Resnick and Halliday which book I should choose?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around which edition of Resnick and Halliday's "Fundamentals of Physics" to choose, considering the various editions and titles available. Participants explore the general content and purpose of the books, as well as alternative resources for introductory physics.

Discussion Character

  • Debate/contested
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants note that Resnick and Halliday's books provide a broad overview of physics concepts rather than in-depth coverage, suggesting that any edition would suffice for introductory purposes.
  • One participant recommends the latest 10th edition as the best option, providing links to purchase it.
  • Another participant advises considering the condition of used copies, mentioning that marked-up books may detract from the reading experience.
  • Alternative resources are suggested, including the IB Physics book by KA Tsokos and free books by Benjamin Crowell.
  • Some participants express a preference for specific editions, such as Halliday, Resnick, and Krane, while advising against the Halliday, Resnick, and Walker edition.
  • A participant shares a personal anecdote about their experience with different editions, indicating a preference for the "green book" over the "royal blue book."

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on which specific edition is preferable, with no consensus reached on a single recommended book. Some agree on the general utility of the books, while others have specific preferences based on personal experience.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of considering the depth of content and the condition of used books, but do not resolve the question of which edition is definitively better.

ricky33
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Resnick and Halliday have many physics books and they have more than 6 named fundamental of physics I don't know which one I should choose they have many editions for each book and they have the same name .
 
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ricky33 said:
Resnick and Halliday have many physics books and they have more than 6 named fundamental of physics I don't know which one I should choose they have many editions for each book and they have the same name .

It doesn't really matter much. Halliday and Resnick type books try to give an overview of a lot of physics. This overview is not deep. You will go very deep in all aspects of physics in later physics courses. So the goal of Halliday and Resnick is to cover things very broadly, to introduce you with physical thinking and to make you aware of the basic concepts. In that sense, all editions would serve quite well. I would go for the one that is cheapest.
 
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One other thing to think about is some used student copies of this book may be marked up with highlighter which can distract from the reading experience.

Also ABE Books is a good resource for finding used copies with descriptions on book quality:

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchResults?an=halliday+resnick&sts=t&tn=fundamentals+of+physics

Another possible book resource is the IB Physics book by KA Tsokos, its a bit smaller than Halliday but packaged quite well for freshman level physics:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0521138213/?tag=pfamazon01-20

and lastly, there the free books by Benjamin Crowell at:

www.lightandmatter.com
 
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Yeah, I liked the green book too. It came out a few years after I graduated. The standard at the time was the royal blue book. Our school used another authors book which wasn't as good and we were only 15 miles from RPI where Resnick taught. Go figure!
 

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