New Textbook Forums: Physics, Maths, Engineering & More

[Greg Bernhardt]

PF is pleased to announce the opening of four new textbook forums (Physics/Astonomy, Mathematics, Engineering, Other Sciences). Micromass was developing an excellent Bibliography in the Science Book Discussion forum and we wanted to expand it even further! Each textbook category will host threads for individual textbooks. These threads should be used to house members comments, tips, reviews and discussion about that specific textbook. We think this will be a great resource!

Note, to keep the content organized, members are not allow to create new threads, only reply to existing textbook threads. btw, because the threads are organized by topic prefix, it can be very handy to filter by prefix. This ability can be found at the bottom left of the forum listing page.

Obviously we have just the tip of the iceberg of textbooks listed, it will take time and we need your help. There is a sticky atop each of the forums for you to request a listing. We need members to tell us what books you are using in class so we can create the listing.

Here are the forums, enjoy!


Physics & Astronomy Textbooks
https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=224

Mathematics Textbooks
https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=225

Engineering Textbooks
https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=226

Other Science Textbooks
https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=227

 

[n10Newton]

Thats nice. How about a poll on top as options
1.I have used this book and this is the best.
2.I read this but this is not good.
3.This is the worst book I ever used.
4.This is good but I have a good alternative to that Book.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Thats nice. How about a poll on top as options
1.I have used this book and this is the best.
2.I read this but this is not good.
3.This is the worst book I ever used.
4.This is good but I have a good alternative to that Book.

Very good suggestion! We will consider it!

 

[AlephZero]

In the Engineering list you have two threads for Hibbeler, Eng. Mech - Dynamics.

The Amazon links are for different editions (12th and 13th) but there is nothing in the PF threads to show the difference.

I don't know if that specific example happened by accident or design (and I haven't searched for any more examples), but since popular textbooks often go through several editions with little change I think you need a strategic decision on how to handle it.

Personally I would go for one thread for all editions, unless a "new edition" is really a different book published under the old name.

In any case, it would be valuable to include the edition number somewhere prominent (e.g. the thread title), otherwise "editorial entropy" will increase with time!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

In the Engineering list you have two threads for Hibbeler, Eng. Mech - Dynamics.

The Amazon links are for different editions (12th and 13th) but there is nothing in the PF threads to show the difference.

I don't know if that specific example happened by accident or design (and I haven't searched for any more examples), but since popular textbooks often go through several editions with little change I think you need a strategic decision on how to handle it.

Personally I would go for one thread for all editions, unless a "new edition" is really a different book published under the old name.

In any case, it would be valuable to include the edition number somewhere prominent (e.g. the thread title), otherwise "editorial entropy" will increase with time!

Thanks for the catch! We do indeed want one thread for all editions. We will include the edition in near future. Thanks for all the feedback! We'll get it running like a well oiled machine soon enough! :)

 

[AlephZero]

Re the link on the front page: "Science book discussion" has a different connotation for me than "Scence textbook discussion". "Book" could include pop-sci, history and philosophy of science, etc...

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Re the link on the front page: "Science book discussion" has a different connotation for me than "Scence textbook discussion". "Book" could include pop-sci, history and philosophy of science, etc...

Thanks, forgot to change that :)

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I am adding polls to each thread now

 

[G01]

This is a great change!

 

[ChiralWaltz]

Wonderful! The "forum feedback and announcements" has low visibility to me. Perhaps a sticky advertising textbook ratings in the homework help section would help generate more votes?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Wonderful! The "forum feedback and announcements" has low visibility to me. Perhaps a sticky advertising textbook ratings in the homework help section would help generate more votes?

I'll make a forum wide announcement shortly :)

 

[Pythagorean]

Other Sciences:

Neuroscience:

Neuroscience by Dale Purves
From Molecules to Networks by John H. Byrne
Mathematical Neuroscience by Bard Ermentrout
Spikes, Decisions, and Actions by Hugh R. Wilson

 

[Pythagorean]

Physics:

Classical:

Electrodynamics by David J Griffiths

 

[dlgoff]

Low priority.

It would be nice to see a new "tab" when clicking on a particular textbook so you can have several possible ones to compare or choose from.

 

[drizzle]

Brilliant idea! This is an excellent addition to the forum.

 

[Petek]

I really like this new approach! One comment: In the math section, all the threads that are tagged with Topology display in bold (at least in my browser - Firefox 18.0.1 on Windows 7). This makes it appear that these threads always have unread items. Can this be changed?

 

[mfb]

Low priority.

It would be nice to see a new "tab" when clicking on a particular textbook so you can have several possible ones to compare or choose from.

Your browser can do this. I doubt vBulletin can be configured (without ugly hacks) to behave differently in those forums.

I really like this new approach! One comment: In the math section, all the threads that are tagged with Topology display in bold (at least in my browser - Firefox 18.0.1 on Windows 7). This makes it appear that these threads always have unread items. Can this be changed?

That is a bug in the prefix itself, its <b>-tags are not correct.Probably hard to find if you do not know it exists: At the bottom left of the page, it is possible to filter for specific prefixes.
As far as I know, it is not possible to sort the forums based on those prefixes.

