas Christian University

• Lee H. LaRue, Paris Junior College

• Dr. Marc Sher, College of William and Mary

• Dr. Ulrich Zurcher, Cleveland State University

• Dr. Matthew Adams, Crafton Hills College, San Bernardino Community College District

• Dr. Chuck Pearson, Virginia Intermont College

This version was adapted by Dr. Saúl Beceiro Novo for use in PHY231 at Michigan State University. Feedback and suggestions for further improvement are welcome.