Book Description
Physics for Scientists and Engineers combines outstanding pedagogy with a clear and direct narrative and applications that draw the reader into the physics. The new edition features an unrivaled suite of media and on-line resources that enhance the understanding of physics.
Many new topics have been incorporated such as: the Otto cycle, lens combinations, three-phase alternating current, and many more. New developments and discoveries in physics have been added including the Hubble space telescope, age and inflation of the universe, and distant planets. Modern physics topics are often discussed within the framework of classical physics where appropriate.
For scientists and engineers who are interested in learning physics.
Customer Reviews:
Good deal.......2005-09-15
I got a quick response to my email. Happy to do business with an organization doing some good in the community.
Outstanding.......2005-03-18
I had to use this book during my two semesters of non-calculus college physics, and my first reaction to this 1000+ page monster was mathematical FEAR. However, as I kept reading the book I realized that it explained the majority of concepts clearly even for a person with limited calculus knowledge. The book does an excellent job early on with Newton's three laws, but it gets a little confusing on statics.
The last half of the book was covered in my second semester, and it was also excellent in explaining the topics of thermodynamics, DC and RC circuits, Magnetism and Optics among others. Nevertheless, there were times when the explanation and examples of the book were not enough to answer some of the problems at the end of each chapter. Furthermore, my only complain about the book is that sometimes it uses what my instructor called "Shortcuts" in the sample problems without explaining how the author arrived to a given equation or derivation of a formula. Physics is by no means an easy subject and to do well at it you will need a great instructor and a great book - I was lucky enough to have both.
There are very few books that I keep after I take a class, but I have to say that this book is an invaluable reference that will be in my professional bookshelf for many years.
excellent book.......2004-12-28
This book is very easy to understand and fun to study from. Very helpful for beginners.
Decent but way expensive.......2004-06-16
I had to buy this book for my two general physics courses. I must say this book is the most expensive I've ever bought. This leads me to my first bad critique: this book is unnecessarily large and expensive. The book is full of useless pictures (all in vibrant expensive color), it has too many examples and 1/3 of the majority of the pages are blank. I don't recommend this book if your a poor college student. My second bad critique is that some examples aren't fully explained (particularly with the some equations). Third bad critique: some problems require knowledge that you won't find in the book. There was an instance where I ran into a problem (a double Atwood machine problem) that required knowledge of Newton's laws in non-inertial frames which the book does not provide. I managed to solve this problem with outside help but I must say I felt cheated. My last bad critique: this book has no errata yet!
Now for some good points. The authors exposition of the material is fairly straight-forward. The book is full of problems (some which overly challenging but good nevertheless), covers a great number of topics (45 chapters worth), and uses very little calculus (the majority of the problems involve highschool mathematics).
Not a very good physics book.......2004-06-04
If you're a beginner or not interested in physics stay away from this book. Its mostly geared towards people with high interest and a good reference. Otherwise, the book is very boring to read and all they do is throw formulas at you. Stay away at all costs.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent Intro to Physics.......2007-01-13
As a physics hobbyist, I've used textbooks by Halliday and Resnick, Hugh D. Young, Sanny and Moebs, Isadore Lerner, and others. Each one has a different style and appeals to different types of learners. We're fortunate to have so many to choose from. Wolfson and Pasachoff (Third Edition) develops the subject of physics more slowly and carefully compared with other textbooks, while still being comprehensive and calculus-based. It is ideal for students who find it a bit more difficult to build physical intuition on their own, but could be seen as "simplistic" by students who don't find undergraduate physics to be as challenging. Despite this, all the "meat" of physics is included, along with plenty of challenging problems at the end of each chapter. Books like Wolfson and Pasachoff are important because they tend to encourage a wider range of students to continue their studies in physics. Some of the other textbooks tend to "weed out" students who otherwise might go on to be fine scientists or engineers. So kudos to Wolfson and Pasachoff for a comprehensive yet kinder and gentler introduction to physics.
