Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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The Adventure of Physics - Vol. VI: The Strand Model - A Speculation on Unification
Christoph Schiller · Motion Mountain · 2008
This book is written for anybody who is intensely curious about nature and motion. Have you ever asked: Why do people, animals, things, images and empty space move? The answer leads to many adventures, and this book presents one of the best of them: the search for a precise, unified and final description of all motion. The wish to describe all motion is a large endeavour. Fortunately, this large endeavour can be structured in the simple diagram shown in Figure 1. The final and unified descrip- tion of motion, the topic of this book, corresponds to the highest point in the diagram. Searching for this final and unified description is an old quest. In the following, I briefly summarize its history and then present an intriguing, though speculative solution to the riddle. The search for the final, unified description of motion is a story of many surprises. For example, twentieth-century research has shown that there is a smallest distance in nature. Research has also shown that matter cannot be distinguished from empty space at those small distances. A last surprise dates from this century: particles and space are best described as made of strands, instead of little spheres or points. The present text explains how to reach these unexpected conclusions. In particular, quantum field theory, the standard model of particle physics, general relativity and cosmology are shown to follow from strands. The three gauge interactions, the three particle generations and the three dimensions of space turn out to be due to strands. In fact, all the open questions of twentieth-century physics about the foundations of motion, all the millennium issues, can be solved with the help of strands. The strand model, as presented in this text, is an unexpected result from a threefold aim that I have pursued since 1990, in the five previous volumes of this series: to present the basics of motion in a way that is up to date, captivating and simple. In retrospect, the aim for maximum simplicity ha
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Geometry with an Introduction to Cosmic Topology
Michael Hitchman · Michael P. Hitchman · 2020
Motivated by questions in cosmology, the open-content text Geometry with an Introduction to Cosmic Topology uses Mobius transformations to develop hyperbolic, elliptic, and Euclidean geometry - three possibilities for the global geometry of the universe. The text, written for students who have taken vector calculus, also explores the interplay between the shape of a space and the type of geometry it admits. Geometry is suitable for a semester course in non-Euclidean geometry or as a guide to independent study, with over 200 exercises and several essays on topics including the history of geometry, parallax and curvature, and research aimed at determining the shape of the universe.
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Euclid's Elements Redux
Daniel Callahan · Sample · 2020
"Euclid's 'Elements' Redux" is an open textbook on mathematical logic and geometry based on Euclid's "Elements" for use in grades 7-12 and in undergraduate college courses on proof writing. Many problem solvers throughout history wrestled with Euclid as part of their early education including Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton, Ada Lovelace, Abraham Lincoln, Bertrand Russell, and Albert Einstein. This edition is part of an effort to ensure that tomorrow's great thinkers will have that same privilege.
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How We Got from There to Here: A Story of Real Analysis
Robert Rogers; Eugene Boman · Open SUNY · 2014
The typical introductory real analysis text starts with an analysis of the real number system and uses this to develop the definition of a limit, which is then used as a foundation for the definitions encountered thereafter. While this is certainly a reasonable approach from a logical point of view, it is not how the subject evolved, nor is it necessarily the best way to introduce students to the rigorous but highly non-intuitive definitions and proofs found in analysis. This book proposes that an effective way to motivate these definitions is to tell one of the stories (there are many) of the historical development of the subject, from its intuitive beginnings to modern rigor. The definitions and techniques are motivated by the actual difficulties encountered by the intuitive approach and are presented in their historical context. However, this is not a history of analysis book. It is an introductory analysis textbook, presented through the lens of history. As such, it does not simply insert historical snippets to supplement the material. The history is an integral part of the topic, and students are asked to solve problems that occur as they arise in their historical context. This book covers the major topics typically addressed in an introductory undergraduate course in real analysis in their historical order. Written with the student in mind, the book provides guidance for transforming an intuitive understanding into rigorous mathematical arguments. For example, in addition to more traditional problems, major theorems are often stated and a proof is outlined. The student is then asked to fill in the missing details as a homework problem.
