SherbyNet - /page/wikibook/entry.mu

Micron Document

<!DOCTYPE html>

<title>Berkeley Physics Course</title>

</head>

<span id="openzim-page-title" class="mw-page-title-main"><i>Berkeley Physics Course</i></span>

</h1>

</header>

<p>

The <b>Berkeley Physics Course</b> is a series of college-level <a href="Physics" title="Physics">physics</a> textbooks written mostly (but not exclusively) by <a href="UC_Berkeley" class="mw-redirect" title="UC Berkeley">UC Berkeley</a> professors.

</p>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="Description">Description</h2></div>

<p>The series consists of the following five volumes, each of which was originally used in a one-semester course at Berkeley:

</p>

<ol><li><i>Mechanics</i>, by <a href="Charles_Kittel" title="Charles Kittel">Charles Kittel</a>, <a href="Walter_D._Knight" title="Walter D. Knight">Walter D. Knight</a>, and <a href="Malvin_Ruderman" title="Malvin Ruderman">Malvin Ruderman</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li>

<li><i><a href="Electricity_and_Magnetism_(book)" title="Electricity and Magnetism (book)">Electricity and Magnetism</a></i>, by <a href="Edward_M._Purcell" class="mw-redirect" title="Edward M. Purcell">Edward M. Purcell</a></li>

<li><i>Waves</i>, by Frank S. Crawford Jr.</li>

<li><i>Quantum Physics</i>, by <a href="Eyvind_Wichmann" title="Eyvind Wichmann">Eyvind H. Wichmann</a></li>

<li><i>Statistical Physics</i>, by <a href="Frederick_Reif" title="Frederick Reif">Frederick Reif</a></li></ol>

<p>Volume 2, <i><a href="Electricity_and_Magnetism_(book)" title="Electricity and Magnetism (book)">Electricity and Magnetism</a></i>, by Purcell (Harvard), is particularly well known, and was influential for its <a href="Relativistic_electromagnetism" title="Relativistic electromagnetism">use of relativity</a> in the presentation of the subject at the introductory college level. Half a century later the book is still in print, in an updated version by authors Purcell and Morin. The third edition of the text, published by <a href="Cambridge_University_Press" title="Cambridge University Press">Cambridge University Press</a> in 2013, was completely revised and updated to <a href="International_System_of_Units" title="International System of Units">SI units</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

</p>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="History">History</h2></div>

<p>A <a href="Space_race" class="mw-redirect" title="Space race">Sputnik-era</a> project funded by a <a href="National_Science_Foundation" title="National Science Foundation">National Science Foundation</a> grant, the course arose from discussions between <a href="Philip_Morrison" title="Philip Morrison">Philip Morrison</a> (then at <a href="Cornell_University" title="Cornell University">Cornell University</a>) and Charles Kittel (Berkeley) in 1961, and was published by <a href="McGraw-Hill" class="mw-redirect" title="McGraw-Hill">McGraw-Hill</a> starting in 1965. The Berkeley course was contemporary with <i><a href="The_Feynman_Lectures_on_Physics" title="The Feynman Lectures on Physics">The Feynman Lectures on Physics</a></i> (a college course at a similar mathematical level), and <a href="Physical_Science_Study_Committee" title="Physical Science Study Committee">PSSC Physics</a> (a high school introductory course). These physics courses were all developed in the <a href="Sputnik_crisis" title="Sputnik crisis">atmosphere of urgency</a> about science education created in the West by <a href="Sputnik" class="mw-redirect" title="Sputnik">Sputnik</a>.