don't bother.......2004-02-23
After taking 3 semesters in college physics, I found this book to be overly simple and extremely convoluted with worthless wordiness and comparisons. The book is confusing in its style and difficult to follow when trying to learn a particular section. The books approach to physics seems to be more of a "feel good" and neither quantitative nor qualitative and lacks substance. This book simply does not take a serious nor professional approach to physics. The "got it" sections appear, for the most part, useless. They do not make any points, review any parts of the chapter nor do they provide any further enlightenment of the subject. The questions are a mixed bag. Some are vague, some ok, but most are too verbose and do not reinforce the main points. The best parts of the book are the appendices and the tables. I'm sure Dr Wolfson is more then competent, but if you're serious about physics, go with Young or Knight.
pedantic.......2000-05-15
Some people may find this physics book more friendly than, say the Berkeley Physics course textbooks, but really this uses too many words to describe the concepts, and as a result, the time involved in reading about everything is much greater than necessary, and it then does not require a comprehensive understanding of the material. Its mechanics section is unbelievably pedantic. Of course, since electricity and Magnetism is inherently more difficult to understand, the extra words are not quite so superfluous. It is not at all difficult to learn HOW to do the problems without understanding why.
An Excellent introduction to physics.......2000-04-22
This book provides simple explanations of phyical theories. It does not waste words and various subjects are clearly and succintly covered. This is in contrast to the big 2000 page door stops written by Hugh D. Young, where some simple physics takes months to understand. Most of all, this book stirs interest in the subject. I'm no physicist or mathematician, but I think I understood some things like "the rate of change of momentum is proportinal to a Force." How simple! In the author's own words, "this book builds a flexible understanding rather than a memorization of details." In college I used Young's book, and the only way I could pass in that class was by memorizing the highlighted formulas.
This is the best introduction to physics besides Lev Landau's books that I have come across. The only bad thing about this book is that answers are not provided for the questions section becasuse the answers are not numerical but require a thoughtful explanation. However, the problems section has answers to odd numbered numerical problems. It is all here in this book. Try it.
Book Description
This best-selling, calculus-based text is recognized for its carefully crafted, logical presentation of the basic concepts and principles of physics. PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS, Sixth Edition, maintains the Serway traditions of concise writing for the students, carefully thought-out problem sets and worked examples, and evolving educational pedagogy. This edition introduces a new co-author, Dr. John Jewett, at Cal Poly ? Pomona, known best for his teaching awards and his role in the recently published PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS, Third Edition, also written with Ray Serway. Providing students with the tools they need to succeed in introductory physics, the Sixth Edition of this authoritative text features unparalleled media integration and a newly enhanced supplemental package for instructors and students!
Customer Reviews:
Wow. All the colours blinded me........2007-03-30
Wow. The book was so illustrated and so colourful, I got distracted. And, boy, do they like to write...I guess it also combats illiteracy!
I foresee a crucial change in forthcoming editions: the style of the guy's pants in the elevator will go out of fashion and they will have to issue a new edition (it will cost more, however, because printing technology will allow you to see the guy in 3D).
I personally find the "features" in these American-style textbooks to be nothing but distractions. Besides, the level of physics students went down, not up, as physicists will tell you. So how are the pedagogical "features" helping? Accordingly, in truth, the level of the books went down. The reality is that they're targeting a certain niche market here, keep that in mind. Granted, this book has been around. But, for real, it's overpriced and if that is what they made you buy, well, I'm sorry. On the bright side, you could be using Halliday's, in which case you'd be even worse off. Seriously though, this book is representative of a slew of books that are full of fluff and overpriced.
If you feel adventurous, get yourself something with less colour and more math, straight out of the 70s, like Alonso and Finn, or McKelvey and Grotch. I garantee you will get to calculate the apparent weight of fishes in elevators. Besides, come to think of it, hey, all the good math and physics books from Springer and Kluwer are in black-and-white!
Excellent Textbook! .......2006-10-27
I really am impressed with this textbook. It is one of the most organized texts I have ever used in college. The authors and publisher do an excellent job of "formatting" the topics. All equations are very well marked and numbered. Many other texts throw an equation in the middle of a paragraph and you can never find it when you need it. Not so in this book! You will always find just what you are looking for.
They also do a great job of explaining the topics, with many many examples in each chapter. They provide "quick quizzes" in each chapter with answers at the end of the chapter that allows you to see how you are doing. They make liberal use of colors and illustrations which all help to ease the strain on the eye, and help the mind follow along.
Overall, VERY GOOD BOOK! This book will never leave my library reference collection.
