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The Essential Cosmic Perspective with MasteringAstronomy™ and Voyager SkyGazer Planetarium Software, 4/E
Jeffrey O. Bennett, University of Colorado, Boulder
Megan Donahue, Michigan State University
Nicholas Schneider, University of Colorado, Boulder
Mark Voit, Michigan State University

ISBN-10: 0805393927
ISBN-13: 9780805393927

Publisher: Addison-Wesley
Copyright: 2007
Format: Paper Bound w/CD-ROM; 550 pp
Status: Out of Print

Suggested retail price: $115.00
This item is out of print and is no longer available for purchase.



The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fourth Edition has been thoroughly revised to include more quantitative coverage, an enhanced illustration and photo program, and an unparalleled new media package. Built from the ground up on our new understanding of the universe, the Fourth Edition retains all of the features that have made this text so popular, while adding new features and supplements that enhance the book’s pedagogy to make it the strongest text in the one-semester astronomy market.

 

The Fourth Edition features optional quantitative reasoning boxes, basic equations throughout the text, new end-of-chapter problems, and a consolidated math appendix for professors who want to emphasize quantitative understanding in their course. Key figures have been annotated  to guide student interpretation of difficult concepts. New two-page illustrations throughout the text, and at the end of every part, visually tie together key concepts from across chapters to drive home main ideas in a meaningful way.

 

The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fourth Edition’s unprecedented media package now includes MasteringAstronomy™, the most advanced astronomy tutorial, assessment, and self-study system ever built. MasteringAstronomy’s sophisticated analysis of student performance data (including difficulty, time spent, and most common errors) has allowed every item to be systematically refined for quality, educational effectiveness, efficiency of teaching and learning, and assessment accuracy. The Essential Cosmic Lecture Launcher CD-ROM allows professors to integrate animations and interactive tools into classroom lectures, while the Voyager SkyGazer CD-ROM, also included with the text, provides students with the most popular planetarium software to help them learn more about their place in the universe.

 

  • Easy-to-use learning program includes:
    • Chapter openers combine the chapter's table of contents with learning goals.
    • Learning Goals, in addition to being presented at the beginning of the chapter, are also repeated as subheads within the text; answers to Learning Goal questions appear in the chapter summary.
    • Essential Points appear in the margin to highlight core ideas related to each learning goal as they appear in the text.
    • Visual chapter summaries include answers to the Learning Goal questions as well as illustrations and figures from the text to summarize and unite the most important topics.
  • Integrated Media Program. Icons throughout the text direct students to the most widely-usedlibrary of purpose-built astronomy media, including Interactive Tutorials, Interactive Figures and Interactive Photos. Used by over 100,000 students, this media focuses on the concepts with which students commonly struggle.
  • Thorough coverage of new discoveries such as the accelerating universe/cosmological constant, the detection of more planets around other stars, the potential of water flows on Mars, and the latest theories on the very early universe.
  • A cosmic context. Each topic is presented within a cosmic context, establishing a framework of understanding by first exploring the underlying themes and then fleshing this out with more details. In this way, the book opens with an overview of the evolving universe to give students a big picture that is returned to throughout the book. This approach gives students a motivation for learning, and helps them develop an integrated understanding of astronomy and a lasting appreciation for science.
  • A focus on the universality of physics and the importance of science. The text emphasizes key physical concepts that enable students to understand how science can explain the phenomena they see in their daily lives and how these are connected to the processes that govern the cosmos.
  • An evolving vision of galaxies and dark matter. Rather than the traditional emphasis on galaxy classification, the book concentrates on our emerging understanding of galaxy evolution, explaining starbursts, quasars, and intergalactic clouds within context. The text also devotes a full chapter to the crucial role of dark matter in the universe.
  • Comparative planetology coverage, rather than the planet-by-planet approach, helps give students a deeper understanding of our solar system, our own world, and prospects for life elsewhere in the universe.
  • Sophisticated art program applies pedagogical techniques as well as beauty to illustrate concepts.
  • Abundant end-of-chapter problems include problems of varying difficulty to accommodate diverse learning levels.
  • Star charts. These visual tools are included at the end of the book.
  • Appendices are offered on constants and key equations.

