Physics is the quantitative study of the basic behavior of our natural world.

The important question is: "How does this work?"

General Physics will attempt to help you answer that question.

Physics utilizes terms and concepts, such as work, mass, heat, and energy in an exact manner that permit a universal understanding and encampasses broad unifying themes.

One of the tremendous powers of physics is its ability to compute and predict the values of physical processes.

Some of the ways that nature behaves can seem very bizarre—quantum mechanics and curved space-time are not part of our awareness of our familiar world, but these are aspects of the universe in which we exist.

By the end of the semester the goal is to have a better understanding of the behavior of the physical world and the role of science and physics in the pursuit of truth.

The path is fun, exciting, challenging, and the points we gain on the journey are rewarding. Welcome to the wonderful world of physics!

We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win....

John F. Kennedy, Rice University, 12 Sep 62