Physics

Rating:
Summary: an eyesore
Review: I did not like Physics nor did I enjoy this absolutely boring and dry book detailing what physics is and how it works. What makes this book even more easy to dislike is that they come out with a new edition so often that the whole purpose of selling your book back to the school book store is not an option because the university will carry the newer addition next term. What Cutnell and Johnson need to do is spend less time writing new material to put in the new addition to feed their hungry pockets and more time expressing formulas and equations that actually compliment the examples and problems within the text.

Rating:
Summary: Great Physics Starter Book
Review: I found this to be an excellent book for those with a physics phobia. All theories are explained using simple mathematics thus making it easier to understand. There are several questions worked out with thorough explinations in every chapter and the text explains how each new idea is related to other concepts learned earlier in the book and/or chapter.

There are couple of weaknesses in this text that stand out in my mind. First, there is a section in each chapter that quizes you on conceptual questions but there are no answers in the back of the book making it difficult to be certian about your work. Second, the web page associated with this book is riddled with errors and is not much of a tool. In spite of these problems I would recomend it to someone just starting physics.

Rating:
Summary: Good book for first time physics reader
Review: I used this book in my college physics I & II classes. The book is easy to read and provides some easy calculation questions to practice. However, it does not go to much about the concept. Even it touches the idea, it would not explain enough for you to know exactly what the theory is. There are many book After-Chapter questions. The best way to learn from these questions is to buy the answer supplement for this book. If you are not goint to take health professional tests, like MCAT.. This book would give you the path for physics.

Rating:
Summary: Lacking in Solutions
Review: There are no answers given to the even-numbered problems at the back of the book. This renders half the problems useless for test preparation. How do you know if you have worked them correctly? So you buy a Solutions Manual, expecting that for another $44 you will be given solutions to the missing problems. Surprise! EVEN FEWER of the problems have solutions provided than in the text itself. How does Mr Cutnell expect us to check our work? WORTHLESS.

Rating:
Summary: an eyesore
Review: This book is painful to read. There are far too many unnecessary pictures, colored boxes, sidenotes, etc. The text itself is straightforward and would suffice with minimal digrams. This is simple material folks! There is no reason to overkill with embellishments. I don't appreciate all of the extra books (I paid enough for the text already) and internet resources. If I were a physics major I might appreciate these extra resources, however, most people (myself included) in an algebra based physics course are there only to fill a requirement.

Rating:
Summary: This Book Sucks
Review: This book is very BORING to READ and the answers that are given do not really help that much

Rating:
Summary: solid textbook
Review: this comment only refers to volume one of the text, as i bought the two separately and just finished physics I. i hated physics in high school and almost failed it too. i got an A this time around, by studying the book. my professor in college wasnt of much help, so the class had to learn from the text.

for the most part, the concepts are very well explained, with sample problems throughout the text. there is also a very helpful website which has concept understanding questions, chapter tests and interactive solutions. there are more than enough review questions at the end of the chapter, with answers to odd problems at the back of the book.

the book is especially good for explaining kinematics in 1 and 2D, if that's a problem for some. conservation of energy, potential, gravitational potential and kinetic, is pretty good too.

if you spend your time with this textbook, use what resources are available to you, you should do fine.

a few complaints though:
- there arent any answers or explanations to even numbered problems, not even in the solutions manual. without a teacher/tutor working them out with you, they're pretty much useless.
- the book is a bit weak in momentum and torque, as sample problems exhibited most basic functions of equations, and concepts were just okay compared to the rest of the text.



Rating:
Summary: An excellent book for a particular audience
Review: This is an excellent book for a high school level physics course or a less than rigorous Physics I course at the college level. It contains no math beyond algebra/trig. For a more rigorous treatment, the book to get is the Serway/Beichner text.

Rating:
Summary: Not a particularly good choice for a course textbook.....
Review: This was the assigned text for my first-year physics course. The book basically consists of equations to be memorized and examples of how to plug numbers into those equations. There is minimal explanation, and it leaves any student unprepared for any kind of higher year physics course, without any idea of how these equations actually came about. Also, it was embarassing to walk around campus with such a cheesy attempt at cover art that is trying to make physics look "hip".