Seeking Better Textbooks for Calculus and Physics?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around seeking recommendations for supplemental textbooks for Calculus 2 and Physics: Waves and Fields. Participants share their experiences with current textbooks and suggest alternatives, focusing on both titles and authors.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses dissatisfaction with their university's assigned textbooks and seeks better options for supplemental reading.
  • Another participant suggests that the original poster should list the book titles instead of just links to improve clarity.
  • Some participants criticize the relevance of the suggested Amazon links, arguing that many do not cover the intended subjects.
  • A list of recommended physics textbooks is provided, including titles such as "Problems in General Physics" and "The Feynman Lectures on Physics."
  • Another participant emphasizes the importance of including authors' names alongside titles for better recognition.
  • One participant advises caution regarding Amazon reviews, suggesting that negative feedback may come from students with unrealistic expectations.
  • A participant recommends "K&K's mechanics text" for its challenging questions, indicating it has been beneficial for their understanding of mechanics.
  • A link to an external resource listing physics textbooks is shared as potentially helpful.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing opinions on the usefulness of the suggested textbooks and the reliability of reviews. There is no consensus on which textbooks are definitively better, and multiple viewpoints regarding the adequacy of the original suggestions remain.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the original poster may not have provided sufficient specificity in their requests, and there are concerns about the appropriateness of the suggested materials for the intended subjects.

InvalidID
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I've finished my first semster (which included Calculus 1 and Physics: Mechanics). I'm currently in my second semester (which includes Calculus 2 and Physics: Waves and Fields).

So apparently the textbooks that my university assigns are terrible according to the reviews here. So I'm looking for supplemental books, but I'm totally overwhelmed. Can anyone help me lower my number of choices?

For physics (waves & fields):

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=670160
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=666388
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=666108
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=665636
https://www.amazon.com/dp/0748744479/?tag=pfamazon01-20
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=665800
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=666677
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=666185
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=666083
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=665596
https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=666157

For calculus 2:
Will finish this later. I have to go to class right now.
 
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You should name the books here so that we don't have to click on every link. But it can't be a bad idea to include the links as well.
 
Did you even click on the Amazon links for those books? Most of the books you listed do not even cover the subject you wish to supplement. You should have waited until you were done with class to make a proper post.
 
Mmm_Pasta said:
Did you even click on the Amazon links for those books? Most of the books you listed do not even cover the subject you wish to supplement. You should have waited until you were done with class to make a proper post.

Can you be more specific?
 
For those who prefer the titles:

Problems in General Physics
The Road to Reality
The Feynman Lectures on Physics
Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics
Vibrations and Waves
Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems
Newtonian Mechanics
Vibration and Waves
Classical Mechanics
An Introduction to Mechanics
University Physics with Modern Physics
 
InvalidID said:
For those who prefer the titles:

Problems in General Physics
The Road to Reality
The Feynman Lectures on Physics
Mathematical Methods of Classical Mechanics
Vibrations and Waves
Classical Dynamics of Particles and Systems
Newtonian Mechanics
Vibration and Waves
Classical Mechanics
An Introduction to Mechanics
University Physics with Modern Physics

People usually recognize textbooks by the authors and less by the titles. So you might want to list the authors...
 
For those who prefer the authors:

I.E. Irodov
Roger Penrose
Richard P. Feynman, Robert B. Leighton and Matthew Sands
V.I. Arnol'd (Author), K. Vogtmann (Translator), A. Weinstein (Translator)
A.P. French
Stephen T. Thornton (Author), Jerry B. Marion (Author)
A.P. French
George King
Herbert Goldstein (Author), Charles P. Poole Jr. (Author), John L. Safko (Author)
Daniel Kleppner and Robert J. Kolenkow
Hugh Young, Roger Freedman, Lewis Ford
 
IMO, you shouldn't always trust reviews on Amazon...often times there are negative reviews from students who expect to be spoon-fed :)

If you've already covered a semester of mechanics than I think K&K's mechanics text would be good (I'm learning mechanics 'properly' from it but sometimes refer to a more standard text for clarification). I like the questions in it - really makes you think about the physics.
 

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