Keywords:
Mechanics, Physics education, Special relativity
Synopsis
This book introduces freshman students into the world of classical mechanics and special relativity theory. Much of physics is build on the basic ideas from classical mechanics. Hence an early introduction to the topic can be beneficial for new students. However, at the start of studying physics, lots of the required math is not available yet. That means that all kind of concepts that are very useful cannot be invoked in the lectures and teaching. That does not have to be a disadvantage. It can also be used to help the students by introducing some math and coupling it directly to the physics, making more clear why mathematics should be studied and what its ‘practical use’ is. With this book, we aim to introduce new students directly at the start of their studies into the world of physics, more specifically the world of Newton, Galilei and many others who laid the foundation of physics. We aim to help students getting a good understanding of the theory, i.e. the framework of physics.
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Author Biographies
Rob Mudde, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Robert F. Mudde is distinguished Professor of Science Education at the faculty of Applied Sciences of Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands. He has over 35 years of experience in teaching undergraduate courses for physics and chemical engineering students. Robert has been teaching Classical Mechanics to undergraduate students for some 20 years. In the last part of his career, he served as Vice-President Education / Vice Rector Magnificus on the Executive Board of Delft University of Technology.
Bernd Rieger, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Bernd Rieger is a full professor at the department of Imaging Physics at the Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands. His research interests focus on the field of Computational Microscopy that is combining imaging physics and image processing for the application field of light and electron microscopy, in particular for life sciences at the biomolecular level. Bernd teaches several courses for the Applied Physics and Nanobiology programs.
Freek Pols, Faculty of Applied Sciences, Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Freek Pols (1986) is an assistant professor at the Science & Engineering Education department. He worked as a physics teacher for 10 years before switching to teaching experimental physics in TU Delft’s Applied Physics program. His research focuses on advancing experimental physics education at both secondary and tertiary levels. He is a strong advocate of open education, actively contributing to the publication of open educational materials and the development of tools that facilitate their creation and dissemination.
Published
October 20, 2026
Copyright (c) 2026 Rob Mudde, Bernd Rieger, Freek Pols
