Hi,

I am looking for suggestions for fun book titles on maths and physics
for first-year university students to study from. The level of these
books should be basically beginning calculus, since our students come
from a wide variety of backgrounds which may or may not include higher
maths and physics. I shall try to describe what it is I'm looking for.

I teach mathematics and physics to first-year undergraduate students
studying bioprocess-informatics. This autumn I shall for the first time
have an opportunity to combine the two subjects into a single,
integrated course. I want to plan the integrated course around the two
central themes of computation and dynamics: in the maths thread,
students will learn to construct and execute calculations, derivations
and proofs, and in the physics thread they will learn to understand and
explain the functioning of basic physical systems in terms of dynamical
simulation.

So, what I'm looking for is a book which introduces physics through the
medium of system dynamics. If the book also introduces calculus, that's
all for the better. High school students here in Germany don't really
learn about the idea of a differential, so anything which makes the
point that integration is an accumulation would be a nice bonus. My hope
is that I can use this reorganisation of the courses later as a smooth
transition into dynamical systems in cell biology.

Any ideas?

Thanks and best wishes,
Niall Palfreyman.

--
Niall Palfreyman
Dean of Learning, Teaching and Inclusion
Weihenstephan-Triesdorf University of Applied Science