Chris McMullen

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About Chris McMullen
Dr. Chris McMullen has over 20 years of experience teaching university physics in California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana. Dr. McMullen is also an author of math and science books. Whether in the classroom or as a writer, Dr. McMullen loves sharing knowledge and the art of motivating and engaging students.
Chris McMullen earned his Ph.D. in phenomenological high-energy physics (particle physics) from Oklahoma State University in 2002. Originally from California, Dr. McMullen earned his Master's degree from California State University, Northridge, where his thesis was in the field of electron spin resonance.
Dr. McMullen is well-known for:
• engaging students in challenging ideas through creativity
• breaking difficult problems down into manageable steps
• providing clear and convincing explanations to subtle issues
• his mastery of physics and strong background in mathematics
• helping students become more fluent in practical math skills
As a physics teacher, Dr. McMullen observed that many students lack fluency in fundamental math skills. In an effort to help students of all ages and levels master basic math skills, he published a series of math workbooks on arithmetic, fractions, algebra, geometry, trigonometry, and calculus called the Improve Your Math Fluency Series. Dr. McMullen has also published a variety of science books, including introductions to basic astronomy and chemistry concepts in addition to physics workbooks.
Dr. McMullen is very passionate about teaching. Many students and observers have been impressed with the transformation that occurs when he walks into the classroom, and the interactive engaged discussions that he leads during class time. Dr. McMullen is well-known for drawing monkeys and using them in his physics examples and problems, using his creativity to inspire students. A stressed-out student is likely to be told to throw some bananas at monkeys, smile, and think happy physics thoughts.
Dr. McMullen first published The Visual Guide to Extra Dimensions, Volumes 1 and 2, to share his passion for the geometry and physics of the fourth dimension. Dr. McMullen has coauthored a half-dozen articles on current and future collider searches for large extra dimensions.
In addition to writing and teaching, Dr. McMullen enjoys Scrabble, golf, and chess.
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Blog postWhat is A+ Content? In addition to the product page (and in addition to pages that you can access from Author Central, like the author biography or a From the Author section)…
A Plus Content lets you add additional sections of writing or images to help showcase your book or provide more information about yourself.
It can be a sales tool that you put right on your Amazon product page.
There are several formats to choose from, such as a single wide image (with or withou11 months ago Read more -
Blog postKINDLE VELLA Amazon just launched the new Kindle Vella.
What is Vella? Stories that are told one episode at a time. It has to be new content (not content that has been made available previously), so there shouldn’t be material that you’re familiar with from the past that gets repackaged in Vella. There should only be fresh new content.
There are a few points regarding Vella that appeal to me:
Customers can read the first 3 episodes for free. This is basically equivalent o11 months ago Read more -
Blog postVella is coming soon.
Writers will publish stories in episodes. A single episode may be anywhere from 600 words to 5000 words.
Readers will read stories one episode at a time.
One neat feature that I like is that the author can include optional notes at the end of each episode. An author might share insights into how the story came about or share a personal note. There are many ways that authors can use this space.
Ordinarily, when you read a novel, such notes1 year ago Read more -
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Blog postAUSTRALIA KDP Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) is finally opening a print-on-demand (POD) facility in Australia, which is great news for authors, small publishers, and Amazon customers in Australia.
The new facility is set to begin its launch on May 19, 2021.
KDP authors should check their paperback pricing options starting on May 12, 2021. On this date, you will be able to check your list price and royalty for Australia, and if necessary, you can adjust the list price1 year ago Read more -
Blog postXL Book Stand My neck was sore from proofreading and revising. Tired of looking down at an angle, I wondered if there was something I could stand atop my desk that could hold books and papers more at eye level. I found this cool book stand on Amazon.
Book Stand I bought the XL size (15.4″ by 11″). I set my 1700 page Webster’s College Dictionary on this, opened to the page I’m using, and it supports it just fine. I also print out my manuscript and set it on the book stand, and it w1 year ago Read more -
Blog postRECENT CHANGES AT KDP There have been several changes to Amazon KDP recently. Have you noticed?
