The overall goal of this calculus-based text is to provide an introduction to physics with a modern point of view. It emphasizes the atomic nature of matter, macro-micro connections, and modeling complex physical systems. The approach is designed to go beyond low-level physics and to build upon readers' prior preparation.

The first volume deals with mechanics and thermal physics in a unified way, with strong emphasis on atomic-level description and analysis. The ball-and-spring model of solids is a major theme, culminating in computing the specific heat as a function of temperature for an Einstein solid, using the concepts of statistical mechanics.