</p><p>Because of the government support received, the original editions contained notices on their copyright pages stating that the books were to be available royalty-free after five years. The authors got lump-sum payments but did not receive <a href="Royalties" class="mw-redirect" title="Royalties">royalties</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The legal status of the original editions has been befogged in the case of the renowned <a href="Electricity_and_Magnetism_(book)" title="Electricity and Magnetism (book)">second volume</a> by the fact that Cambridge University Press has made it effectively impossible to obtain the royalty-free license promised under the original government contract.<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup>

</p><p>There was a parallel series of laboratory courses developed by <a href="Alan_M._Portis" title="Alan M. Portis">Alan Portis</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The <a href="Heathkit" title="Heathkit">Heathkit</a> company marketed a line of its electronic instruments which had been adapted for use with Berkeley series of lab manuals.<sup id="cite_ref-BrueschkeMack_6-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-BrueschkeMack-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup><sup class="reference nowrap"><span title="Page / location: 149">: 149 </span></sup>

</p><p>The series was translated into a number of foreign languages.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Although the course was influential in physics education worldwide, the book series sold better in foreign markets than in the US, possibly because students in other countries specialized earlier and were therefore better prepared mathematically than US students.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> It was felt to be too advanced for typical engineering students at Berkeley, but continued to be used there in <a href="Honors_course" class="mw-redirect" title="Honors course">honors courses</a> for physics majors. Course adoption may have also been hindered by the initial choice of <a href="Gaussian_units" title="Gaussian units">Gaussian units</a> of measurement, and later editions of volumes 1 and 2 were eventually published with the Gaussian system replaced by <a href="International_System_of_Units" title="International System of Units">SI units</a>.

</p>

<ul><li><i><a href="The_Feynman_Lectures_on_Physics" title="The Feynman Lectures on Physics">The Feynman Lectures on Physics</a></i> – another contemporaneously-developed and influential college-level physics series</li>

<li><i><a href="Course_of_Theoretical_Physics" title="Course of Theoretical Physics">Course of Theoretical Physics</a></i> – ten-volume series of books covering advanced theoretical physics, by Lev Landau and Evgeniy Lifshitz</li>

<li><i><a href="Physical_Science_Study_Committee" title="Physical Science Study Committee">PSSC Physics</a></i> – a contemporaneously-developed high-school-level physics textbook</li>

<li><i><a href="Harvard_Project_Physics" title="Harvard Project Physics">Harvard Project Physics</a></i> – a contemporaneously-developed high-school-level physics textbook</li></ul>

<div class="mw-heading mw-heading2"><h2 id="References">References</h2></div>

/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}

/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

</style><div class="reflist">

/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("./mw/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("./mw/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("./mw/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("./mw/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}

/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

</style><cite id="CITEREFLewis1965" class="citation journal cs1">Lewis, J. A. (May 7, 1965). "Mechanics: Berkeley Physics Course". <i>Science</i>. <b>148</b> (3671): <span class="nowrap">813–</span>814. <a href="Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1126%2Fscience.148.3671.813-b">10.1126/science.148.3671.813-b</a>. <a href="JSTOR_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="JSTOR (identifier)">JSTOR</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/1716383">1716383</a>. <a href="S2CID_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="S2CID (identifier)">S2CID</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:176834082">176834082</a>.</cite></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-2">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/physics/general-and-classical-physics/electricity-and-magnetism-3rd-edition?format=HB">"Electricity and Magnetism, 3rd edition"</a>. Cambridge University Press<span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">July 8,</span> 2014</span>.</cite></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-3">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">A. Carl Helmholtz, "Faculty governance and physics at the University of California, Berkeley, 1937-1990 : oral history transcript / 1993"</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-4">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite class="citation web cs1"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://bitbucket.org/ben-crowell/purcell">"Bitbucket"</a>.</cite></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">A.M. Portis, The Berkeley Physics Laboratory, in New trends in physics teaching, v. 1, 1965-1966, Unesco.</span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-BrueschkeMack-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-BrueschkeMack_6-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><cite id="CITEREFBrueschkeMack2019" class="citation web cs1">Brueschke, Erich E.; Mack, Michael (2019). <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.ontheshortwaves.com/Ads/The_History_of_the_Heath_Companies_and_Heathkits-1909-2019.pdf">"The History of the Heath Companies and Heathkits: 1909 to 2019"</a> <span class="cs1-format">(PDF)</span>. <i>On the Shortwaves</i><span class="reference-accessdate">. Retrieved <span class="nowrap">2022-02-25</span></span>.</cite></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-7">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.abebooks.it/BERKELEY-PHYSICS-LABORATORY-2-MECANICA-PORTISYOUNG/17815565098/bd">https://www.abebooks.it/BERKELEY-PHYSICS-LABORATORY-2-MECANICA-PORTISYOUNG/17815565098/bd</a> <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="https://www.buscalibre.com.mx/libro-berkeley-physics-laboratory-10-fisica-atomica/47814803/p/47814803">https://www.buscalibre.com.mx/libro-berkeley-physics-laboratory-10-fisica-atomica/47814803/p/47814803</a></span>