Successful textbook.......2006-08-18
This is one of the most popular and most useful calculus based physics textbook in the market. Normally if you have a textbook and some problem books such as Thinking like a physicist, Problems for Physics Students etc and work through as many problem as you can, you shall have no problem mastering the concepts and getting A's from your class.
Solid introduction to college physics for scientists and engineers.......2006-08-03
Next to older editions of Haliday and Resnick, this is probably the best introductory physics text for "college level physics," and I have seen and used most of them after 20+ years of teaching physics. The material in this text does require previous experience with physics (high school or first term algebra-trig based general physics) plus knowledge of introductory calculus. (Limits, continuity, derivatives and integrals - first year calculus, frequently taken concurrently.) I have taught from, and used earlier versions of the text and have found them, (and this), to be good, reliable texts, with good, clear explanations and contemporary applications, with few or no complaints from students. (Physics is a dry subject for many students - this text should help make it a little more palatable, if not interesting.)
The material covered will be challenging for those who do not have the prerequisite background in mathematics, since free and frequent use of derivatives and integrals is made throughout the text, and facility with trigonometry and algebra is assumed. There's a lot of material covered in 38 chapters, from measurements and mechanics through light and optics. (The 39th chapter introduces special relativity, but is frequently skipped by many instructors, though I always present this topic since many students are fascinated by it, as well as by Einstein - thanks to PBS and Discovery specials. However, relativity is usually the first topic covered in the follow-on modern physics course.)
There are many well done diagrams, graphs, drawings and photographs to help visualize the explanations and examples. Special "blue boxes" highlight historical notes and include pictures of historical figures. Qualitative (conceptual) 'Questions' follow each chapter as well as 'Problems' (color coded by degree of difficulty), some iconed for computer/calculator numerical solution or simulation or on-line "coaching" using the free PhysicsNow web-based learning system. The reading material in each section is also complemented with 'Quick Quizzes' with answers at the end of each chapter. Many complementary example problems are worked completely in the reading and appendices are included at the end of the text for all essential mathematical techniques, including derivatives, integrals and error propagation. The back and front covers (with adjacent heavy pages) provide essential and easily accessible information on units, conversions, physical or useful constants and symbology used in the text.
The text contains no chapters on atomic or nuclear physics (Bohr atomic theory, quantum mechanics, periodic table structure, etc.) because these are topics also usually covered in a separate follow-on modern physics course for "scientists and engineers."
I rated the text 4 stars because it is divided into 39 chapters, rather than ~30, which would be more helpful, I think, for a two 15-week semester or three 10-week quarter sequence of courses in "college physics" for scientists and engineers.
To learn the fundamentals of physics.......2006-05-01
I had used Serway's textbook before the second author joined. Different editions may exhibit slight differences, but this book is very suitable for those who want to gain a solid fundamental in physics. I believe this book is intended to address freshmen and sophomores, who major in math, sciences and engineering and it executes this task very successfully. It requires knowledge of calculus for better understanding.
The chapters do not contain excessively long, boring discussions; rather, they are presented with adequate discussions. Worked-out problems are especially beneficial to understand the concepts. If one solves and understands these examples, they can attack the end-of-chapter problems more easily. The end-of-chapter problems are classified into 3 categories; standard difficulty, medium difficulty and challenging problems. Therefore, a student can make use of his time according to the level of difficulty of his course, background etc. If you little time to practice and a fair knowledge of the subject matter, you could easily start with medium level problems and try the harder ones as well.
Some chapters contain some interesting articles about everyday physical phenomena which are related to the concepts presented. Hence, the student has a chance to relate theory and life and get a more profound comprehension of physics.
Answers to odd-numbered problems are given in the back of the book, so you can check your results. Many numbers used in these problems are not hard to tackle without a calculator. A smart student can solve many problems with a pencil and paper.
Book Description
Physics for Scientists and Engineers combines outstanding pedagogy with a clear and direct narrative and applications that draw the reader into the physics. The new edition features an unrivaled suite of media and on-line resources that enhance the understanding of physics. Many new topics have been incorporated such as: the Otto cycle, lens combinations, three-phase alternating current, and many more. New developments and discoveries in physics have been added including the Hubble space telescope, age and inflation of the universe, and distant planets. Modern physics topics are often discussed within the framework of classical physics where appropriate. For scientists and engineers who are interested in learning physics.