SERIES. One interesting change is the introduction of the series page and the series manager. It seems like this new tool isn’t 100% complete yet, but it’s a giant step in the right direction. From the publishing end, it makes it easier to manage series. Now you get a series landing page and you can even write a series description (by default it uses the description from the first book). <1 year ago Read more -
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Blog postSINE, COSINE, AND TANGENT OF 15° AND 75° It is possible to find the sine, cosine, and tangent of 15° and also 75° without using a trig identity (and without using a calculator).
The trick is to begin with a 75°-75°-30° isosceles triangle, as shown above. Let AB = AC = 2. These are the sides opposite to the 75° angles. The remaining side, BC, is unknown at this point.
With side AB serving as the base, draw an altitude down from point C, as shown1 year ago Read more -
Blog postImage licensed from Shutterstock.
BEWARE OF BOOK PIRATES Earlier this year, after publishing a new book, I visited Amazon to check it out. When I finished inspecting the Amazon detail page for my new book, I clicked the link by my author photo to visit my Author Central page. And, boy, was I surprised by what I found.
(A little background: Author Central now shows only my Kindle eBooks by default. Customers have to click the Paperback tab to find my paperback books.)
I1 year ago Read more -
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Blog postEXPANDED DISTRIBUTION Amazon KDP now offers two Expanded Distribution channels. In addition to the usual Expanded Distribution channel for the US, they have added an Expanded Distribution channel for the UK.
Authors and publishers using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing for paperbacks may now add the Expanded Distribution channel for the UK. Each title must be individually enrolled. To sign up for Expanded Distribution in the UK, find a book on your Bookshelf, and go to Page 3 of the1 year ago Read more -
Blog postCHANGES AT AUTHOR CENTRAL If you haven’t already done so, when you next visit Author Central, it will ask you to sign up (even if you are already signed up). This part should be easy. It found my previous information and quickly transferred it over. I checked my biography and author photos, which were the same (although I noticed a couple of duplicate photos and deleted the duplicates). At first, it seemed like my blog feeds were missing, but when I proceeded to add them, I saw that they wer2 years ago Read more
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Blog postAMS NOW AVAILABLE IN CANADA AND AUSTRALIA Amazon has made advertising in Canada (print or ebook) and Australia (ebook only) available at AMS via KDP. (Regions previously available include the USA, UK, and continental Europe).
Are you having trouble logging in and setting up an account either in Canada or Australia? If so, this solution may help you:
Don’t go to Reports > Ad Campaigns > Learn more > Canada (or Australia).
Instead, go to your Bookshelf at KDP,2 years ago Read more -
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Blog postHere you can find the answer key to Division Facts Practice Book by Chris McMullen, Ph.D. This practice workbook is part of the Improve Your Math Fluency series of workbooks. Most of the workbooks in this series contain the answers at the back of the book. However, the original editions of the basic facts books did not contain the answers. By request, I am adding the answer key for the Division Facts Practice Book to my blog. Here you will find just the answers (not the problems).
Cli2 years ago Read more -
Blog post
ESSENTIAL CALCULUS SKILLS You learn a lot during a calculus course.
How much of this is useful?
Of course, it depends on what you do after calculus.
For example, much of the material is needed in higher-level math courses.
But how about for physics, engineering, and other applications of calculus?
derivatives of polynomials and trig functions are absolutely essential. You need to practice these until you’re fluent. for integration, sometimes4 years ago Read more -
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Blog postCHECKING YOUR ANSWERS: Many math books post the answers to selected questions in the back of the book. Most of my workbooks include the answers to every question in the back of the book.
A few students get a different form of the same answer, and mistakenly believe that the answer in the back of the book is wrong, when it’s really correct.
One common example occurs when the student gets a squareroot in the denominator, like:
The above answer isn’t in standard form. Mo4 years ago Read more -
Blog postCONTENTS This article includes the following sections:
Ways to Challenge Advanced Students How to Make Challenging Algebra Problems A Couple of Sample Problems (from my latest book) 50 Challenging Algebra Problems – Fully Solved (my latest workbook) WAYS TO CHALLENGE ADVANCED STUDENTS Some students catch on quickly, while others struggle to understand.
So how can you engage and challenge the better problem-solvers without blowing the minds of the other students?
If you’re4 years ago Read more -
Blog posthttps://www.amazon.com//dp/1941691250/
ESSENTIAL FRACTION SKILLS Not everyone loves fractions, but fraction skills are important for a number of reasons.