</li>

<li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Helmholtz</span>

</li>

</ol></div></div>

/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li:last-child::after{content:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:first-child::before{content:" (";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dd li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt li:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dd:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}

/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

</style><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236075235">

/* start https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

.mw-parser-output .navbox{box-sizing:border-box;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;width:100%;clear:both;font-size:88%;text-align:center;padding:1px;margin:1em auto 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbox{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox+.navbox-styles+.navbox{margin-top:-1px}.mw-parser-output .navbox-inner,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{width:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-title,.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow{padding:0.25em 1em;line-height:1.5em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .navbox-group{white-space:nowrap;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .navbox,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup{background-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list{line-height:1.5em;border-color:#fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-list-with-group{text-align:left;border-left-width:2px;border-left-style:solid}.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-group,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-image,.mw-parser-output tr+tr>.navbox-list{border-top:2px solid #fdfdfd}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title{background-color:#ccf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-abovebelow,.mw-parser-output .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-title{background-color:#ddf}.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-group,.mw-parser-output .navbox-subgroup .navbox-abovebelow{background-color:#e6e6ff}.mw-parser-output .navbox-even{background-color:#f7f7f7}.mw-parser-output .navbox-odd{background-color:transparent}.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox .hlist td ul,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .navbox td.hlist ul{padding:0.125em 0}.mw-parser-output .navbox .navbar{display:block;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .navbox-title .navbar{float:left;text-align:left;margin-right:0.5em}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .navbox-image img{max-width:none!important}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .navbox{display:none!important}}

/* end https://en.wikipedia.org/ */

</style></div><div role="navigation" class="navbox authority-control" aria-labelledby="Authority_control_databases_frameless&#124;text-top&#124;10px&#124;alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata&#124;link=https&#58;//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3822423#identifiers&#124;class=noprint&#124;Edit_this_at_Wikidata498" style="padding:3px"><table class="nowraplinks hlist mw-collapsible autocollapse navbox-inner" style="border-spacing:0;background:transparent;color:inherit"><tbody><tr><th scope="col" class="navbox-title" colspan="2"><div id="Authority_control_databases_frameless&#124;text-top&#124;10px&#124;alt=Edit_this_at_Wikidata&#124;link=https&#58;//www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q3822423#identifiers&#124;class=noprint&#124;Edit_this_at_Wikidata498" style="font-size:114%;margin:0 4em">Authority control databases </div></th></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">International</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-odd" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://viaf.org/viaf/178645740">VIAF</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr><tr><th scope="row" class="navbox-group" style="width:1%">National</th><td class="navbox-list-with-group navbox-list navbox-even" style="width:100%;padding:0"><div style="padding:0 0.25em"><ul><li><span class="uid"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://id.loc.gov/authorities/n84741385">United States</a></span></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table></div></div><div><div class="zim-footer">

This article is issued from <a class="external text" title="Last edited on 2025-07-05" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/?title=Berkeley_Physics_Course&oldid=1298952803">Wikipedia</a>. The text is available under <a class="external text" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en">Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0</a> unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

</div>

</div></div>

</div>

</main>

</div>

</body></html>