How does KIP Fundamentals of Electricity compare to Purcell?

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SUMMARY

KIP: Fundamentals of Electricity and Magnetism is comparable to Purcell in terms of difficulty, but students at a community college level have found Purcell challenging, leading to its replacement with Resnick/Walker Physics. The honors course that utilized Purcell faced significant struggles, prompting the instructor to revert to older materials. Students who have a grasp of electromagnetic theory may benefit more from advancing to higher-level electromagnetism rather than focusing on KIP as a primary resource.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of electromagnetic theory
  • Familiarity with Purcell's approach to electricity and magnetism
  • Basic knowledge of classical mechanics from Taylor Mechanics
  • Experience with mathematical methods in physics
NEXT STEPS
  • Review Purcell's text for a comprehensive understanding of electromagnetism
  • Explore Resnick/Walker Physics as an alternative resource
  • Investigate higher-level electromagnetism texts for advanced study
  • Examine supplementary materials provided by instructors, such as Griffiths' books
USEFUL FOR

Students in physics courses, particularly those struggling with electromagnetism, educators seeking effective teaching materials, and anyone evaluating the suitability of KIP and Purcell for their studies.

MidgetDwarf
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How does KIP: Fundamentals of Electricity and Magnetism compare against Purcell? Are they at the same level?
Or would focusing on Purcell be a better option?

I took an honors EM class and are assigned text was Purcell. It was the first time our school used Purcell for an honors sequence. Previously, the honors course required only an extra project and presentation for honors credit. My instructor decided to change the rules and made Purcell the assigned text.

The class was considered largely a failure. Students were struggling with Purcell (this is a community college). I believe he got in trouble with the department as a result. Our teacher purchased older editions of Resnick/Walker Physics and gave them to students. Resnick replaced Purcell as our main text.

I went to get a letter of recommendation from my professor the other day, and he gave me a stack of books. I got Taylor Mechanics, Marion Thornton, Kip and two book by Griffiths. Some math methods books.

Is it worth going over KIP if I have Purcell? I found Purcell challenging, but not impossible. Far easier then say, Spivak Calculus. Really struggling with Spivak -_-.
 
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I have never looked at Kip, but it appears to be the same level as Purcell. If you already understand electromagnetic theory at that level I would think that moving on to other subjects or simply looking at higher level electromagnetism would be a better use of your time. It sounds like you were given many such books - I would look at those instead of Kip.

jason
 
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Thanks Jason for responding to my inquiry. Need to review Purcell as I did not fully complete it, due to professor changing the course material halfway through the semester.
Probably use KIP as a supplement and nothing more.
 

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