Average customer rating:
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Physics for Scientists and Engineers, with Modern Physics
Raymond A. Serway
Manufacturer: Thomson Brooks/Cole
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ASIN: 0534409490 |
Customer Reviews:
Good, but not perfect.......2004-05-17
For my undergrad calculus based physics classes, I studied in books by three different authors: Serway, Halliday-Resnick and Tippler. Even though the contents and explanations are about the same, the great feature about Serway is that it usually provides more examples than Halliday-Resnick and Tippler.
I do not think that Serway differs significantly from the books that are used most often in universities. No book will give you an A+ without spending some. My advice is that you should study from different physics books to prepare yourself as best as possible for a test or a quiz. Yet, I cannot dismiss that Serway has done a great job compiling all the topics and providing excellent examples and illustrations. If you are interested to learn undergrad physics, Serway, Halliday-Resnick and Tippler are the way to go. Choose the book whose cover picture is the one that you like.
Book Description
The third edition of this best-selling book remains vigorous while including a number of new elements which emphasize conceptual understanding. These elements include conceptual examples, “Think About This” sections, and worked examples. Twenty-five percent of the end-of-chapter problems are new or revised. After a comprehensive introduction, the following topics are covered: straight-line motion; motion in two and three dimensions; Newton's laws and their applications; kinetic energy; potential energy and conservation; linear momentum, collisions, and the center of mass; rotations of rigid bodies; angular momentum and torque; statics; gravitation; simple harmonic motion; waves, superposition, and interference; fluids, temperature, and ideal gases; heat flow and thermodynamics; molecules and gases; the second law of thermodynamics; electric charge and electric field; Gauss' Law; electric potential; capacitors and dielectrics; currents in materials; dc circuits; magnetic fields; Faraday's Law; magnetism and matter; inductance and circuit oscillations; alternating currents; Maxwell's Equations; light; mirrors; interference; diffraction; special relativity; and quantum physics. For scientists and engineers.
Customer Reviews:
Great textbook for those willing to learn.......2007-05-15
Regardless of what the engineering undergrads say, this textbook is great. Previously an engineering undergrad myself - turned physics, this is by far the best physics textbook i've come in contact with. Higher physics textbooks are usually very dry, but this book makes entry level physics fun to learn. The reason all of the engineering undergrads have a problem with this book is because they are used to plugging numbers into equations. If you seek to get an actual UNDERSTANDING of the concepts and wish to brush up on your calculus, this is an excellent book for you. If you don't, I wouldn't recommend this or any other physics textbook.
Not the best, but acceptable.......2007-01-28
This text book is not the best physics book I've ever used, but if you're good at calculus and you're a natural you shouldn't have too much trouble.
Problems with the book:
1.) Almost every solution given in the back of the book or the solutions manual is entirely wrong. So you will just have to trust that you worked it out correctly or take it to someone who knows what they are doing and ask them to verify concepts that you are having trouble with or that you don't think you understand to the full capacity.
2.) The definitions given are vague and often inconsistent, so you will have to do most of the thinking yourself and derive the definitions from common sense.
Pro's of the book:
1.) If you read the introduction and go through the in-chapter examples concentrating very hard, you should come out with a pretty good understanding of the material and be able to work out most of the problems in the back.
2.) If you go to this website: http://wps.prenhall.com/esm_fishbane_physics_3
It gives you a summary for each chapter, all of the important formulas for that chapter, and it gives you "practice problems" which are incredibly helpful.
You can understand it, but there are easier ways.......2006-08-15
I am an engineering student, and this book was the required text for my University Physics course. My teacher sucked big time, and I couldn't grasp ANYTHING from lectures alone. I thought by concentrating on the textbook alone, I could get the material. One thing I can tell you is that if you read the book with utmost concentration, you can understand the material to a moderate level. HOWEVER, this process takes up much of your time, because the book is filled with derivations of several formulae that you don't really need to know, and the syntax can confuse you often. If Physics is your true passion and you WANT to learn EVERYTHING about it (and have enough free time to read through this book without ever feeling a little bored), then this book will be useful for you. Otherwise, you're better off with a study guide and also, another physics text for reference.
