ABOUT BOOK

Short Description:This supplementary first-year physics textbook explores the role of language, alongside figures and mathematical symbols, in solving physics problems. The aim of this textbook is to help students gain extended, practical awareness of the roles of language in solutions to a range of first-year physics problems. The learning is guided mainly by comparing how language is used in formal, written solutions and in students' problem-solving dialogues. With new awareness how and why language is used in these two central forms of university physics practice, students can more effectively communicate solutions and guide their development as physicists and users of scientific English. After introducing problem-solving strategies and foundational aspects of language, the textbook guides students in the three primary functions of language in solutions: to represent concepts and phenomena, organize messages to facilitate their interpretation, and evaluate knowledge claims. Learning is largely task-based, emerging from completing the textbook tasks and reviewing feedback. The textbook is recommended for use alongside first-year physics instruction in self-guided study or instructor-facilitated contexts such as physics tutorials and English for physics courses.