Conceptual Physical Science [Hardcover]

Paul G. Hewitt (Author), John Suchocki (Author), Leslie A. Hewitt (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0321051734 | ISBN-13: 978-0321051738 | Publication Date: July 28, 2003 | Edition: 3rd

Conceptual Physical Science, Third Edition takes learning physical science to a new level by combining HewittÕs leading conceptual approach and friendly writing style in a new edition that provides stronger integration of the sciences, more quantitative coverage, and a wealth of new media resources to help readers. The dynamic new media program includes hundreds of animations and interactive tutorials developed specifically for students taking physical science courses. Media references throughout the book point readers to additional online help. KEY TOPICS The bookÕs consistent, high-quality coverage includes five new chapters on chemistry, astronomy, and earth science for an even more balanced approach to physical science. For college instructors, students, or anyone interested in physical science.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Conceptual Physical Science, Third Edition takes learning physical science to a new level by combining HewittUs leading conceptual approach and friendly writing style in a new edition that provides stronger integration of the sciences, more quantitative coverage, and a wealth of new media resources to help readers. The dynamic new media program includes hundreds of animations and interactive tutorials developed specifically for students taking physical science courses. Media references throughout the book point readers to additional online help. The bookUs consistent, high-quality coverage includes five new chapters on chemistry, astronomy, and earth science for an even more balanced approach to physical science. For college instructors, students, or anyone interested in physical science.

About the Author

Paul G. Hewitt was a Silver Medallist Flyweight Boxing Champion for New England State at the age of 17. He was then a cartoonist, sign painter, and uranium prospector before beginning his physics studies.

Hewitt's first book, Conceptual Physics, now in its Ninth Edition, was published in 1971, while he was teaching at City College of San Francisco. He has also served as a guest lecturer at the University of California at Berkeley, the University of California at Santa Cruz, the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and most recently at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Hewitt recently retired from teaching at the City College of San Francisco and at San Francisco's world-famous science museum, the Exploratorium.

John Suchocki received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry in 1987 from Virginia Commonwealth University, where his research focused on the isolation and characterization of natural products. After a two year post-doc in medicinal chemistry/pharmacology at the Medical College of Virginia, John became a visiting assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he began working with his uncle, Paul Hewitt, on Conceptual Physical Science. After a couple of years at the Manoa campus, John transferred to and eventually received tenure from Leeward Community College, one of the University of Hawaii's community colleges. At Leeward CC, his research efforts turned to chemical education, with particular emphasis on liberal arts chemistry courses and distance learning technology. After a decade in Hawaii, John relocated to Vermont with his wife and three children, where he now teaches liberal arts chemistry at Saint Michael's College. Concurrent to his writing and teaching careers, John is also the writer of Conceptual Chemistry, now in its Second Edition, and a producer of multimedia content for science education, including his Conceptual Chemistry Alive! CD-ROM series.

Leslie Hewitt, a former teacher at Westlake Elementary School in Daly City, CA, received her B.A. in Geology from San Francisco State University.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 832 pages
• Publisher: Addison Wesley; 3rd edition (July 28, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321051734
• ISBN-13: 978-0321051738
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.2 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #62,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Although the pictures are "cute," there's not much substance., November 15, 2006

By 

A. Englert - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conceptual Physical Science (Hardcover)

I'm a 14-year-old using this book for Freshman Physical Science. If you are homeschooling, do not buy this book.

Its overly conceptual tone elimitates precision. The paragraphs are long and overly wordy, yet they neither answer the questions "Why does this happen?" nor "What is the significance of this?" The paragraphs are written colloquially with a blatant disregard for punctuation, and the author seems to think that using many italics will help children in their fruitless quest to even try to understand the writing in this book.

The pictures are what has everyone raving about this book, but to me, they are confusing too. One problem I came across early was that the letters representing velocity and speed were handwritten. Be sure, if you make the immense mistake of buying this book, to explain to your child that the letter that looks like a "U" is actually a "V." In the pictures, the illustrator seems to think that adding smiley-faces to the picture will make it all easier. I, for one, found about half the pictures quite confusing. To even hazard a guess to what these pictures mean requires the hard task of reading through the cryptic paragraph.

In conclusion, the writing, the pictures, and the price tag of this book make it a terrible choice for a Physical Science book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Effective at introducing phsyical science concepts, July 31, 2011

By 

Danny Yu (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conceptual Physical Science (Hardcover)

Hard to believe this book was used for college, considering the font, and nature of its writing.

Still, the book is easy to understand, is filled with pictures and charts, and gets the point across.

It seems to be have been written for high schoolers, but that certainly isn't a problem for a college introductory course. I find that sometimes these type of books are more fitting for a difficult subject matter.

Great for understanding the overview and basics of topics. Recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book!, May 12, 2011

By 

Taylor C - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Conceptual Physical Science (4th Edition) (Hardcover)

This book was great, and really helpful! I am more of an English and History course kind of girl, and science is usually something I really have to make myself focus on. However this book kept me interested and explained the material in a clear concise way. I never felt that I had to slog through massive amounts of information in order to get to "main idea". I used this book for an online class last semester and it was instrumental in helping me teach myself the material. Definitely one of my favorite science textbooks so far.

A word of advice, it really helps to buy the access to the online website. I would study for my tests by reading the chapter and watching the videos. I got an A in the class thanks to this book!