# Intro Physics 2 Recommended texts, And the differences between them?

1. May 26, 2015

### Pefgjk

Hello everyone! My main physics teacher has made recommendations for us about textbooks, and those were:

A. Physics for scientists and engineers by Jewett/Serway.
B. Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A strategic approach with modern physics by Randall D. Knight.

1. I read the former for a while and actually liked it. But in comparison to other texts, is it worth the hefty price? I have to undergo intensive Math training during university and still doing it, so I really appreciate a Calculus-based textbooks with detailed Mathematical expressions if possible. That's when my question arises, does the second book (the one by Knight) Calculus-based, too? If yes, are the two books of the same quality in terms of academic contents?

2. I saw people complaining about the book by Jewett/Serway is a dreaded text with messy (overflowing? Sorry, have limited English) contents in it. How true is that compared to other similar textbooks? And is it true at all?

3. What are other good recommendations?

NOTE: I dont know much academc words about Math, so when I say 'Calculus-based' I mean the following, say: Integrals, line and surface Integrals, Differential equations, series (like Fourier series), functions, kinds of derivatives, etc. I am not a native speaker so I dont think I fully understand some academic Math vocabularies, but I hope my previous effort in explaining my view will aid you!

Regards,

2. May 26, 2015

### micromass

Staff Emeritus
Last edited by a moderator: May 7, 2017
3. May 26, 2015

### verty

Quoted to have a record.

I wouldn't choose that book, the book itself sells for $230 while the solutions manual sells for$120. Who are they kidding, $120 for a solutions manual? If the solutions manual is anywhere near that valuable, it must be needed because the book is rubbish. Because surely if the book is really good, the solutions manual is not adding a lot of value to the package and shouldn't cost$120.

Surely at that price, someone who buys the solutions manual is going to get value. And that can only happen if the main text is lacking value. So in no way would I choose that book. I think this is pretty close to a mathematical proof.

I can't comment on the Knight book but this Jewett/Serway one must be a poor choice, I think.

4. May 26, 2015

### MidgetDwarf

Old copy of giancoli physics for scientist n engineers. I nice introduction to physics. Even has derivations. After working from giancoli , purchase kleppner and kolenkow.

5. May 31, 2015

### Pefgjk

Thank you! I think I must own the book Kleppner.

One more important thing, actually I really need books that cover other topic, can you recommend me book for the following also:
1. Mechanics: as you already said: Kleppner and Kolenkow.

2. Fluid mechanics(does the Kleppner book include this topic, too?).

3. Electromagnetism.

4. Optics.

5. Thermodynamic.

6. Other topics of Introductory physics that I dont presently know?

7. What is a good calculus-text that contains everything about intro physics and is not bad? Like Freedmen's, Feynman's,.... i mean

Thanks!

6. May 31, 2015

### MidgetDwarf

Just play with kleppner and kolenkow. It will take you some to work through it. Do not google solutions.

7. Jul 11, 2015

### Dexter K

Pefgjk,

I can answer a couple of them - I didn't take advanced optics or thermodynamics. By all accounts, from what I've read from other scholars, kleppner is a great book for mechanics (i've never used it but the general consensus will likely steer you correctly).

I used Griffiths for electromagnetism - I have no complaints about the book - I think my teacher was great at teaching the subject matter - I took it concurrently with an electrical engineering fields course. I liked Griffiths significantly more than the textbook for the ECE course which i can't remember - Griffiths is written for physics students (more theory) as opposed to engineers.

I took Fluid Mechanics as well. We used Transport Phenomena by Bird and Stewart. This was an elective engineering course so it was more applied and less theoretical. For engineers (more specifically chemical engineers) this is a gold standard. I do not know if this is great from a physics perspective, just my two cents.

As far as introductory calc-based physics texts go, I've used Giancoli (Physics for Scientists and Engineers) and heard/read great reviews regarding University Physics (Young & Freedman) and Fundamentals of Physics (Halliday & Resnick). These are for the calc-based introductory physics sequences everywhere and are not nearly as rigorous as the above texts.