Despite efforts to attract a broader student population into physics, introductory physics courses remain a deterrent for many students. The motivation for this book is to make introductory physics more accessible and to increase interest in the subject by incorporating art-based teaching at the undergraduate level. By providing an alternate mental pathway to access physics, students can improve their understanding and deepen their personal connection with this often-impersonal subject. Additionally, by taking a visual approach to the study of physics, we can achieve a more inclusive way of teaching.

This book focuses on the subject of waves and optics and is the second in a series of introductory physics topics. It is a collection of student-made artistic representations of physics concepts and accompanying student explanations of how the concept is explained more clearly through their art. Students were life-science majors enrolled in the introductory physics sequence at the University of California, Santa Cruz.