  • Two-page illustrations at the conclusion of each unit visually tie together the main ideas from the chapters in that part to help students synthesize what they have learned.
  • Annotated art. Research shows that annotations help students better understand the key concepts presented in a figure or graph and builds visual interpretation skills.
  • More quantitative coverage:
    • Cosmic Calculations boxes throughout the text provide optional math coverage in the form of simple numeric equations. Professors can skip or cover this material, depending on the needs of their course.
    • Basic equations have been added to the text to clarify concepts that require quantitative explanation.
    • Expanded end-of-chapter problems include “Quick Quiz,” multiple-choice self-study questions and a new set of quantitative problems. A new math appendix consolidates quantitative coverage in the text and worked examples for easy review.
  • Essential Preparation chapter openers provide a concise review of concepts needed from earlier chapters to help students build on what they already know and to remind instructors who use chapters in an alternative order about key prerequisites.
  • Cohesive, state-of-the art media package includes:
    • MasteringAstronomy™.  The most advanced astronomy tutorial, assessment, and self-study system ever built. Sophisticated analysis of the student performance data (including difficulty, time spent, and most common errors) enables every item to be systematically refined for quality, educational effectiveness, efficiency of teaching and learning, and assessment accuracy.
    • Voyager SkyGazer planetarium software CD-ROM, included with the text,combines exceptional planetarium software with informative tutorials, helping students learn more about their place in the universe.

Part I.  Developing Perspective

1. Our Place in the Universe

2. Discovering the Universe for Yourself

3. The science of Astronomy

 

Part II.  Key Concepts for Astronomy

4. Making Sense of the Universe: Understanding Motion, Energy, and Gravity

5. Light: The Cosmic Messenger

 

Part III.

6. Our Solar System and Its Origin

7. Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

8. Jovian Planet Systems

9. Remnants of Rock and Ice: Asteroids, Comets, and the Kuiper Belt

 

Part IV.  Stars

10. Our Star

11. Surveying the Stars

12. Star Stuff

13. The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

 

Part V.  Galaxies and Beyond

14. Our Galaxy

15. A Universe of Galaxies

16. Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Universe

17. The Beginning of Time

 

Part VI. Life on Earth and Beyond

18. Life in the Universe

    Built from the ground up on our new understanding of the universe, The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fourth Edition Media Update retains all of the features that have made this text so popular, and includes updated supplements that enhance the book’s pedagogy to make it the most effective text in the one-semester astronomy market.

     

    This edition features optional quantitative reasoning boxes, basic equations throughout the text, new end-of-chapter problems, and a consolidated math appendix for professors who want to emphasize quantitative understanding in their course. Key figures have been annotated to guide student interpretation of difficult concepts. New two-page Cosmic Context illustrations  throughout the text, visually tie together key concepts from across chapters and put them in context, driving home main ideas in a meaningful way.

     

    The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fourth Edition Media Update provides an unprecedented media package.  MasteringAstronomy™, the most easy-to-use, yet sophisticated astronomy tutorial and assessment system ever built, provides both instructor-assigned homework as well as a self-study area with Bennett's popular Interactive Tutorials, Interactive Figures and Photos™, quizzes and more. An updated Essential Cosmic Lecture Launcher CD-ROM includes high resolution JPEGs of all images in the text for improved in-class projection, Interactive Figures and Photos™  based on figures from the book, PowerPoint® Lecture Outlines, and Clicker Quizzes based on the book and book-specific interactive media, plus a variety of additional instructor resources. The Astronomy Media Workbook, Fifth Edition is now updated to correlate with  MasteringAstronomy™ and Voyager: SkyGazer v3.7 planetarium software.

     

  • 0321505689The Essential Cosmic Perspective Media Update, 4/E
    Bennett, Donahue, Schneider & Voit
    © 2008 | Addison-Wesley | Paper Package; 550 pages | Instock
    ISBN-10: 0321505689 | ISBN-13: 9780321505682
    Brief Description | Buy from myPearsonStore

    • Based on the most up-to-date astronomical research, The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fifth Edition retains all of the features that have made this text so popular with new features helping students learn about the process of science and how to interpret visual data. The textbook package also includes updated supplements to support the book’s pedagogy, making it the most effective text in the one-semester astronomy market.

