Vibrations/Waves: French vs. Bekefi/Barrett

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SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the relationship between the texts "Mechanical Vibrations" by French and "Electromagnetic Waves" by Bekefi and Barrett (B&B). Bekefi and Barrett is not merely an extension of French; it encompasses additional material on electromagnetic waves, particularly in chapters 3-8, which are absent in French. Both texts are comparable in difficulty, but their scopes differ significantly, with French focusing solely on mechanical vibrations and waves. The consensus is that there is no direct copying from French in B&B, although both texts are utilized in MIT's Physics III course.

PREREQUISITES
  • Familiarity with mechanical vibrations and waves
  • Understanding of electromagnetic waves
  • Basic knowledge of electrodynamics
  • Experience with academic physics texts
NEXT STEPS
  • Review the table of contents for "Mechanical Vibrations" by French
  • Examine chapters 3-8 of "Electromagnetic Waves" by Bekefi and Barrett
  • Explore MIT's Physics III course materials on ocw.mit.edu
  • Investigate the differences in pedagogical approaches between French and B&B
USEFUL FOR

Students and educators in physics, particularly those studying mechanical vibrations and electromagnetic waves, as well as anyone comparing academic texts in these fields.

mishima
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Is there a relation between these two texts? Is the Bekefi/Barrett a newer extension of french or is it its own thing completely? Does Bekefi/Barrett contain exact extracts from French? Thanks.
 
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I am only casually acquainted with French, but took a course out of B&B. The two books are at approximately the same difficulty level. The primary difference is scope: French confines the discussion to mechanical vibrations and waves; B&B covers much of the material of French in chapters 1,2,7 and 8, but the rest of B&B is purely on electromagnetic waves. Check out the table of contents of these two books on Amazon and you will see chapters 3,4,5, and 6 of B&B covers aspects of electrodynamics - material not in French at all. B&B is a really good book, and chapters 3-8 are where it really shines. I am pretty sure there is no copying of French here. The main downsides of B&B are that you will have to get past the old fashioned typewriter type-setting, and that it has no solutions.

Since I have not seriously read French's book I cannot comment on whether it is better at explaining mechanical waves than B&B. Since MITs physics III (see ocw.mit.edu) uses both books, I suspect there is something about French that is either not in B&B or that is simply explained better.

good luck.

jason
 

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