University Physics by Young and Freedman

[micromass]

• Author: Hugh Young, Roger Freedman, Lewis Ford
• Title: University Physics with Modern Physics
• Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0321501217/?tag=pfamazon01-20
• Prerequisites: Calculus

 

[bgq]

In general, this book is enjoyable and connect physics to everyday life; its emphasis on the physical concepts assures that the reader should understand the physics before applying the mathematical equations. It provides much of solved examples which help teaching the reader how to solve problem using suggested strategies.

On the other hand, this book is too talkative, so that it takes relatively more time to finish a section or a chapter, covering much more than what is required as introductory course; for this, this book is better suited as a reference rather than as a course. And IMO much of the derivations in the book are not clear.

 

[runningninja]

I agree with most of what was said above, except for the part about the derivations. I've gone through the mechanics part of the text, and much of the time the explanations were more clear than lecture. I suppose it depends on the person.

The book is very much on the gregarious side though.

 

[Eats Dirt]

There are a ton of practice problems, also all have full solutions in the solutions manual (easy to find online).

 

[QuantumCurt]

Would this book be a good supplement for a University Physics sequence? I'm going to be starting the sequence in the spring, and I'm trying to find some supplementary material for it. The sequence uses the Tipler book as the required text, which I've heard is an excellent book.

I'm planning on picking up the Feynman Lectures, but I've gathered that they're not really the best "supplement," and are more suitable for more advanced studies later on.

I've read in a lot of reviews(and in this thread as well) that the Young, Freedman book reads as something more of a reference book than many of the other uni physics textbooks. Would it be a good decision to pick this up? If not, any recommendations?

I'm also considering the Halliday/Resnick book...but I've seen a lot of negative reviews of it.

 

[thegreenlaser]

Would this book be a good supplement for a University Physics sequence? I'm going to be starting the sequence in the spring, and I'm trying to find some supplementary material for it. The sequence uses the Tipler book as the required text, which I've heard is an excellent book.

I'm planning on picking up the Feynman Lectures, but I've gathered that they're not really the best "supplement," and are more suitable for more advanced studies later on.

I've read in a lot of reviews(and in this thread as well) that the Young, Freedman book reads as something more of a reference book than many of the other uni physics textbooks. Would it be a good decision to pick this up? If not, any recommendations?

I'm also considering the Halliday/Resnick book...but I've seen a lot of negative reviews of it.

This book is decent from what I remember, but if your required text is good then I don't think I would bother spending a lot of money on it. I used it a fair bit during my first year E&M class (it was the required text), but I actually ended up donating it to someone a few months ago because I hadn't touched it since.

Rather than buy another expensive textbook that you may or may not even use in the future, I would stick to using the library if you need a supplementary book (they might even have this one). That way you can pick a book that's good for the particular topic you're struggling with. (Also, learning to use your university library effectively is still a pretty handy skill. Not everything can be found on the internet, unfortunately.)

 

[fras]

I will recommend this book if you plan on doing self-study. The 100 problems at the end of every chapter tend to provide the self-studying student enough work to come to somewhat of a mastery after each chapter.

I would also suggest buying the solutions manual because the end-of-book answers only have the odd numbered exercises, and often times, when doing the harder problems it is best to know what strategy was used to solve it in case you have a hard time solving it.

The book, in my honest opinion, is worth it as it isn't based around plug and chug although the beginning problems tend to be very basic. The chapters within the book itself tend to range from 25-30 pages per chapter, which is enough at the given level to give the student enough information to learn the material.

If you aren't in a classroom the book is worth the buy (I actually bought my copy at $30 on amazon). If you are in a classroom, I would say you don't really need it.

As for the comparison with Halliday... I read from Halliday/Resnick 2nd edition and the problems aren't tougher than Young and Freedman, in fact, I would say Young and Freedman's challenge problems are better and a bit tougher than Halliday's, not to mention more numerous/chapter.

I lightly recommend due to a student not needing it if she/he is in school.

 

[QuantumCurt]

I'm not going to be doing self study, I'll be taking it formally at my school. The professor I'll have uses the Tipler book, which I've heard is also very good. I've read a lot of reviews saying that the practice problems in Young and Freedman are excellent, which is definitely a plus.

I'm just wondering if it would really be worth it to pick up a second textbook. The two books are basically the same type of book; they both teach the same material. Would it really be worth the expense to have a second textbook? Part of me is saying that it might be beneficial, but part of me is also saying that it's unnecessary.

I don't know. I'll probably forget about it for now, but if I feel like the Tipler book isn't explaining things well enough, I might pick it up.

 

[junaid314159]

Any advice about the pros/cons of using Giancoli's Physics for Scientists and Engineers vs. University Physics for self-studying Calculus based physics. I am currently reading through Giancoli's non-calculus based physics book and am enjoying it and finding it very clear and well-written. I was planning on reading his calc-based one next but was curious about University Physics as an alternative option.

Thanks.

 

[fras]

I will start first with the cons of the book. I only have one con and it is the aspect of the book pertaining to the long explanations of concepts. While I do and did appreciate the explanations, for a student starting out, sometimes a more simple and basic explanation works best, and finally, when the student has had some experiences working on the concept a more dense explanation works. That for me is the only semi-con that I encountered in the book.

As for QuantumCurt's question, for me, I've only had mechanics thus far, but if you are planning on picking up a second book, I'd recommend Kleppner's Introduction to Mechanics. Instead of picking up a book that may have similar or identical explanations, a book with a different take on the same concept is always better. That way you can absorb the information in a different way and get a better idea of the concept being learned. At least with me, that is how I feel now. I feel by reading Kleppner Mechanics after reading the mechanics version of University Physics that I have gained a greater appreciation and understanding of the subject.

If you have Tipler, I say stick with it and if you have trouble I found by using this site (I tend to lurk here for answers to questions I have, and have recently decided to sign up) for question would be best than buying a book that may be identical in explanation. You could use that money to buy Kleppner's book (you can take a sneak peek of the book at Amazon) or save it for a rainy day.

 

[QuantumCurt]

Thanks for the input! The Kleppner book looks fantastic. It looks like there's actually a new edition of it coming out soon too. That looks more like what I'm looking for. Something in a different format, with more rigorous problems and explanations. The new edition comes out in November from what I can tell, which is shortly before I'd be starting the calc based physics, so that would be perfect.

I'm still going to do some more research, but that might end up being the one I pick up. Thanks for the recommendation!

 

[xentullarch]

Does a material presented in this book cover the International Physics Olympiads' syllabus completely? If not then to what extent?

 

[verty]

Does a material presented in this book cover the International Physics Olympiads' syllabus completely? If not then to what extent?

I believe it covers everything. It is one of the most comprehensive books there are. The latest editions are, however, very expensive. You'll want an earlier edition most likely.

 

[WannabeNewton]

You'll need a book harder than this for the IPO.

 

[xentullarch]

You'll need a book harder than this for the IPO.

I know that problem solving skills gained from this book aren't good enough for IPhO. But what do you think about its concepts?

 

[xentullarch]

Also, what are the differences between international and standard editions of this book?