     

    The Fifth Edition focuses on building student appreciation of science by helping them understand how astronomers know what they know about the universe, and how information can be gleaned from looking at and interpreting images. To support these goals, the book features new See It For Yourself boxes, Process of Science end-of-chapter questions, Check Your Skills activities which help students learn how to read figures and photos, and five new Cosmic Context two-page figures on key topics throughout the text.

     

    Offered with The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fifth Edition is an unparalleled media package designed to help professors and students seamlessly incorporate media into lectures and at-home study. MasteringAstronomy™, the most easy-to-use, yet sophisticated astronomy tutorial and assessment system ever built, provides both instructor-assigned homework and a self-study area with quizzes, Interactive Tutorials™, updated Interactive Figures and Photos™, a brand new eBook, RSS news feeds that provide up-to-date articles from major astronomy news sources, and more. For additional instructor media,The Essential Cosmic Lecture Launcher DVD-ROM includes high resolution JPEGs of all images in the text, Interactive Figures and Photos based on figures from the book, PowerPoint® Lecture Outlines, and Clicker Quizzes based on the book and book-specific interactive media, plus a variety of additional instructor resources. The Astronomy Media Workbook, Sixth Edition, provided on CD and at no extra cost,is now updated to correlate with the latest interactive media on MasteringAstronomy and Voyager: SkyGazer v4.0 planetarium software.

     

    Package Includes:

    • MasteringAstronomy with E-book Student Access Kit
    • Voyager: SkyGazer v4.0 College Edition CD-ROM
  • 0321566947The Essential Cosmic Perspective with MasteringAstronomy™, 5/E
    Bennett, Donahue, Schneider & Voit
    © 2009 | Addison-Wesley | Paper Package; 575 pages | Estimated Availability: 12/22/2008
    ISBN-10: 0321566947 | ISBN-13: 9780321566942
    Brief Description

View a Sample Chapter PDF:

 

Bennett Demo Mastering Astronomy Demo Media Manager 2.0

For Astronomy


Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students, contact your Pearson Higher Education representative for pricing and ordering information.

This title is a member of the MasteringAstronomy Series, which also contains the titles below . You can also visit the MasteringAstronomy Series page.

    Built from the ground up on our new understanding of the universe, The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fourth Edition Media Update retains all of the features that have made this text so popular, and includes updated supplements that enhance the book’s pedagogy to make it the most effective text in the one-semester astronomy market.

     

    This edition features optional quantitative reasoning boxes, basic equations throughout the text, new end-of-chapter problems, and a consolidated math appendix for professors who want to emphasize quantitative understanding in their course. Key figures have been annotated to guide student interpretation of difficult concepts. New two-page Cosmic Context illustrations  throughout the text, visually tie together key concepts from across chapters and put them in context, driving home main ideas in a meaningful way.

     

    The Essential Cosmic Perspective, Fourth Edition Media Update provides an unprecedented media package.  MasteringAstronomy™, the most easy-to-use, yet sophisticated astronomy tutorial and assessment system ever built, provides both instructor-assigned homework as well as a self-study area with Bennett's popular Interactive Tutorials, Interactive Figures and Photos™, quizzes and more. An updated Essential Cosmic Lecture Launcher CD-ROM includes high resolution JPEGs of all images in the text for improved in-class projection, Interactive Figures and Photos™  based on figures from the book, PowerPoint® Lecture Outlines, and Clicker Quizzes based on the book and book-specific interactive media, plus a variety of additional instructor resources. The Astronomy Media Workbook, Fifth Edition is now updated to correlate with  MasteringAstronomy™ and Voyager: SkyGazer v3.7 planetarium software.

     

  • 0321505689The Essential Cosmic Perspective Media Update, 4/E
    Bennett, Donahue, Schneider & Voit
    © 2008 | Addison-Wesley | Paper Package; 550 pages | Instock
    ISBN-10: 0321505689 | ISBN-13: 9780321505682
    Brief Description | Buy from myPearsonStore

Pearson Higher Education offers special pricing when you choose to package your text with other student resources. If you're interested in creating a cost-saving package for your students contact your Pearson Higher Education representative.


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