Do the authors come from some 5th dimension?!.......2005-10-22
I took calculus I, and taking calculus II at the same time with my physics course. As a physics fan, I am pretty much disatisfied with this book. If you have already known some basic concepts in physics, you may find that this book provides more confusion than understanding. If you don't know anything about physics, you should not use this book as a base for your knowledge in physics. The author explains things as if he assumes that you know what is going on in his mind!
I have more to say about the problem exercises in this book. There are a couple of typos that if you have to use this book as your textbook for physics course, you may find out. The problems in the book are divided into 3 levels according to their difficulties: level I, II, and III. Sometimes, if don't want to say many times, I have no significant difficulties in solving a level III problem, but have a painful experience in solving level II problems. Level I is usually easy, but can be tricky. A major difficulty in solving problems in this book, even though you understand the physics concepts, is that you don't know what the problems are asking for. It is because the questions are often very ambiguous. You can check out some examples: problem 11 page 54 (note that the value 39.25 is a typo), 15 page 113, 24(c) page 204. These are just a few examples to give you a sense. If you are "lucky" enough to have this book as your textbook, and have to solve the problems in there for your homework, you will experience more!
Tough Subject.......2005-09-05
Physics is no easy subject, especially when every aspect is supposed to be understood. Even high school physics is no laughing matter, and so I can understand the frustration some of the people voice on this book. If you want a book that will allow you to plug in specifically easy problems into the specific couple of equations you learned in the chapter, this book is not for you. However, if you desire a book that will give you all the tools and understanding to solve almost any general problem that is thrown at you, you better not wait another second to buy this book.
This book harnesses Calculus to provide more powerful equations. While the derivations of equations look frighteningly daunting, if you read them carefully and do not move on until you understand how the authors got to it, your ability to ad-lib on other problems will be tremendously increased. I must admit, however, that the sample problems do not always prepare you adequately for the end of the chapter problems. The level one problems are too easy. The level two problems are adequate but can usually be solved by searching through the chapter and sticking in the number into an equation found there. And the level three problems are nearlly impossible, but, if solved, give you a tremendous sense of accomplishment.
If you are ready to be challenged and wish to learn true physics, you have nothing to be afraid of to buy this book.
Book Description
This best-selling, calculus-based text is recognized for its carefully crafted, logical presentation of the basic concepts and principles of physics. Raymond Serway, Robert Beichner, and contributing author John W. Jewett present a strong problem-solving approach that is further enhanced through increased realism in worked examples. Problem-solving strategies and hints allow students to develop a systematic approach to completing homework problems. The outstanding ancillary package includes full multimedia support, online homework, and a content-rich Web site that provides extensive support for instructors and students. The CAPA (Computer-assisted Personalized Approach), WebAssign, and University of Texas homework delivery systems give instructors flexibility in assigning online homework.
Customer Reviews:
The BEST Introductory Physics Book EVER.......2003-05-29
To be honest, I didn't even need to buy this book, but I did it anyway. Having worked with Serway's Texts before, I new this was going to be an exellent book. This text contains hundreds of illustrations to help a student of physics grasp the underlying concepts. The book also has many diversified problems to help the student obtain the tools needed to be successful in physics. I would recommend this book to anybody, even those not interested in physics, because by the time your through with this book, you'll be interested alright.
Un libro facil de entender, para estudiantes de ingenieria.......2003-05-18
yo he utilizado el tomo 1 y 2 y me parecen muy facil de entender tiene buenos ejemplos, recordando que es un libro de fisica basico
Good book, longer wait than others.........2002-08-29
The book was in excellent condition for a used book, although it took 2 weeks for the book to arrive. All-in-all I would buy from this guy again.
Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Vol. II, 5th Ed........2002-06-19
The service was excellent, she had the book shipped out within 2 days, and I received the book in 4 business days!
What is the problem?.......2002-05-29
This is a great introductory physics text. Many have complained about lack of examples and explanation with respect to the end of the chapter exercises. However, they are not the truth. I worked most of the exercises, and almost all of them were explained in the text. The catch is that this text is meant for physics or engineering majors. Therefore, in order to find some of the answers you have to THINK and solve the problems without the text holding your hand. I think that the idea of thinking to solve problems outweighs copying an equation out of a text.
Product Description
Workbook for textbook of same title. Book has exercises that are more qualitative in nature: Drawing diagrams,sketch graphs, and write explainations. Great for instructors because it has work sheets. Book is broken into sections to match textbook.
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