 

[dlgoff]

Your browser can do this. I doubt vBulletin can be configured (without ugly hacks) to behave differently in those forums.

Is it any different than clicking on one of the links in https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=665563?

Try clicking this https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=224 link. It opens a new tab for me.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I really like this new approach! One comment: In the math section, all the threads that are tagged with Topology display in bold (at least in my browser - Firefox 18.0.1 on Windows 7). This makes it appear that these threads always have unread items. Can this be changed?

That was a bug, thanks for the catch! Fixed!

 

[mfb]

Is it any different than clicking on one of the links in https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=665563?

I think dlgoff meant forum topics in the forum view. Those do not have target="_blank" in the HTML code.

 

[Petek]

That was a bug, thanks for the catch! Fixed!

Thanks!

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Thanks to everyone posting comments and book listings. We have a good base now!

 

[n10Newton]

The Science Textbook List is about to be complete its time to include New

1.PF Science Fiction Books Discussion.
2.PF Biography Discussion.
(Some are
1.Never at Rest by Westfall.
2.The Man Who Changed the World.
3.The Man Who Knew Infinity
4.Genius by Gleick)
3.PF Historical Thesis Discussion.
(Some are
1.The Principia : Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy by Isaac Newton.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0520088174/?tag=pfamazon01-20
2.Optiks by Isaac Newton.
3.The Mathematical Papers of Isaac Newton (Edit by Whiteside)
4.A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism by James C Maxwell.
5.Relativity by Albert Einstein.)

 

[I like Serena]

I just realized that the thread ordering of the Science Textbook Discussion will automatically show an ordering of the books.
The best known books that are either good or bad will elicit the most comments.

It's a pity though that books that are less known, or books that are more specialized, will not be recognized easily.

Perhaps it would be nice if we had a special thread that ranks the books on various criteria.
Possible criteria I can think of are:

• Best known by total number of votes.
• Best ranked by weighed average of the votes.
• Ranking based on a combination of number and value of votes (but which formula to use?)
• Most discussed by number of comments.
• Drawing most interest by number of views.

 

[n10Newton]

It's a pity though that books that are less known, or books that are more specialized, will not be recognized easily.

The previous system 'PF Textbook Bibliography' is good regarding this.that only PF mentors include new book and must have one PF mentor or Any staff member used it.

In new system if someone view Five Stared book on Amazon having good review then he ask it or create himself. In initial somewhere Gerg said that please give information about your school/college recommended book but not in any thread University Name (Surely the most famous) appears. I have also recommended some book to list but most of them are used by India's best Institution IITs and some Intro Books like Serway Physics which is recommended by College Board for AP Preparation.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

The previous system 'PF Textbook Bibliography' is good regarding this.that only PF mentors include new book and must have one PF mentor or Any staff member used it.

In the near future we will be creating a few stickies which organize the books into some useful lists.

 

[GregJ]

Great new forum! Already put it to good use and found myself a new textbook for additional reading!

One feature that could be useful is a way to sort/filter by sub-field (for example, in Physics & Astronomy Textbooks - Classical, Relativity, etc.).

 

[Snow-Leopard]

One feature that could be useful is a way to sort/filter by sub-field (for example, in Physics & Astronomy Textbooks - Classical, Relativity, etc.).

This is already read the first post

btw, because the threads are organized by topic prefix, it can be very handy to filter by prefix. This ability can be found at the bottom left of the forum listing page.

Also if you want books topic-wise then wait here he said that

In the near future we will be creating a few stickies which organize the books into some useful lists.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Great new forum! Already put it to good use and found myself a new textbook for additional reading!

One feature that could be useful is a way to sort/filter by sub-field (for example, in Physics & Astronomy Textbooks - Classical, Relativity, etc.).

Thanks GregJ! You can filter by prefix field. Look to the bottom left of the forum display page.

 

[GregJ]

Aha! Genius! :)

I read the first post, although it somehow skipped right by me. Thanks for replying (both Greg and Snow-Leopard). You can delete my posts if you like (don't wish to clutter this thread).

 

[Snow-Leopard]

When I visit the Textbook forum firstly I also want to ask to filter! here I say that today. Make a Stickies as Undergraduate Physics, Mathematical Physics etc. one thing more all mathematical methods book are listed in Math Section prifixed Applied which is harder to find i.e., if someone wants mathematical methods books then he search it in physics not in maths!

 

[micromass]

I have created a textbook list in the mathematics forum to make it easier to navigate through the books: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=4251630

Is this a good way to order all the books?

What sections should I use for the other textbooks forums?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I have created a textbook list in the mathematics forum to make it easier to navigate through the books: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=4251630

Is this a good way to order all the books?

What sections should I use for the other textbooks forums?

Three cheers for micromass!

 

[Snow-Leopard]

Better to Rearrange as Level-wise then Topic-wise as
Undergraduate_-_Algebra_-_Introduction to Linear Algebra by Lang,S.

 

[phion]

I have created a textbook list in the mathematics forum to make it easier to navigate through the books: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?p=4251630

Is this a good way to order all the books?

What sections should I use for the other textbooks forums?

Awesome.