Wave Motion As Inquiry ― The Physics and Applications of Light and Sound

This undergraduate textbook on the physics of wave motion in optics and acoustics avoids presenting the topic abstractly in order to emphasize real-world examples. While providing the needed scientific context, Dr. Espinoza also relies on students' own experience to guide their learning. The book's exercises and labs strongly emphasize this inquiry-based approach. A strength of inquiry-based courses is that the students maintain a higher level of engagement when they are studying a topic that they have an internal motivation to know, rather than solely following the directives of a professor. "Wave Motion" takes those threads of engagement and interest and weaves them into a coherent picture of wave phenomena. It demystifies key component of life around us--in music, in technology, and indeed in everything we perceive--even for those without a strong math background, who might otherwise have trouble approaching the subject matter.

Fernando Espinoza is a professor with a joint appointment in the School of Education and the Department of Chemistry and Physics at the State University of New York (SUNY) College at Old Westbury, as well as an appointment in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Hofstra University. He has over 25 years of teaching experience at the high school and college levels teaching astronomy, physics, Earth science, physical science, and in the pedagogical preparation of science teachers.
He has an active research agenda that includes numerous peer-reviewed publications, a textbook The Nature of Science, and a significant number of conference presentations. He serves as a reviewer for several journals, most recently as a member of the New York State Education Department’s Science Content Advisory Committee, charged with providing feedback on the adoption of the common core science curriculum as part of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).