Customer Reviews

Physical Chemistry, 3rd Edition (Part A and B)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I was assigned this textbook for a class in physical chemistry. The instructor who taught this course had been using one book for the last 4-5 years, and decided for a change of pace and so used this book. So many students hated the book that he went back to the old book (newer edition though) the following year. Unfortunately, that meant none of us in his class could sell our book back to the university bookstore. So I am now stuck with it. We only covered half the book in the class, so I read the other half, which turned out to be as bad as the first half.

The book is comprehensive in its treatment: solids, liquids and gases all get a say here. Kinetics, quantum, crystallography, and thermo are all covered. There are lots and lots of equations, along with lots and lots of sample problems and homework problems at the end of each chapter. Unfortunately, there are also typos in various places, including the problems. The major drawback of this book is that it attempts to cover so many subjects, and provide a rigorous mathematical basis for each subject, such that the book is quite hard for someone learning physical chemistry for the first time. It would be okay for a graduate level course, but not as an undergraduate course. In all, there are better books in this area and so I would not recommend reading OR buying it.

I've used Noggle ten out of the past twelve years in my junior level physical chemistry course. It is very comprehensive, takes a rigorous theoretical approach, and I think was a leader in using an operator based method for quantum mechanics, as well as chpaters on Stat Mech. Having said all that I am alarmed by the student reviews here. I teach at a small liberal arts college with 5-15 students enrolled in physical chemistry, and I offer a lot of contact time for problem solving assistance. I guess I am hoping that the students who wrote awful reviews took the course at a much larger institution. I noticed that Noggle went to some effort to make the 3rd edition "easier" than the first two editions, so that the problems were a bit less challenging, and in so doing there were quite a few errors in the 3rd edition, as the students pointed out; this is a prime example of how making something easier makes it harder. In any case, I guess I would not recommend the use of this textbook in a large physical chemistry course where students do not have direct access to a knowledgeable professor who is available to them in abundant amounts. But I am going to keep using it, and praising Noggle as I do so for his mathematical approach to the subject of physical chemistry.

This is the best physical chemistry book I have seen. I used it for my undergraduate class at the University of Delaware, where Noggle was my professor. It presents all of the basic thermo concepts (at an easier level than Sandler's text, definitely read Noggle concurrent with Sandler), statistical mechanics, diffusion, kinetics, and quantum mechanics. I still refer to this book regularly. It is an indispensable reference for a chemical engineer.

There are so many mistakes throughout the text. In addition to the mistakes, much of the explanations are unclear and confusing.

Don't you just love the fact that you were probably forced to purchase a book which is heavy, incorrect, and not to mention dry? I mean, Physical Chemistry is not exactly a wear-on-your-sleeve subject, but entropy and enthalpy are relatively exciting topics. If you believe this, I have a prime piece of Florida Swampland for sale. Ideal for building!

Joseph H. Noggle was a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Delaware. He demonstrated a passion for three subjects-opera, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and computers. At the time of his unexpected death on March 13, 1998, he was looking forward to teaching an evening class on the Wagner Ring Cycle at the University of Delaware's Academy of Lifelong Learning.

Professor Noggle, who held a master's degree and a doctorate in chemistry from Harvard University, first taught at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, before going to the University of Delaware in 1971. He authored or co-authored a total of 35 research articles, all of which dealt with some aspect of NMR, and wrote the definitive treatice on The Nuclear Overhauser Effect: Chemical Applications.

Professor Noggle's love of computers led him to create amd teach the course "Computers in Chemistry," and six of his nine books dealt with applications of computer hardware and software to the teaching of physical chemistry. He served, not surprisingly, as the department's first and only webmaster.

Professor Noggle's crowning achievement, however, was "Physical Chemistry," now in its third edition. It has become the second most-used textbook in the country.

Recognizing Professor Noggle's quick wit and dry sense of humor, his e-mail by-line quoted humorist Dave Barry: "Megahertz: a really big Hertz."

Hmmm... seems there are lots of people who don't like their phys chem book.

The one you want is Physical Chemistry , 4/e by Laidler, Meiser, Sanctuary, ISBN 061815292X. It's the most student friendly text on the market.

Description on their website says "With its clear explanations and practical pedagogy, Physical Chemistry is less intimidating to students than other texts, without sacrificing the mathematical rigor and comprehensiveness necessary for a junior-level physical chemistry course. The text's long-standing reputation for accessible writing provides clear instruction and superior problem-solving support for students." I second that.

see my review here Physical Chemistry. I mention the alternatives as well.

THE worst book in this field! No structure, on pedagogy, too many typos, too many defects. If you have no tissue paper in the public W.C., then use this book with perfect pleasure. The only thing you can get from this book is the sympathy or relief that the author is also perplexed with the subject...not only me! I can control my temper with typos, but how he can have completely no structure or feeling on the subject!

The book was in very good conditions, I am very happy with it, and it is very nice and easy to read.

This book was required for my physical chemistry class this year. It is not student friendly at all. Very odd way to make a textbook, not easy to read or understand. I ordered a different physical chemistry text on amazon that has better reviews. I don't know why professors use this book, they probably just don't care if you have a hard time or not. Doesn't affect their cushy jobs.