Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) [Hardcover]

Stephen T. Thornton (Author), Andrew Rex (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0030060494 | ISBN-13: 978-0030060496 | Publication Date: May 27, 1999 | Edition: 2

MODERN PHYSICS FOR SCIENTIST AND ENGINEERS, Second Edition incorporates a contemporary and comprehensive approach to physics with a strong emphasis on applications. The author's approach incorporates a flexible organization, numerous examples and problems (over 700), and brings the study of modern physics alive by alluding to many current topics in physics, for example, high temperature superconductors, neutrino mass, age of the universe, gamma ray bursts, holography, and nuclear fusion.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"One of the most interesting aspects of this text is the way in which the authors have placed the physics discoveries within the historical context. Some books treat all of those same topics, but occasionally the discoveries seem to appear from nowhere, as if there was no debate or ongoing problem within the scientific community."

"Thornton and Rex provides just the right transition from introductory-level coursework, pointing students towards the rest of the undergraduate physics curriculum with just the right level of instruction and enough clarity to ensure continued interest." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

About the Author

Stephen Thornton is Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia. He has over 120 research publications in experimental nuclear physics and served as the initial Director of the Institute of Nuclear and Particle Physics. He has been a Fulbright fellow (twice) and a Max Planck fellow to do research in Germany. In recent years he has become more involved in physics and science education, having served as Chair of AAPT's Committee on Science Education for the Public and as President of the Virginia Association of Science Teachers. He has developed distance learning physics and physical science courses for K-12 teachers and taught courses and workshops for thousands of K-12 teachers, including many websites with hands-on activities. He has revitalized the lab/workshop taken by engineering students. He is the author of three physics textbooks, including CLASSICAL DYNAMICS with Jerry Marion and MODERN PHYSICS with Andrew Rex, both published by Thomson - Brooks/Cole.

Andrew Rex is Professor of Physics at the University of Puget Sound. In over 20 years at Puget Sound he has taught throughout the curriculum for majors and non-majors. In 2004 he received the President's Excellence in Teaching Award from the university. Along with Martin Jackson, Rex developed a year-long integrated physics and calculus course and wrote a textbook for that course, INTEGRATED PHYSICS AND CALCULUS, published in 2000. Along with Stephen Thornton, he has co-authored three editions of MODERN PHYSICS, published by Thomson Brooks/Cole (1993, 2000, 2006). Rex's primary research in physics is in statistical thermodynamics, where he has published numerous articles and co-authored (with Harvey Leff) two editions of the monograph MAXWELL'S DEMON (1990, 2003).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 640 pages
• Publisher: Brooks Cole; 2 edition (May 27, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0030060494
• ISBN-13: 978-0030060496
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #125,407 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars great book if you already know the material, April 14, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) (Hardcover)

Andy Rex, one of the text's authors, was in my Physics Department when I attended the University of Puget Sound, so I naturally used this textbook when I took Modern Physics (taught by another professor). The book is not good for students who are in the process of learning the material it presents for the first time. It is history- and derivation-heavy, but nearly devoid of analysis and ignores "the big picture." It was a wonderful reference when I was doing graduate work -- I already had a very solid background in Calculus, dimensional analysis, Quantum Mechanics, and so forth -- but it is not a good textbook if you are learning the material for the first time.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Poor editing and production ruin potentially good text., May 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers (Saunders Golden Sunburst Series) (Hardcover)

I used this book as the text in my modern physics course last fall. I chose the book because it seemed to cover the material at a level appropriate for the students, there were some good examples, enough homework problems, and there was enough material for a two semester course. Unfortunately, problems were apparent within a week of the beginning of class. These problems include serious typos in the text and homework problems, different printings producing different problem numbering in different texts (i.e. one student's problem 29 was another's problem 31), and poorly worded homework problems (to the point of being nonsensical). Some of the student's texts, about 40%, had missing or illegible pages. In addition to the physical problems, there were some problems with the content. The explanations tended to be a bit terse and unclear. In summary, this book has a good layout and thoughtful organization but the devil is in the details. The detailed handling of various topics and the general production of the book make it a poor choice for an introductory modern physics text.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New 2005 3rd edition is excellent for self-study, July 15, 2005

By 

Al B. (Rome, GA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Modern Physics for Scientists and Engineers (Available 2010 Titles Enhanced Web Assign) (Hardcover)

I'm about to finish the on-line course taught by one of the authors, Steve Thornton (University of Virginia).

The book lends itself to self-study and the 3rd edition is partly the result of Dr. Thornton's teaching an on-line course for several summers. Many of the students are traditional physics and engineering undergraduates, but many others are career high school physics teachers that give Dr. Thornton feedback from a teacher's viewpoint.

The publishers publish a Student Solutions Manual which shows worked out solutions for about 25% of the problems which I recommend. Answers to many other end-of-chapter problems are listed (without explanation) in the back of the text book. Dr. Thornton's course web site has additional worked out problems, streaming mini-lectures, syllabus, and simulations -- see .modern.physics.virginia.edu. There's also a Yahoo discussion group, "modern_physics" for the course (you have to be a student in the course to actually post questions).

Many of the end-of-chapter problems have a simple "twist" to them that requires some thought; you can't just mindlessly "plug and chug" your way through equations.

Previous reviewers have panned earlier editions for allegedly sloppy editing and errors. I've worked probably 200 examples and end-of-chapter problems and caught zero typos. The web site's errata page for the 3rd edition shows just 2 typos. That's about as tight an editing job as I've seen in any large science or engineering textbook.

This book can be used by any smart student that's had freshman physics and calculus. Where multivariable calculus or differential equations are needed, the authors walk readers through the mathematical calculations more thoroughly and with greater explanation.

I highly recommend the book, the solutions manual and the on-line course.