 |
 |
|
|
buying more than one thing? (uses Multi-Item Price Optimization™) ...or you can sell this book |
||
 |
 |
intereact!David Halliday, Robert Resnick, Jearl Walker
Edition: 6
Retail Price (not our price): $173.25
ISBN: 0471332364
ISBN-13: 9780471332367
Publication Date: 2000-06-30
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 1184
Editorial Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
1) Product Description
No other book on the market today can match the success of Halliday, Resnick and Walker's Fundamentals of Physics! In a breezy, easy-to-understand style the book offers a solid understanding of fundamental physics concepts, and helps readers apply this conceptual understanding to quantitative problem solving. The extended edition provides coverage of developments in Physics in the last 100 years, including: Einstein and Relativity, Bohr and others and Quantum Theory, and the more recent theoretical developments like String Theory. This book offers a unique combination of authoritative content and stimulating applications.
Customer Reviews (supplied by Amazon.com):
Average Customer Rating: 3.0 out of 5
1) NOT a beginner's book [Rating: 3 out of 5]
The first physics course I've ever taken used this very textbook. If you are about to be in the same boat as I was, let me tell you this: this is NOT a good introductory physics text. If you're not one of the kids who took AP Physics in high school, you will probably struggle with this book unless you have a very amazing professor.Most of the formulas are given as "this is the general formula, and here's how we derive the other formulas from this". There's very little explanation involved with concepts, and when the author tries they are extremely hazy. This book apparently assumes that you've learned every concept before, and that you only need a brief overview and a table of formulas.Not to completely bash this book - far from it. Formulas are listed in an organized and comprehensive fashion, and useful derivations are given also. If I need to look up a physics formula, this is the book I use as it's actually faster than sifting through Google. Beware, though, if this is your first endeavour into the world of physics.2) What a Struggle [Rating: 2 out of 5]
I'm using this book for a distance learning course in physics. I suspect it was not written for distance learning. I often find it hard to relate the answers to chapter problems to the explanations in the text. I also have a copy of Cutnell & Johnson's Physics 6th edition. The thinking in the latter is a lot easier to follow.3) pretty good, beginners may need extra help with it [Rating: 3 out of 5]
i'm using this book as a main source for preparing for the physics GRE exam, and i'm finding that it is getting me up to speed for the exam. my previous academic background is actually math/german/finance, but i can tell you that the math background is what makes working with this book fairly successful. i'm pretty much a sucker for big, pretty books anyway, but i really can tell that this one is definitely helping me learn basic physics- fairly good examples, lots of problems, and interesting introductions to each chapter to captivate your attention and motivate you to continue studying. if you're a freshman taking using this book for a course, i would suggest you consult your professor regularly and get help whenever something is not quite clear- it's probably a royal pain in the neck to take physics I/II and calc concurrently, so i can totally understand those of you without the complete math background having trouble with this material- i know i did 20 years ago as an undergrad, and it made me really dislike physics at that time. i don't know what calc classes are like these days, but i would strongly recommend at least 3 semesters of calculus before embarking on a course that uses this book- it'll make your learning experience much more intense, and you'll get a lot more from the book and will be able to appreciate it much more. Oh, and you may just want to try and order the international edition from abroad (Europe, for example)- it's about $100 less than the U.S. price and still has the same content!4) Highly overrated [Rating: 2 out of 5]
Alright, so of course this is the book required by just about every college in the country these days in their introductory physics courses---well, it shouldn't be. The authors certainly provide mathematical motivation for the concepts they cover, but certainly don't give adequate real-world motivation for concepts. Oh yeah, so, as one idiot reviewer who thinks he's some kind of precocious student said, this book helped him and his high school buddies get fives on the AP Test---WELL BIG DEAL IDIOT!!! GOOD FOR YOU!! I only managed to do that in my freshman year of highschool so I guess it must be really hard or something--*cough* Well, in the real world of people who actually know anything about physics or math or any field, getting a five on the AP exam in highschool isn't anything special. Basically, this book will prepare you to pass exams and standardized tests--it won't give you understanding. For that, go somewhere worthwhile---for example, the Feynman Lectures on Physics, all three volumes of which cost about half as much as Halliday and Resnick's book.5) is this a money-making gimmick or what? [Rating: 1 out of 5]
Our physics department decided to switch to this book last year, and I have been trying to figure out which edition to buy.. "extended enhanced problem edition", "extended", "enhanced"? How about throwing in a student's companion text that contains "chapter extensions?"? What about getting the right Solutions manual? only 30% of the solutions are in it? And now I just found out they have published (another?) new 7th edition which no doubt will have a brand new array of essential supplements and extensions. Why all these editions and supplements?