| Topic: |
Science > Physics |
| User: |
"Jeff" |
| Date: |
09 Mar 2005 02:05:23 AM |
| Object: |
recommendation for college physics textbook |
Can anyone recommend a good college level introductory physics textbook?
I paged through this one and thought it looked good, but I have no
clue.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0072875607/qid=1110316711/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-202060
5-6895927?v=glance&s=books
Jeff
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| User: "FrediFizzx" |
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| Title: Re: recommendation for college physics textbook |
11 Mar 2005 02:32:10 AM |
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"Jeff" <eatmy@grits.com> wrote in message
news:UFoXd.1242$uk7.59@fed1read01...
| Can anyone recommend a good college level introductory physics
textbook?
|
| I paged through this one and thought it looked good, but I have no
| clue.
|
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0072875607/qid=1110316711/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-202060
| 5-6895927?v=glance&s=books
I am not sure about "introductory" but one of the standard college
textbooks is "Physics, Part I&II" Halliday and Resnick. Calculus based.
ISBN 047134530X
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/047134530X/qid=1110440666/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/103-1994379-2838202?v=glance&s=books
FrediFizzx
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| User: "Jon Bell" |
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| Title: Re: recommendation for college physics textbook |
15 Mar 2005 12:22:01 PM |
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In article <UFoXd.1242$uk7.59@fed1read01>, Jeff <eatmy@grits.com> wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good college level introductory physics textbook?
I've never seen the Giambattista book that you linked to, so I can't
comment on that one. Just in case you're not aware of it, there are two
major types of introductory physics textbooks: those that use some
calculus and assume that you are at least concurrently studying calculus,
and those that use only algebra and trigonometry. Among the
calculus-based books, the most widely used is probably Halliday, Resnick &
Walker's "Fundamentals of Physics". Amazon lists both the sixth and
seventh editions. I wonder why they're both available?
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/047122863X/qid=1110559716/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/102-2365401-1778550?v=glance&s=books>
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0471216437/qid=1110559716/sr=1-4/ref=sr_1_4/102-2365401-1778550?v=glance&s=books>
Among the algebra/trig books, we currently use Serway & Faughn's "College
Physics":
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/ref=dp_searchBox_1/102-2365401-1778550?url=index%3Dbooks%26dispatch%3Dsearch%26results-process%3Dbin&field-keywords=serway+faughn&x=9&y=9>
In the past, we've also used Childers & Jones, "Contemporary College
Physics":
<http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index%3Dbooks%26field-keywords%3Dchilders%252520jones%26store-name%3Dbooks/102-2365401-1778550>:
I don't remember why my colleagues switched back to S&F. I haven't
taught the course myself in several years, and when I did, it was from S&F.
If you're teaching yourself physics, there is an advantage to using a
textbook that a lot of other people use or have used: it's easier to get
help on questions that are specifically related to the textbook, by asking
in newsgroups or other online forums. Both HR&W and S&F are very widely
used, C&J probably less so.
I would *not* recommend Kleppner & Kolenkow, which someone else has
suggested. That book is used in second-year classical-mechanics courses,
for students who have already taken an introductory course.
--
Jon Bell <jtbell@presby.edu> Presbyterian College
Dept. of Physics and Computer Science Clinton, South Carolina USA
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| User: "PD" |
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| Title: Re: recommendation for college physics textbook |
11 Mar 2005 02:29:22 AM |
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Jeff wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good college level introductory physics
textbook?
I paged through this one and thought it looked good, but I have no
clue.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0072875607/qid=1110316711/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-202060
5-6895927?v=glance&s=books
Jeff
I find this book interesting in intent and lousy on execution. I don't
recommend it.
If you have *ever* learned calculus, then I suggest a book by Randall
Knight, Addison Wesley.
If you have *never* learned calculus, then I suggest a book by James S.
Walker.
PD
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| User: "Tomas Selnekovic" |
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| Title: Re: recommendation for college physics textbook |
11 Mar 2005 02:28:30 AM |
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Physics should start with mechanics, right? I think the best one is "An
Introduction To Mechanics; Daniel Kleppner, Robert Kolenkow". And be
prepared to work hard :)
ts
Jeff wrote:
Can anyone recommend a good college level introductory physics
textbook?
I paged through this one and thought it looked good, but I have no
clue.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0072875607/qid=1110316711/sr=1-3/ref=sr_1_3/104-202060
5-6895927?v=glance&s=books
Jeff
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| User: "" |
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| Title: Re: recommendation for college physics textbook |
11 Mar 2005 02:33:19 AM |
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Since you can't tell much about a book from its cover, your best bet
might be to learn exactly what colleges and universities use it, and
for what courses. If you don't know calculus, it would be well to find
out if the book assumes a working knowledge of the subject.
For a college level introductory physics text, I like "Fundamentals of
Physics" by Halliday and Resnick and "University Physics" by Sears,
Zamensky, et al. Both of these have been around for a number of years,
are sold by Amazon, and are in widespread university use.
Harry C.
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