Matter & Interactions is a textbook by Ruth Chabay and Bruce Sherwood (John Wiley & Sons, 4th edition, 2015) that emphasizes a modern perspective on the calculus-based introductory physics curriculum taken by science and engineering students. It engages students in:
- Starting analyses from fundamental principles rather than secondary formulas
- Making macro-micro connections, based on the atomic nature of matter
- Modeling physical systems: making idealizations, simplifying assumptions, estimates
- Constructing computational models to predict the time evolution of system behavior
20th century physics and a contemporary perspective are integrated throughout the curriculum.
Who uses Matter & Interactions?
M&I is in use in large engineering and science courses at large and medium sized universities including Purdue University, Georgia Tech, Cal State Long Beach, North Carolina State University, the University of Mississippi, Carnegie Mellon, Minnesota State University Moorhead, Villanova, High Point University, and the University of West Florida. A number of universities including the University of Michigan use it in courses for honors students or physics majors.
M&I is used in many smaller colleges including St. Olaf, Wellesley, Albion, Sewanee, and others. It is also used in community colleges and high schools.
The curriculum is also used outside the United States, including at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, Macquarie University, Australia, the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, and the University of Helsinki.