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Introduction to Sociology
Tonja Conerly; Kathleen Holmes; Asha Tamang · OpenStax · 2021
Introduction to Sociology 3e aligns to the topics and objectives of many introductory sociology courses. It is arranged in a manner that provides foundational sociological theories and contexts, then progresses through various aspects of human and societal interactions. The new edition is focused on driving meaningful and memorable learning experiences related to critical thinking about society and culture. The text includes comprehensive coverage of core concepts, discussions and data relevant to a diverse audience, and features that draw learners into the discipline in powerful and personal ways. Overall, Introduction to Sociology 3e aims to center the course and discipline as crucial elements for understanding relationships, society, and civic engagement; the authors seek to lay the foundation for students to apply what they learn throughout their lives and careers. The authors, reviewers, and the entire team worked to build understanding of the causes and impacts of discrimination and prejudice. Introduction to Sociology 3e contains dozens of examples of discrimination and its outcomes regarding social science, society, institutions, and individuals. The text seeks to strike a balance between confronting the damaging aspects of our culture and history and celebrating those who have driven change and overcome challenges. The core discussion of these topics are present in Chapter 11 on Race and Ethnicity, and Chapter 12 on Gender, Sex, and Sexuality, but their causes and effects are extensively discussed in the context of other topics, including education, law enforcement, government, healthcare, the economy, and so on. Together and when connected by an instructor, these elements have potential for deep and lasting effects.
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Slavery to Liberation: The African American Experience
Joshua Farrington; Norman Powell; Gwendolyn Graham; Ogechi Anyanwu · Encompass Digital Archive · 2019
Slavery to Liberation: The African American Experience gives instructors, students, and general readers a comprehensive and up-to-date account of African Americans’ cultural and political history, economic development, artistic expressiveness, and religious and philosophical worldviews in a critical framework. It offers sound interdisciplinary analysis of selected historical and contemporary issues surrounding the origins and manifestations of White supremacy in the United States. By placing race at the center of the work, the book offers significant lessons for understanding the institutional marginalization of Blacks in contemporary America and their historical resistance and perseverance.
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La política petrolera en el gobierno de la revolución ciudadana: El caso del Campo Sacha
Nelson García-Osorio · Editorial Grupo AEA · 2022
En la primera parte, se realiza un resumen del manejo del petróleo a partir de 1972 hasta la actualidad, así como también se describe la política petrolera aplicada por los gobiernos, desde la administración del doctor Oswaldo Hurtado hasta la administración del señor Guillermo Lasso. En la segunda, se analiza el entorno jurídico en el contexto de los recursos naturales especialmente del petróleo, en el marco de la Ley de Hidrocarburos y de la Constitución de la República del Ecuador. Y en la tercera, se analiza la producción en el Campo Sacha, adjudicada a ORNCEM mediante el contrato de servicios específicos y de acuerdo a sus dos contratos modificatorios. Se concluye con algunas consideraciones que se deben tomar en cuenta y que llaman a la reflexión cuando se proponen y ejecutan contratos cuyo beneficio no es el mejor para el país. Por otro lado, los bosques son grandes “limpiadores” de dióxido de carbono, al ser destruidos se anula su potencial de absorción y, por lo tanto, contribuyen al calentamiento global del planeta por el incremento de gases de efecto invernadero, razón por la cual, se debe contrarrestar la deforestación.
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Ethics in Technology
Edward Weber · St. Charles Community College · 2025
The purpose of this text is to serve as an Open Education Resource (OER) designed initially to be used in a secondary or post-secondary education setting. It is intended to be a guide to facilitate focused discussions about contemporary issues of the ethical considerations related to technology evolution, development, deployment, and consumption, as well as issues (both known and unknown) of potential misuse and abuse of technology. This is not a traditional Ethics textbook in that it is not intended to provide a survey of all of the history of Ethics through the ages nor is it intended to dive deeply into any particular ethical movements or frameworks as may be the focus of other ethics studies. Rather, it is intended to focus predominantly on the concepts of applying critical and ethical thinking to issues and subsequent decisions related to our interactions with technology in the 21st century.
