Principles of Physics (Saunders golden sunburst series) [Hardcover]

Serway (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0030204577 | ISBN-13: 978-0030204579 | Publication Date: July 1997 | Edition: 2nd

The second edition includes a stronger conceptual approach, offering new conceptual examples and problems, and it presents contemporary physics topics early to gain student interest. This book is intended for the science and engineering physics course. Features: * Topics in 20th-century physics, such as relativity and the Bohr atom, are introduced early in the text. * Worked Examples of varying difficulty reinforce material and serve as models for solving end-of-chapter problems. * Exercises with Answers represent extensions of worked examples and encourage students to utilize their problem-solving skills. * Margin Notes help students locate and review important statements, concepts, and equations. * Problem-Solving Strategies and Hints help students identify important procedures and understand the logic behind solving various types of problems. * End-of-Chapter Questions and Problems focus on conceptual understanding of material and challenge students to apply principles just learned. New to this edition: * Thinking Physics conceptual examples have been added to the text to help students gain a better conceptual understanding of material. * Conceptual Problems allow students to apply the concepts learned in Thinking Physics to problem-solving. Answers are provided at the end of the chapter. * The former chapter on Forces and Fields in Nature has been deleted, moving the topics of the fundamental forces in nature and the gravitational field to other chapters. * New chapter (15) on fluid mechanics provides valuable information, especially to those pursuing a career in mechanical engineering or the life sciences. * The material on oscillatory motion and waves is now covered earlier, following mechanics. * The chapters covering interference and diffraction of light waves have been consolidated into one chapter (27), Wave Optics. * Polarization of light is now treated earlier in Chapter 24, Electromagnetic Waves. * Fission and fusion have been moved to Chapter 30, Nuclear Physics.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The Context sections are absolutely fantastic. They are extremely useful. I love them. It is one of the main reasons that I really like this book…I am completely satisfied with the new Context [Alternative-Fuel Vehicles] and the conclusion. I think most students will appreciate this topic, and the relevance of physics in designing and developing future transportation systems…Overall, the new edition looks great. I am looking forward to using it."

"We have used this textbook since its 1st edition. One reason for its adoption was that we feel it is lucidly written and contains about the right amount of detail for our students. Students particularly appreciate the end-of-chapter summaries, as well as the several worked examples throughout the text."

[Regarding Context 9] "The authors here attempt something very cool: they set before the student spectacular and esoteric phenomena (the Big Bang and quark interactions) of vastly different scale lengths, and they hold out the hope that despite the disparities, there are themes in physics that can help us understand both, that apply to both--a beguiling way of drawing the student into a study of modern physics. Very cool."

"You have done a good job of coordinating the specific problem-solving hints with the general problem-solving hints…Context 1, Alternative-Fuel Vehicles: this is written well, it is interesting, and it introduces the concept of energy as the central theme for the next seven chapters. Did I mention that I like it?" --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Raymond A. Serway received his doctorate at Illinois Institute of Technology and is Professor Emeritus at James Madison University. In 1990, he received the Madison Scholar Award at James Madison University, where he taught for 17 years. Dr. Serway began his teaching career at Clarkson University, where he conducted research and taught from 1967 to 1980. He was the recipient of the Distinguished Teaching Award at Clarkson University in 1977 and the Alumni Achievement Award from Utica College in 1985. As Guest Scientist at the IBM Research Laboratory in Zurich, Switzerland, he worked with K. Alex Müller, 1987 Nobel Prize recipient. Dr. Serway also was a visiting scientist at Argonne National Laboratory, where he collaborated with his mentor and friend, Sam Marshall. Dr. Serway is the coauthor of PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS, 4e; PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS, 7e; ESSENTIALS OF COLLEGE PHYSICS; MODERN PHYSICS, 3e; and the high school textbook PHYSICS, published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston. In addition, Dr. Serway has published more than 40 research papers in the field of condensed matter physics and has given more than 60 presentations at professional meetings. Dr. Serway and his wife Elizabeth enjoy traveling, playing golf, gardening, singing in the church choir, and spending quality time with their four children and eight grandchildren.

John W. Jewett, Jr. earned his Doctorate at Ohio State University, specializing in optical and magnetic properties of condensed matter. Dr. Jewett began his academic career at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey, where he taught from 1974 to 1984. He is currently Professor of Physics at California State Polytechnic University¿Pomona. Through his teaching career, Dr. Jewett has been active in promoting science education. In addition to receiving four National Science Foundation grants, he helped found and direct the Southern California Area Modern Physics Institute (SCAMPI) and Science IMPACT (Institute for Modern Pedagogy and Creative Teaching), both of which work with teachers and schools to develop effective science curricula. Dr. Jewett's honors include four Meritorious Performance and Professional Promise awards, the Stockton Merit Award at Richard Stockton College in 1980, selection as Outstanding Professor at California State Polytechnic University for 1991¿1992, and the Excellence in Undergraduate Physics Teaching Award from the American Association of Physics Teachers (AAPT) in 1998. He has given over 80 presentations both domestically and abroad, including multiple presentations at national meetings of the AAPT. Dr. Jewett is the author of THE WORLD OF PHYSICS: MYSTERIES, MAGIC, AND MYTH, which provides many connections between physics and everyday experiences. In addition to his work as the co-author for PHYSICS FOR SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS he is also the co-author on PRINCIPLES OF PHYSICS: A CALCULUS-BASED TEXT, Fourth Edition, as well as GLOBAL ISSUES, a four-volume set of instruction manuals in integrated science for high school. Dr. Jewett enjoys playing keyboard with his all-physicist band, traveling, and collecting antique quack medical devices that can be used as demonstration apparatus in physics lectures. Most importantly, he relishes spending time with his wife Lisa and their children and grandchildren. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1056 pages
• Publisher: Saunders College Pub; 2nd edition (July 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0030204577
• ISBN-13: 978-0030204579
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #867,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Too pretty - not enough meat, October 31, 2005

