"This innovative text for first-semester college physics courses focuses on the question: "Why do we believe in atoms and their properties?" In developing the answer, it covers much of nineteenth and twentieth century physics, while gradually elaborating the modern picture of the atom. The book thus offers a sound introduction to basic physics while also presenting important ideas of quantum mechanics. The treatment emphasizes quantitative reasoning and the analysis of data, showing how the ideas of physics are inferred from them."--Jacket.