Customer Reviews

Conceptual Physics : The High School Physics Program

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I have seen several scathing reviews here, based on the fact this text is not Math Intensive; but that is exactly the point of the book! I can teach kids who previously had little interest in the sciences and none in Physics, and suck 'em right on in to the beauty of understanding how the world works. We can then progress to other resources for "Problem Solving".

I agree that by itself, this is not adequate preparation for the AP Exams. It does, however, provide the framework for understanding what we are working toward, and getting the attention of the non- "Math-head" students, so they can see some point to the science. Since many, many adolescents have a hard time applying themselves to subject matter which seems purely theoretical, this an invaulable service.

I believe every student should start with Conceptual Physics. Every educated person should have some basic understanding of these ideas, even if he or she is a (gasp!) Liberal Arts type. Those who wish to pursue engineering, obviously, should then progress further, with a more mathematically challenging follow-on text.

The Conceptual Physics: The High School Physics Program book arrived on time as promised. It was in good shape and I would recommend to ohers.

The beginning of the book was relatively easy to understand, but from the middle to the end he completely lost me. The chapters covering electricity really got me. He writes as if we know what he is talking about. Even though I've already taken 2 semesters of physics I still had difficulty understanding.

This book was in great condition and the price was unbeatable! Shipping was very fast, too. I would recommend this seller for used textbooks.

Two years ago, my daughter took a high-school physics course based on this book. She is mathematically able and found the whole approach extremely frustrating. The fact is that much of modern mathematics -- differential calculus is a prime example -- was developed specifically so that physicists could articulate their ideas. The "conceptual" approach may be OK for pop-science TV shows, but it is worse that useless as an education for anyone who wants to pursue a career in engineering or science. Now entering 12th grade, my daughter is faced with a major catch-up exercise if she wants to get into a worthwhile engineering program at college. Her school doesn't offer AP Physics, largely because the "conceptual" approach they started out with doesn't adequately prepare students to move to AP level. So she is spending a big chunk of time this summer on a distance-learning course that actually presents physics as a mathematical science, which is what it is. Quite honestly, I think this book should be titled "Armchair Physics" or "Physics for People who Don't Really Care about Physics" -- it should certainly not be presented as a serious attempt to teach a scientific subject.