It helps to be fluent with fraction skills when you take algebra, trigonometry, and calculus courses. When you solve for an unknown in algebra, the answer doesn’t always turn out to be a whole number. One reason that cross multiplication is difficult for many students is that the problems inherently involve fractions. In calculus4 years ago Read more -
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Blog postPOWERS OF 10 What are powers of 10?
How do you multiply or divide powers of 10?
What are negative powers of 10?
What is 10 raised to the power of zero?
Compare positive and negative powers of 10. Note that the number of zeros is a little different with positive and negative powers of 10. See the chart below.
Examples:
Teachers (and home school educators or parents) are welcome to use the above material regarding powers of 10 for non-commercial5 years ago Read more -
Blog postBlock Sliding Down an Inclined Plane Consider the block sliding down an inclined plane (with friction) illustrated below.
When we apply Newton’s second law to the box, we set the sum of the x-components of the forces equal to max and the sum of the y-components equal to may.
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(mg)x = mg5 years ago Read more -
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Blog postSources of Error in Physics This article will help you:
learn how to identify sources of error for a physics experiment describe common mistakes that students make in physics lab reports provide examples of how to describe sources of error What Are Sources of Error? In everyday English, the words “error” and “mistake” may seem similar.
However, in physics, these two words have very different meanings:
An error is something that affects results, which was not plausible to5 years ago Read more -
Blog postUSING ALGEBRA IN ARITHMETIC It’s interesting that algebra can be useful in arithmetic.
Since arithmetic is a prerequsite to learning algebra, most algebra courses don’t focus on how to apply algebra to do arithmetic.
However, you can apply your algebra skills to arithmetic problems.
Following is an example.
Suppose that you would like to multiply 58 times 58, but don’t have a calculator (or cell phone) handy.
One way to do this, which is often taught i6 years ago Read more -
Blog postNUMBER PATTERN PUZZLE Here is an exercise in pattern recognition.
It’s not a linear pattern.
This is an array, so there is a slight geometric element to the pattern.
See if you can figure out the missing numbers in the above puzzle.
Study the four arrays.
See if you can recognize the pattern.
Once you identify the pattern, apply it to the fifth array.
Spoiler alert.
If you scroll down too far…
You will run into the answe7 years ago Read more -
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Blog posthttp://amzn.com/1512044288
MATH PUZZLES Here is a math puzzle challenge.
Hint: Each of the 5 patterns below has something in common.
Directions: See if you can figure out which numbers go in the blanks.
1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 12, 16, 18, 22, _, _ 4, 6, 10, 14, 22, 26, 34, 38, _, _ 3, 7, 13, 19, 29, 37, _, _ 4, 9, 25, 49, 121, 169, 289, _, _ 5, 8, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, 52, 60, 68, _, _ If you need help, you can find hints below.
But don’t scroll too far or yo7 years ago Read more -
Titles By Chris McMullen
- derivatives of polynomials, trig functions, exponentials, and logarithms
- the chain rule, product rule, and quotient rule
- second derivatives
- how to find the extreme values of a function
- limits, including l’Hopital’s rule
- antiderivatives of polynomials, trig functions, exponentials, and logarithms
- definite and indefinite integrals
- techniques of integration, including substitution, trig sub, and integration by parts
- multiple integrals
- logarithms of various bases and natural logarithms
- the change of base formula
- logarithm rules like the sum and difference formulas
- exponential functions
- hyperbolic functions and their inverses
- graphs of logarithms, exponentials, and hyperbolic functions
- a concise review of exponents in the first chapter
- Euler’s number
- applications such as population growth, continuously compounded interest, and radioactive nuclear decays
- an introduction to complex numbers in the last chapter
- an optional chapter covering the calculus of logarithms, exponentials, and hyperbolic functions
DESCRIPTION: This combination of physics study guide and workbook focuses on essential problem-solving skills and strategies:
- Fully solved examples with explanations show you step-by-step how to solve standard university physics problems.
- Handy charts tabulate the symbols, what they mean, and their SI units.
- Problem-solving strategies are broken down into steps and illustrated with examples.
- Answers, hints, intermediate answers, and explanations are provided for every practice exercise.
