Digital library
Textbooks, references and open learning resources.
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Physical Geography
Jeremy Patrich; Trudi Radtke · College of the Canyons · 2020
Welcome to Physical Geography at College of the Canyons. This textbook was designed especially for College of the Canyons students, as a resource to instill the knowledge and adventure that the discipline of geography holds for so many of us. The following units will cover a wide array of topics such as: Earth’s grid system, rivers, oceans, deserts, basic geology, and cartography.
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Introductory Chemistry
David Ball; Jessie Key · BCcampus · 2014
The goal of this textbook is not to make you an expert. True expertise in any field is a years-long endeavor. Here I will survey some of the basic topics of chemistry. This survey should give you enough knowledge to appreciate the impact of chemistry in everyday life and, if necessary, prepare you for additional instruction in chemistry.
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Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs for the Biosciences
Jack O'Grady · Austin Community College · 2019
This 125-page course textbook, entitled Quality Assurance & Regulatory Affairs for the Biosciences, was created by Jack O'Grady, M.S., professor at Austin Community College. This textbook accompanies the course BITC 1340: Quality Assurance for the Biosciences.
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Relativity Lite: A Pictorial Translation of Einstein’s Theories of Motion and Gravity
Jack Straton · Portland State University Library · 2020
Relativity Lite is designed for courses like my 100-student General Astronomy sequence. Relativity Lite translates the mathematical equations conventional relativity texts rely upon into pictures that are readily understood and contain within them the mathematical essentials. This new book would provide the comprehensive coverage needed to understand, in sufficient depth, these three linked areas of our reality.
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Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist Identify Plants and Plant Requirements
Michelle Nakano · Kwantlen Polytechnic University · 2020
Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist Identify Plants and Plant Requirements is an adaptation of KPU HORT 1155 Introduction to Plant Materials Lecture Notes. It is an editable, open access learning resource with interactive web based experiences customized for horticulture students studying plant identification. This first edition supports student achievement of the Level 1 and 2 learning goals for Red Seal Landscape Horticulturist Line F2: Identify plant and plant requirements for a range of plants commonly used in horticulture Employ correct naming and plant identification terminology Identify morphological characteristics, growing requirements, use and availability Use a dichotomous key for plant identification Explain plant hardiness Identify weedy and invasive plants
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Astronomy for Educators
Daniel Barth · University of Arkansas · 2018
Astronomy for Educators provides new and accomplished K-12 instructors with concepts and projects for low-cost, high-impact STEM classroom instruction that is built around the National Academies National Research Council's K-12 Framework for Science Education.
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Cells: Molecules and Mechanisms
Eric Wong · Axolotl Academic Publishing Co · 2009
Yet another cell and molecular biology book? At the very least, you would think that if I was going to write a textbook, I should write one in an area that really needs one instead of a subject that already has multiple excellent and definitive books. So, why write this book, then? First, it's a course that I have enjoyed teaching for many years, so I am very familiar with what a student really needs to take away from this class within the time constraints of a semester. Second, because it is a course that many students take, there is a greater opportunity to make an impact on more students' pocketbooks than if I were to start off writing a book for a highly specialized upper- level course. And finally, it was fun to research and write, and can be revised easily for inclusion as part of our next textbook, High School Biology.
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Human Biology
Willy Cushwa; Senior Contributors · OpenStax CNX · 2015
This textbook has been created with several goals in mind: accessibility, customization, and student engagement—all while encouraging students toward high levels of academic scholarship. Students will find that this textbook offers a strong introduction to human biology in an accessible format.
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Microbiology for Allied Health Students
Molly Smith; Sara Selby · University System of Georgia · 2017
Microbiology for Allied Health Students is designed to cover the scope and sequence requirements for the single semester Microbiology course for non-majors and allied health students. The book presents the core concepts of microbiology with a focus on applications for careers in allied health. The pedagogical features of Microbiology for Allied Health Students make the material interesting and accessible to students while maintaining the career-application focus and scientific rigor inherent in the subject matter. The scope and sequence of Microbiology for Allied Health Students has been developed and vetted with input from numerous instructors at institutions across the U.S. It is designed to meet the needs of most microbiology courses allied health students. With these objectives in mind, the content of this textbook has been arranged in a logical progression from fundamental to more advanced concepts. The opening chapters present an overview of the discipline, with individual chapters focusing on cellular biology as well as each of the different types of microorganisms and the various means by which we can control and combat microbial growth. The focus turns to microbial pathogenicity, emphasizing how interactions between microbes and the human immune system contribute to human health and disease. The last several chapters of the text provide a survey of medical microbiology, presenting the characteristics of microbial diseases organized by body system.