By 

JRockFL "JimmyRockFL" (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text (with PhysicsNOW) (Available 2010 Titles Enhanced Web Assign) (Hardcover)

I doubt many who have written reviews here are actual college students. Physics is probably one of the most challenging courses one can take. Nevertheless, it can also be an exciting field of study - this book doesn't do it justice though. It has the potential of scaring off newcomers.

While the book's overall visual presentation is nicely done, the theory behind various mathematical laws is poor. Often, it takes two or three paragraphs of rambling before getting to the point on a topic.

Each chapter has its own set of word problems to solve. While some of the problems are generally a piece of cake, most contain subtleties and assume you know far too much prior knowledge outside the book. It would be a nightmare solving these problems without the answer/studyguide book handy. That guide is almost as large as the textbook and sells for almost $70 alone. Even with the studyguide, some of the demonstrations are illogical and don't necessarily reflect the material you learnt in the current or previous chapters. I've even seen plenty of cases where the math contradicts what the material in the chapter stated!

Although the book says it is a calculus-based text, there really isn't a whole lot of it in there. This might be a blessing to some but isn't always practical in the real world. My Calculus textbook covered physics problems better than this textbook! The authors tend to brush basic differentiation/integration in the theory portions but they're never really used in actual problems.

The PhysicsNow online study tool has some neat diagrams and interactive problems but is still generally useless. Good luck getting your account activated when registering online! I had to call customer service several times before I could actually login to the site.

I could conclude in saying that this book does make a great reference book to people who already have knowledge in physics. However, I'm sure there are better textbooks out there that can teach you the basics if you're new to the field. Many fellow students in my physics classes have shared the same grunts about the book as much as I have and agree that this book can make physics frustrating to the newbie.

22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A remarkable first step in changing physics pedagogy, July 17, 2002

By 

Lee Irons (Yorktown, Virginia United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Principles of Physics (Non-InfoTrac Version) (Hardcover)

Serway and Jewett have made a remarkable first step in changing physics pedagogy for the better:

1) They cover all topics of physics (including modern physics) in 31 chapters, more easily coverable in 2 semesters. To accomplish this, they removed some utlitarian aspects found in more traditional texts. I think Einstein would have liked this. Some utilitarian aspects are best left for (and in fact better covered by) engineering courses anyway.
2) They combined Newtonian relativity and special relativity into a single chapter and moved it to chapter 9, to be covered in first semester.
3) They introduce ALL fundamental forces in chapter 5 and apply a global approach to energy conservation in chapter 6. This allows them to implement a recommendation by the American Physical Society to present the first law of thermo as delta E = Q + W. Finally! Thermodynamics convention is in line with classical mechanics convention.

True, many staunch physics professors may not like the "prettiness" of the book, but I think this is a "walked ten miles to school in the snow" response. The following features make calc-based general physics more learnable for the first year college student:

1) Context overlay: the book is divided into 8 context sections that are associated with current challenges in our society. Chapters 2 through 11 are placed within the context of a mission to mars. This layout does not force the instructor to follow the context, but provides the student with things to think about while studying the material.
2) Pitfall prevention: marginal notes that tell the student what NOT to think or do with a concept or equation.
3) Modeling explained: THIS IS A BIG DEAL. In chapter 1, the authors explain how physicists use models to represent reality. They then reveal throughout the text the models that are used in the development of subject matter. This helps the student to actually learn about the philosophy of physics, and not just how to solve problems. But make no mistake. This approach actually helps the student learn how to solve problems. This is very important to the physics major, but also helps the engineering major understand the origin of the fundamental equations they use.
4) Mathematical level: Calculus is introduced gradually, since most students are taking first year calculus and physics concurrently. Most steps are shown when basic equations are developed, and references are made to mathematical appendices at the back of the text. Vector and scalar addition is introduced in chapter 1 to support kinematics in chapters 2 and 3, but the dot product is introduced in chapter 6 with work and energy and the cross product is introduced in chapter 10 with rotational dynamics.

There is more that can be done to improve the state of our general physics textbooks, but this is a great start. So I rated them "5 stars."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Who shot Physics?, April 16, 2008

By 

A. Hasan (Ivyland, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Principles of Physics: A Calculus-Based Text, Volume 2 (with PhysicsNOW) (Hardcover)

This book makes a mockery of physics. It does not go into detail in any of its explanations. All I ever get from the book are very superficial comments on the equations the authors present. Too many pictures, not enough teaching through explanation. This book will leave you in a daze, asking questions.