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Rating: 
Summary: Quotes from a chemistry teacher
Review: I have not read this book myself, but I've extracted some key quotes from a book review in The Chemical Educator by Sally Chapman of Columbia University:"The Mathematica programs are easy to execute, and many take full advantage of the impressive graphical capabilities of this software package." "The depth of coverage in many areas often goes beyond most conventional junior-year physical chemistry courses, but this allows instructors to go more deeply into their favorite topics. I believe that any physical chemistry instructor will enjoy using the programs." "But how well will it work for students? ... Something I find challenging, interesting, and great fun to prepare, all too often doesn't excite the students nearly as much as it did me. Why? Because when they use it, the process is all too automatic." Ms. Chapman continues with detailed examples of pros and cons, and which sections she found most useful and why. An educator considering this book would benefit from the full review (also internet posted - do a Google search).
Rating:
Summary: Quotes from a chemistry teacher
Review: I have not read this book myself, but I've extracted some key quotes from a book review in The Chemical Educator by Sally Chapman of Columbia University: "The Mathematica programs are easy to execute, and many take full advantage of the impressive graphical capabilities of this software package." "The depth of coverage in many areas often goes beyond most conventional junior-year physical chemistry courses, but this allows instructors to go more deeply into their favorite topics. I believe that any physical chemistry instructor will enjoy using the programs." "But how well will it work for students? ... Something I find challenging, interesting, and great fun to prepare, all too often doesn't excite the students nearly as much as it did me. Why? Because when they use it, the process is all too automatic." Ms. Chapman continues with detailed examples of pros and cons, and which sections she found most useful and why. An educator considering this book would benefit from the full review (also internet posted - do a Google search).
Rating: 
Summary: Topics don't match the title
Review: The title of this book is misleading. We are told that these are programs, written in Mathematica, that illustrate principles of physical chemistry. Instead, the author gives a variety of problems that show little application to using Mathematica to solve problems. In the section "How To Run The Programs", the author claims that 5 simulations are written in QuickBASIC. His reason is that Mathematica is too slow to run Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations. This shows that the author knows little of Mathematica. First, Mathematica code can be compiled, thus executing fast enough to run any simulation. Second, Mathematica programming style is rule and function-based. This type of programming style produces code that is efficient and simple. The author uses procedural programming, which although supported by Mathematica, is an older and outdated form. The book is an exposition of unrelated examples and seems to provide little information about physical chemistry or Mathematica
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