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Introduction to Environmental Science
Caralyn Zehnder; Kalina Manoylov; Samuel Mutiti; Christine Mutiti · University System of Georgia · 2018
This course uses the basic principles of biology and earth science as a context for understanding environmental policies and resource management practices. Our planet is facing unprecedented environmental challenges, from oil spills to global climate change. In ENSC 1000, you will learn about the science behind these problems; preparing you to make an informed, invaluable contribution to Earth's future. I hope that each of you is engaged by the material presented and participates fully in the search for, acquisition of, and sharing of information within our class.
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To Catch the Rain
Lonny Grafman · Humboldt State University Press · 2017
To Catch the Rain is targeted at makers – DIYers looking for practical solutions to water problems for themselves or their communities. The book also provides an excellent overview of rainwater harvesting for students and teachers in environmental science, sustainable design, international development and engineering.
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Key Elements of Green Chemistry
Lucian Lucia · A.T. Still University · 2018
Green chemistry, in addition to being a science, it is also a philosophy and nearly a religion. Attendance at American Chemical Society Green Chemistry & Engineering Conferences will instill such an ideal into any attendant because of the nearly universal appeal and possibilities in this novel approach to radicalizing the business of doing science and engineering.
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Laboratory Exercises in Microbiology: Discovering the Unseen World Through Hands-On Investigation
Susan McLaughlin; Joan Petersen · CUNY Academic Works · 2016
The exercises in this laboratory manual are designed to engage students in hand-on activities that reinforce their understanding of the microbial world. Topics covered include: staining and microscopy, metabolic testing, physical and chemical control of microorganisms, and immunology. The target audience is primarily students preparing for a career in the health sciences, however many of the topics would be appropriate for a general microbiology course as well.
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Variational Principles in Classical Mechanics
Douglas Cline · University of Rochester River Campus Libraries · 2018
Two dramatically different philosophical approaches to classical mechanics were proposed during the 17th – 18th centuries. Newton developed his vectorial formulation that uses time-dependent differential equations of motion to relate vector observables like force and rate of change of momentum. Euler, Lagrange, Hamilton, and Jacobi, developed powerful alternative variational formulations based on the assumption that nature follows the principle of least action. These variational formulations now play a pivotal role in science and engineering. This book introduces variational principles and their application to classical mechanics. The relative merits of the intuitive Newtonian vectorial formulation, and the more powerful variational formulations are compared. Applications to a wide variety of topics illustrate the intellectual beauty, remarkable power, and broad scope provided by use of variational principles in physics. This second edition adds discussion of the use of variational principles applied to the following topics: Systems subject to initial boundary conditions The hierarchy of the related formulations based on action, Lagrangian, Hamiltonian, and equations of motion, to systems that involve symmetries Non-conservative systems. Variable-mass systems. The General Theory of Relativity. The first edition of this book can be downloaded at the publisher link.
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Analytical Chemistry 2.1
David Harvey · David T. Harvey · 2016
As currently taught in the United States, introductory courses in analytical chemistry emphasize quantitative (and sometimes qualitative) methods of analysis along with a heavy dose of equilibrium chemistry. Analytical chemistry, however, is much more than a collection of analytical methods and an understanding of equilibrium chemistry; it is an approach to solving chemical problems. Although equilibrium chemistry and analytical methods are important, their coverage should not come at the expense of other equally important topics. The introductory course in analytical chemistry is the ideal place in the undergraduate chemistry curriculum for exploring topics such as experimental design, sampling, calibration strategies, standardization, optimization, statistics, and the validation of experimental results. Analytical methods come and go, but best practices for designing and validating analytical methods are universal. Because chemistry is an experimental science it is essential that all chemistry students understand the importance of making good measurements. My goal in preparing this textbook is to find a more appropriate balance between theory and practice, between “classical” and “modern” analytical methods, between analyzing samples and collecting samples and preparing them for analysis, and between analytical methods and data analysis. There is more material here than anyone can cover in one semester; it is my hope that the diversity of topics will meet the needs of different instructors, while, perhaps, suggesting some new topics to cover.
