Physics: Calculus (with CD-ROM) [Hardcover]

Eugene Hecht (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0534362702 | ISBN-13: 978-0534362706 | Publication Date: January 28, 2000 | Edition: 2nd

Steeped in 20th-century perspective and committed to providing a conceptual overview of the discipline, Hecht's PHYSICS: CALCULUS, Second Edition is a return to basics. Strong pedagogy, a descriptive focus, a knock-out art program, biological/medical applications, and help with the MCAT are some of the reasons why professors use this ground-breaking text. Hecht's passion and enthusiasm for the subject matter is apparent on every page. While Hecht covers a range of material from kinetics to quantum physics, he carefully limits the mathematics required to basic calculus and vector analysis, though you'll note an increased use of calculus in the Second Edition. He omits obscure, high-level topics, while focusing on helping students understand the fundamental concepts of modern-day physics. Calculus and vector analysis are both thoroughly developed as tools to illuminate the physics. Hecht deliberately goes slowly, justifying where each topic is going, stopping to take stock of where the students have been, and pausing along the way to let students discover for themselves the unity of the discipline as each piece begins to from the whole. A text-correlated problem-solving CD-ROM is included with each new copy of the text to help students with vital problem-solving skills. Historical materials include details of the lives of great scientists making these larger-than-life figures less intimidating and their work more approachable. In a similar vein, the book is responsive to significant contributions made by women in physics. Most important, the historical approach allows physics to unfold more clearly. Hecht motivates students to learn how physics directly affects their lives with answers to practical questions such as, How do we walk? Why do bones break? How does a speedometer work? Many photographs throughout the text depict commonplace phenomena that usually go unnoticed. A new feature called Exploring Physics on Your Own gives students experiment

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Ph.D. Adelphi University --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1300 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 2nd edition (January 28, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534362702
• ISBN-13: 978-0534362706
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.9 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,089,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book, April 4, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Student Solutions Manual for Hecht's Physics: Calculus (with CD-ROM), 2nd (Paperback)

I have to agree with the previous review (the third from my viewing), this is an excellent book. I'm currently a senior in high school, and I borrowed this book from my teacher to look over how Physics would be taught from a more Calculus-intensive perspective. To put it lightly, I love it. I've had the book for a couple weeks now, and have read much of the way through the book (approximately 24 chapters). Sure the derivations are general, but that's the way they should be to cover all cases. Also, as the previous reviewer stated, the author attempts to put a little humor into the text (people on roller skates running into one another to demonstrate momentum conservation), which goes a long way into grabbing one's attention. I'd immediately recommend this text book to anyone who's interested in learning physics and likes some of the more interesting math involved (or perhaps the Algebra/Trig one if they don't), as it's far better than the text we're using in class (don't have it on me at the moment). In short, buy this book.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great physics book, March 14, 2003

By 

Jake Spooky (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Physics: Calculus (Hardcover)

I used this book in intro physics as a college junior. The maths were gentle, and the problems very well set up. Hecht's writing style is easy to read, and often quite humourous. Of the large stack of science textbooks I have acquired so far, these two volumes are definitely two of the most useful and easy to understand.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb introductory textbook, May 8, 2010

By 

Mark K. Yasuda - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Physics: Calculus (with CD-ROM) (Hardcover)

Many years after completing an undergraduate physics degree, I ordered Hecht's Physics book as a replacement for my misplaced Halliday/Resnick. At the time, several aspects of the book caught my attention and motivated my purchase. One was the unusual number of sidebars and examples dealing with interesting everyday applications and easy to perform experiments. Another was its mention of underlying themes; in particular, Noether's Principle is not just mentioned, but is used as a unifying framework for the more fundamental concepts being introduced. And, I was also familiar with Hecht's book on Optics.

I haven't regretted the purchase at all. Over the years, I used Hecht's Physics book for quick refreshers on various topics, occasionally learning minor but interesting details that I hadn't encountered during my undergraduate education. Earlier this year, I decided to read the book cover to cover (bedtime reading) to catch all the tidbits in the sections I hadn't yet perused. I found it enjoyable and time well-spent. Although the math is lightweight (being an introductory book), Hecht is an excellent expositor and it made for easy reading. I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about physics and the role it plays in our everyday lives.