This Physics Textbook is Garbage

[Nickatron]

I can't stand Physics for Scientists and Engineers by Serway. Every time I open the book I want to pull my hair out. They use ridiculously complicated formulas that could easily be derived from kinematics, and they don't even tell you where the formula came from. When I get to the exercises I feel like a child being thrown in the middle of a pool to be taught how to swim. I purposely placed the book in the middle of my hallway so it gets as much foot-traffic as possible.

Could someone please recommend a calculus based physics book that doesn't change editions every year, and uses a simple and practical approach to solving physics problems with good worked-out examples?

 

[Nickatron]

I did a little research, and these textbooks seem to be better, but does anyone have any experience with these books that care to comment?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0131495089/?tag=pfamazon01-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321035720/?tag=pfamazon01-20

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321501217/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[Curl]

Dude, I remember that book by Serway, I used it in high school. That book is awesome, probably the best out there. There's nothing "complicated" in the book, the explanations are clear and actually makes it seem easy. You don't have to read twice to get what they're saying, like other books.

Some of the questions are hard for beginners, but I found the problems in that book to be very creative and ingenious. If you don't like that book, I got bad news for you: Physics probably "ain't your thing".

 

[Nickatron]

I got bad news for you: Physics probably "ain't your thing".

Haha, that made me laugh pretty hard. Your logic doesn't make sense. Serway is not the definitive authority on teaching Physics, therefore if serway "ain't my thing." that does not mean that physics "ain't my thing". I'm glad you find Serway entertaining and easy to read, but that is not going to convince me that my personal style of learning is wrong.

-Dude

 

[Pinu7]

If you think that a significant portion of physics formulay can be derived by "kinematics," then you are gravely illusioned. In addition, Serway does derive many of their formulas if you were to bother reading them.
All of the standard introductory physics books are the same; they are all copies of each other. In this respect, Serway IS the definitive teaching authority here in the US.

However, if you want nonstandard freshmen physics books, anyone here would recommended The Feynman Lectures on Physics. In addition, the MIT OpenCourseWare is offering a new "Scholar series" which includes mechanics and electromagnetism.

 

[Nickatron]

All of the standard introductory physics books are the same; they are all copies of each other. In this respect, Serway IS the definitive teaching authority here in the US.

Im sorry, but I don't believe this. Yes, the content in every introductory physics book is the same because those topics in physics have not changed. The way that the books approach problem solving, and the way a book leads you into trying the examples are different. Trust me I love physics, but the way that Serway explains how to approach solving a particular problem does not work for me. I know I am not the only one who doesn't like this book. I have been searching all over this forum and have seen many people complain about it. Here is an example if you like: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=475299&highlight=serway.

Thanks for the recommendations on Feynman and OpenCouseWare. I have heard of Feynman's lectures before, hopefully they have it at the library so I can browse though it.

 

[osnarf]

I can't believe nobody has mentioned Halliday and Resnick yet, I thought that was the standard introductory physics book in the US.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/047004473X/?tag=pfamazon01-20
Used price starting at $8.29

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0470044748/?tag=pfamazon01-20
Used price starting at $21.69

I loved this book. Very thorough and clear explanations and derivations, and well worked out examples. I liked volume II better, but I think that was most likely due to the material.

They all contain the same information, but the style makes all the difference to me. I didn't particularly like that book either.

 

[Nickatron]

Thanks osnarf, I have Halliday and Resnick's physics fundamentals book, and I like the explanations. I haven't taken a look at the calculus based book yet though.

 

[RedX]

I don't have any recommendations, but the Serway book had some pretty pictures.

The Feynman Lectures on physics is awesome. The only problem is that Feynman is a little bit too clever...I don't think it's fair to expect the student to solve mundane problems by such ingenuity when other students can solve them without thinking as much, by using a heavier formalism.

There are some free online lectures on classical mechanics from MIT by a guy named Walter Lewin. The guy is very entertaining, give it a shot:

 

[osnarf]

How far have you gotten in it? That is the one I'm referring to, it is definitely calculus-based. I'm out of town right now so I don't have the book with me, but looking at the table of contents I'd imagine they use it as early as the middle of chapter 2, and it is there for the rest of the book.

 

[Nickatron]

There are some free online lectures on classical mechanics from MIT by a guy named Walter Lewin. The guy is very entertaining, give it a shot:

Walter Lewin is awesome, I started watching his lectures when I started E&M. Watch the first E&M lecture and he beats a student with cat fur to charge him!

 

[Nickatron]

How far have you gotten in it? That is the one I'm referring to, it is definitely calculus-based. I'm out of town right now so I don't have the book with me, but looking at the table of contents I'd imagine they use it as early as the middle of chapter 2, and it is there for the rest of the book.

LOL. So I helped my neighbor the other day with wireless issues, and she asked me if I wanted any of her old books. I saw the Halliday and Resnick book and took it home. For some reason, I guess because it said fundamentals, I thought it was a non-calculus based physics book. But you are right, I just flipped though it a little closer and noticed the calc. I guess I will give this book a try next week and see if I understand things better. Wow I can't believe it was right under my nose :P

 

[brocks]

If you hate Serway so much, then you are wasting your time asking other people for recommendations, because you clearly need a book that is written in a style you like, and nobody can determine that but you. All of the popular texts cover more or less the same material, so it's just a matter of your personal preference.

When I was looking for a first-year physics book to learn from, I looked at as many university syllabi as I could find on the net. It seems that Serway is the most used in regular classes, and Young and Freedman is more used in classes intended for the better (or better prepared) students. Giancoli was also used recently in some of the top schools, notably MIT, but the newer MIT classes seem to have gone back to Young.

The other two mainstream texts are Halliday, and Tipler.

Again, I advise you to go to a library or bookstore and look at all of them, and just pick the one that seems clearest. All of them generally cover the same stuff; all of them have been chosen by panels of experts in dozens of schools, so you really can't go wrong.

 

[unstoic]

Physics by Resnick, Halliday and Krane is a bible for physics... For a yet more simplified language, try Concepts of Physics, By HC Verma, its an Indian book, but very good and simplified..

 

[Curl]

Tipler is a load of trash, very disorganized and it sounds like the guy doesn't know how to write. Don't even bother with that one.

 

[contramundum]

Tipler is a load of trash, very disorganized and it sounds like the guy doesn't know how to write. Don't even bother with that one.

Seconded. I use it for the required homework problems but that's it.

 

[epenguin]

I think this must be one of the famous "Something FOR Somebody" series, which offers second-rate explanations of Something to people not interested in it.

 

[osnarf]

Seconded. I use it for the required homework problems but that's it.

That is exactly how I feel about https://www.amazon.com/dp/0131857851/?tag=pfamazon01-20 for my current LA class. Just awful.

 

[RedX]

That is exactly how I feel about https://www.amazon.com/dp/0131857851/?tag=pfamazon01-20 for my current LA class. Just awful.

Check out these videos:

http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/mathematics/18-06-linear-algebra-spring-2010/video-lectures/

for linear algebra.

 

[osnarf]

definitely done that a few times, strang's lectures are great. And I've been using Shilov's book instead. I gave up on Leon after the first week lol.