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Introduction to Library and Information Science
Reed Hepler; David Horalek · College of Southern Idaho Pressbooks Network (CSI) · 2023
This book explores the history, present, and future of library science, both in theory and in practice. It examines the place of the librarian as arbiter of information access in a constantly-changing and modernizing global community.
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Humanizing Science through STEAM Challenges
EunJin Bahng; John Hauptman · Iowa State University · 2021
In a science methods course during the Covid19 pandemic, 51 future elementary teachers authored children's books and then read them aloud as part of a giving-back, service-learning activity as Open Educational Resources (OER). The 51 children's stories and their accompanying audiobooks aim to integrate STEM and the Arts to humanize science and scientific inquiry with history and philosophy of science in mind.
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Introduction to Sociology 3e
Tonja R. Conerly; Kathleen Holmes; Asha Lal Tamang; Jennifer Hensley · OpenStax, Rice University
Introduction to Sociology 3e aligns to the topics and objectives of many introductory sociology courses. It is arranged in a manner that provides foundational sociological theories and contexts, then progresses through various aspects of human and societal interactions. The new edition is focused on driving meaningful and memorable learning experiences related to critical thinking about society and culture. The text includes comprehensive coverage of core concepts, discussions and data relevant to a diverse audience, and features that draw learners into the discipline in powerful and personal ways. Overall, Introduction to Sociology 3e aims to center the course and discipline as crucial elements for understanding relationships, society, and civic engagement; the authors seek to lay the foundation for students to apply what they learn throughout their lives and careers. The authors, reviewers, and the entire team worked to build understanding of the causes and impacts of discrimination and prejudice. Introduction to Sociology 3e contains dozens of examples of discrimination and its outcomes regarding social science, society, institutions, and individuals. The text seeks to strike a balance between confronting the damaging aspects of our culture and history and celebrating those who have driven change and overcome challenges. The core discussion of these topics are present in Chapter 11 on Race and Ethnicity, and Chapter 12 on Gender, Sex, and Sexuality, but their causes and effects are extensively discussed in the context of other topics, including education, law enforcement, government, healthcare, the economy, and so on. Together and when connected by an instructor, these elements have potential for deep and lasting effects. Changes made in Introduction to Sociology 3e are described in the preface to help instructors transition to the third edition. The second edition of Introduction to Sociology by OpenStax is available in web view here.
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Speaking of Culture
Nolan Weil · Utah State University
In the contents: 1.02: Brief history of a concept
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ECED21203 Curriculum Development in Early Childhood Education
LueCrecy Ragan & Emily Harris · Arkansas State University-Beebe
In the contents: 14: History and Social Science Curriculum · 14.01: History and Social Science Sections · 14.1.02: Guiding Principles for Supporting History and Social Science
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Physical Geology
Steven Earle · Vancover Island University
In the contents: 16.01: Glacial Periods in Earths History · 21: Geological History of Western Canada · 21.01: Geological History of Canada
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Introductory Sociology 3e
OpenStax · LibreTexts
In the contents: 1.03: The History of Sociology
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Social Media for Public Relations
Mark Poepsel & Sarah VanSlette · Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
In the contents: 1.03: The History and Development of Modern PR
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Abnormal Psychology
Lumen Learning · Lumen Learning
In the contents: 01: Abnormal Psychology- History Theories and Research Methods · 1.04: History of Mental Illness · 6.16: History of Abnormal Behavior
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CCSF Chemistry Resources
LibreTexts
In the contents: 2.1.00: A History of Atomic Theory · 2.1.01: A History of Atomic Theory (Problems) · 2.2.02: A Brief History of the Organization of the Periodic Table
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BIOL 440: General Microbiology
Dr. Panoutsopoulos · Folsom Lake College
In the contents: 1.2.02: Thinking about Life's Origins- A Short Summary of a Long History
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Chem 51
LibreTexts
In the contents: 19.02: The History and Basics of Fission