- Terms and concepts which are essential to solving physics problems are defined and explained.
AUTHOR: The author, Dr. Chris McMullen, has over 20 years of experience teaching university physics in California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana (and has also taught physics to gifted high school students). Dr. McMullen currently teaches physics at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He has also published a half-dozen papers on the collider phenomenology of superstring-inspired large extra dimensions. Chris McMullen earned his Ph.D. in particle physics from Oklahoma State University (and his M.S. in physics from California State University, Northridge).
Dr. McMullen is well-known for:
- engaging physics students in challenging ideas through creativity
- breaking difficult problems down into manageable steps
- providing clear and convincing explanations to subtle issues
- his mastery of physics and strong background in mathematics
- helping students become more fluent in practical math skills
SOLUTIONS: The back of the book includes a detailed section of hints, intermediate answers, final answers, and explanations to help you solve each problem one step at a time. It’s like having a physics tutor in the back of the book. (However, if you would prefer complete solutions, search for ISBN 1941691137.)
USES: This study guide workbook can be used to:
- learn how to solve fundamental problems in physics with calculus
- find fully-solved examples of standard physics problems
- develop fluency in physics via practice exercises that include answers, hints, and explanations
- quickly find the most essential physics terms, concepts, and formulas
- prepare for the AP physics exam
- review for standardized exams, such as AP Physics or the fundamentals of the GRE.
- order of operations; PEMDAS
- fractions, decimals, and percents
- exponents and square roots
- a beginning introduction to working with variables
- ratios and rates
- negative numbers
- other prealgebra skills
DESCRIPTION: This combination of physics study guide and workbook focuses on essential problem-solving skills and strategies:
- Fully solved examples with explanations show you step-by-step how to solve standard university physics problems.
- Handy charts tabulate the symbols, what they mean, and their SI units.
- Problem-solving strategies are broken down into steps and illustrated with examples.
- Answers, hints, intermediate answers, and explanations are provided for every practice exercise.
- Terms and concepts which are essential to solving physics problems are defined and explained.
AUTHOR: The author, Dr. Chris McMullen, has over 20 years of experience teaching university physics in California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana (and has also taught physics to gifted high school students). Dr. McMullen currently teaches physics at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He has also published a half-dozen papers on the collider phenomenology of superstring-inspired large extra dimensions. Chris McMullen earned his Ph.D. in particle physics from Oklahoma State University (and his M.S. in physics from California State University, Northridge).
Dr. McMullen is well-known for:
- engaging physics students in challenging ideas through creativity
- breaking difficult problems down into manageable steps
- providing clear and convincing explanations to subtle issues
- his mastery of physics and strong background in mathematics
- helping students become more fluent in practical math skills
SOLUTIONS: The back of the book includes a detailed section of hints, intermediate answers, final answers, and explanations to help you solve each problem one step at a time. It's like having a physics tutor in the back of the book. (However, if you would prefer complete solutions, search for ISBN 194169117X.)
USES: This study guide workbook can be used to:
- learn how to solve fundamental problems in physics with calculus
- find fully-solved examples of standard physics problems
- develop fluency in physics via practice exercises that include answers, hints, and explanations
- quickly find the most essential physics terms, concepts, and formulas
- prepare for the AP physics exam
- review for standardized exams, such as AP Physics or the fundamentals of the GRE.
- distributing and factoring
- the FOIL method
- cross multiplying
- quadratic equations and the quadratic formula
- how to combine like terms and isolate the unknown
- a variety of rules for working with exponents
- solving systems of equations using substitution, simultaneous equations, or Cramer's rule
- algebra with inequalities
DESCRIPTION: This combination of physics study guide and workbook focuses on essential problem-solving skills and strategies:
- Fully solved examples with explanations show you step-by-step how to solve standard university physics problems.
- Handy charts tabulate the symbols, what they mean, and their SI units.
- Problem-solving strategies are broken down into steps and illustrated with examples.
- Answers, hints, intermediate answers, and explanations are provided for every practice exercise.
- Terms and concepts which are essential to solving physics problems are defined and explained.
