Physics by Example : 200 Problems and Solutions

Rating:
Summary: Best problem book ever seen
Review: A jolly marvellous gem of a book. This is about the standard of a first year university physics course in the UK, and apart from teaching you how to solve problems, it teaches you quite a lot of physics too. I learnt physics from this book, and didn't need another text book; and though I was going to keep with computer science, this inspired me to major in physics. Ignore the people who tell you that you need Resnick & Halliday. In real life, Rees is a lovely "gentleman scientist" and a profoundly clear thinker who really does supervise first year undergraduates one-on-one, so the answers have been field-tested and are tailored to his audience. This book can't be recommended too highly. You should avoid cheap imitations like the 2000 solved problems in physics book. Everything here is here for a reason, not to bulk it out. The only thing to bear in mind is that I haven't used it much since my first year. (Long time ago now :-( ) Books like this don't scale well. I think it's worth the investment, but check out your library.From experience, the questions have a way of coming up on the Cambridge Natural Sciences Tripos Part 1a Physics paper :-)

Rating:
Summary: A truly enlightening review of all that is physics.
Review: The role of a physicist as a problem-solver is probably among his most important roles. In fact, anyone having endured and possibly suffered through a college level physics curriculum must realize that success as a physicist depends crucially on the individual's ability to solve challenging yet practical problems on paper. It is to this end that I recommend a truly enlightening book by W.G. Rees titled Physics by Example: 200 Problems and Solutions. Covering all major areas of an undergraduate physics curriculum, with clear exposition and creative solutions to challenging problems, this book is bound to make its reader a problem-solver of the first rank. The problems have been selected to illuminate the most fundamental concepts in physics. The solutions are presented in a systematic and rigorous fashion that does not rely on intuition alone. The examples presented are typical of problems on final examinations for undergraduate courses. For those seriously pursuing the study of physics, this book serves beautifully to both solidify your understanding of physics and to test your preparation for exams.

Rating:
Summary: A great book to really learn Physics!
Review: This is a great book to really learn Physics.

As a previous reviewer has said, the standard is that expected on a Physics course for a 1st Year student at a UK University. However, it has the added utility in that, given the broad range of subjects covered, there will be plenty here both for second and third year students as well as for the interested reader in the sixth form.

Subjects covered include: Classical Dynamics, Gravitation, Special Relativity, Optics, Electromagnetism and circuits, and Thermodynamics. The author has also included problems on Dimensions and basic Statistics as applied to experimental Physics.

What I like best about this book is that you can "dip into it at will" and find something of interest. One worth keeping even after you are done with the exams to which it is geared.