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Chemistry of Cooking
Sorangel Rodriguez-Velazquez · Sorangel Rodriguez-Velazquez · 2016
People around the world are fascinated about the preparation of food for eating. There are countless cooking books, TV shows, celebrity chefs and kitchen gadgets that make cooking an enjoyable activity for everyone. The chemistry of cooking course seeks to understand the science behind our most popular meals by studying the behavior of atoms and molecules present in food. This book is intended to give students a basic understanding of the chemistry involved in cooking such as caramelization, Maillard reaction, acid-base reactions, catalysis, and fermentation. Students will be able to use chemistry language to describe the process of cooking, apply chemistry knowledge to solve questions related to food, and ultimately create their own recipes.
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Organic Chemistry with a Biological Emphasis
Tim Soderberg · University of Minnesota Morris · 2016
The traditional approach to teaching Organic Chemistry, taken by most of the textbooks that are currently available, is to focus primarily on the reactions of laboratory synthesis, with much less discussion - in the central chapters, at least - of biological molecules and reactions. This is despite the fact that, in many classrooms, a majority of students are majoring in Biology or Health Sciences rather than in Chemistry, and are presumably taking the course in order to learn about the chemistry that takes place in living things. In an effort to address this disconnect, I have developed a textbook for a two-semester, sophomore-level course in Organic Chemistry in which biological chemistry takes center stage. For the most part, the text covers the core concepts of organic structure, structure determination, and reactivity in the standard order. What is different is the context: biological chemistry is fully integrated into the explanation of central principles, and as much as possible the in-chapter and end-of-chapter problems are taken from the biochemical literature. Many laboratory synthesis reactions are also covered, generally in parallel with their biochemical counterparts - but it is intentionally the biological chemistry that comes first.
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Organic Chemistry with a Biological Emphasis
Tim Soderberg · University of Minnesota Morris · 2016
The traditional approach to teaching Organic Chemistry, taken by most of the textbooks that are currently available, is to focus primarily on the reactions of laboratory synthesis, with much less discussion - in the central chapters, at least - of biological molecules and reactions. This is despite the fact that, in many classrooms, a majority of students are majoring in Biology or Health Sciences rather than in Chemistry, and are presumably taking the course in order to learn about the chemistry that takes place in living things.In an effort to address this disconnect, I have developed a textbook for a two-semester, sophomore-level course in Organic Chemistry in which biological chemistry takes center stage. For the most part, the text covers the core concepts of organic structure, structure determination, and reactivity in the standard order. What is different is the context: biological chemistry is fully integrated into the explanation of central principles, and as much as possible the in-chapter and end-of-chapter problems are taken from the biochemical literature. Many laboratory synthesis reactions are also covered, generally in parallel with their biochemical counterparts - but it is intentionally the biological chemistry that comes first.
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Microbiology
Linda Bruslind · Oregon State University · 2017
In this textbook the focus will be on the bacteria and archaea (traditionally known as the “prokaryotes,”) and the viruses and other acellular agents.
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Introduction to Permaculture
Andrew Millison · Oregon State University · 2017
Permaculture Design is a method of land planning that can be applied at scales from the home garden to city block to village to farm. It is an ethically based whole-systems design approach that uses concepts, principles, and methods derived from ecosystems, indigenous technologies, and other time-tested practices to create sustainable human settlements and institutions. Although rooted in horticulture and agriculture, Permaculture design is interdisciplinary, touching on a wide range of subjects including regional planning, ecology, animal husbandry, appropriate technology, architecture, social justice, and international development. This open text book is derived from the content of the Massive Open Online Course “Intro to Permaculture”. The original course also included interactive mapping and design tools that accompanied this content. The course and book provide a general overview of the Permaculture design system. The book can be downloaded as a print version. However, there are many accompanying videos and content pages that are linked to throughout the text, so it is best viewed online where the links can be accessed.