AUTHOR: The author, Dr. Chris McMullen, has over 20 years of experience teaching university physics in California, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana (and has also taught physics to gifted high school students). Dr. McMullen currently teaches physics at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He has also published a half-dozen papers on the collider phenomenology of superstring-inspired large extra dimensions. Chris McMullen earned his Ph.D. in particle physics from Oklahoma State University (and his M.S. in physics from California State University, Northridge).
Dr. McMullen is well-known for:
- engaging physics students in challenging ideas through creativity
- breaking difficult problems down into manageable steps
- providing clear and convincing explanations to subtle issues
- his mastery of physics and strong background in mathematics
- helping students become more fluent in practical math skills
USES: This study guide workbook can be used to:
- learn how to solve fundamental problems in physics with calculus
- find fully-solved examples of standard physics problems
- develop fluency in physics via practice exercises that include answers, hints, and explanations
- quickly find the most essential physics terms, concepts, and formulas
- prepare for the AP physics exam
- review for standardized exams, such as AP Physics or the fundamentals of the GRE.
Patterns include:
- Arithmetic
- Prime numbers
- Fibonacci sequence
- Visual puzzles
- Roman numerals
- Arrays and more
- pattern recognition
- visual discrimination
- analytical skills
- logic and reasoning
- analogies
- mathematics
Each chapter begins with a brief introduction or review of the relevant concepts, followed by 2-3 examples of pattern puzzles with explanations.
This eBook provides a highly visual and colorful introduction to a variety of basic astronomy concepts:
- Overview of the Solar System
- Understanding the Lunar Phases
- Understanding Solar and Lunar Eclipses
- Understanding the Seasons
- Evidence that the Earth is Round
- Models of Our Solar System
- Laws of Motion in Astronomy
- Beyond Our Solar System
The content is suitable for a general interest audience, as well as those who may be learning astronomy and are looking for some supplemental instruction that is highly visual and focused on a variety of fundamental concepts.
There are about 17,000 words in this eBook and over 100 color images. (The paperback edition of this eBook has 186 pages.)
Tips: A few of the photos can look much larger if you simply rotate your eReader 90 degrees, switching between portrait and landscape mode. (Some popular eReaders also allow you to zoom in on an individual picture, though the zoom option is not always easy to find.) Remember that you can change the font size on your eReader to make the text larger or smaller (but, unfortunately, this may not affect the size of the equations, but, fortunately, there are only a few equations in this eBook).
The author, Chris McMullen, is a physics and astronomy instructor at Northwestern State University of Louisiana. He earned his Ph.D. in physics at Oklahoma State University in phenomenological high-energy physics (particle physics). His doctoral dissertation was on the collider phenomenology of superstring-inspired large extra dimensions, a field in which he has coauthored several papers.
- 30 fully-solved examples serve as a guide
- 70 practice exercises include full solutions
- a quick algebra refresher reviews essential skills
- a chapter on strategies and tips introduces the basic concepts
- age problems
- problems with integers
- relating the digits of a number
- fractions, decimals, and percentages
- average values
- ratios and proportions
- problems with money
- simple interest problems
- rate problems
- two moving objects
- mixture problems
- people working together
- problems with levers
- perimeter and area
- 11 age problems
- 15 rate problems
- 3 mixture problems that do not involve liquids (these more tangible mixtures involve rocks or balls, which allow students to develop an understanding of how the mixture concept works)
- 4 problems involving working together (or against)
- 4 problems that are similar to the classic handshaking problem
- several problems that involve ratios or proportions
- 7 problems that involve counting permutations or combinations
- 10 problems that involve calculating the likelihood of an event occurring
- several problems that feature geometric shapes
- 4 problems that require making predictions
- 3 problems that involve other number systems, like base 3 or 9
- several counting problems
- 10 comparison problems
- 5 remainder problems
- several problems that involve money
- several problems that involve fractions, decimals, or percents
- and a variety of other word problems
- 64 proofs with full solutions.
- 9 examples to help serve as a guide.
- A review of terminology, notation, and concepts.
- Similar and congruent triangles
- the Pythagorean theorem
- circles, chords, and tangents
- alternate interior angles
- the triangle inequality
- the angle sum theorem
- quadrilaterals
- regular polygons
- area of plane figures
- inscribed and circumscribed figures
- the centroid of a triangle
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