Rating: 
Summary: One of the worst text books I've used
Review: Not enough step by step problems...they jump from very easy problems as examples in the text to very hard problems to solve at the end of the chapter. FRUSTRATING!! I'm looking for another book so I can make it through this class.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Job
Review: Science textbooks are pretty hard to write...however Giancolli seems to have done a great job as he presents physics in a simple yet informative way..there is a lot of important info in here..... would be an excellent textbook for highschool physics and college students
Rating:
Summary: Less babble, more physics please...
Review: The author starts chapters by giving simple (maybe too simple) introductions. Then he starts jumping from one aspect of the subject discussed to another, feels like a bad novel in a way. Then there's the humour, and lets not forget the colorful drawings, and the pictures, and all the tables. Then, a couple of simple examples that, in no way, go in depth or cover the scope of the subject discussed. Then, BOOM! Five or six pages of problems that you're supposed to somehow solve with the little understanding you are left with after going through the nursery rhymes and eye candy. WARNING: Unless you have a great instructor, you will suffer, and I mean suffer trying to pass a physics course using this text.
Rating: 
Summary: Very poorly laid out for an introductory college textbook
Review: The way the information is presented is very poorly laid out. For example, many of the questions at the end of the chapters have absolutely no connection with the formulas or information given in the preceding chapter. Students are somehow expected to just "figure it out" by themselves, without any sort of explanation for a similar situation in the chapter. This results in frustration while trying to do the problems. Furthermore, the chapters don't explain what they're teaching very well, glossing over knowledge needed to solve problems. I think the review by the college professor is spot on, because as a student I've never before have I been expected to learn with a textbook like this. I have the unfortunate luck of having to use this book during a condensed summer course, where everything moves at a fast pace. The fact that this book can't explain half the things I'm expected to do definitely makes it a lousy study aid. I have placed an order for a used copy of the study guide, hopefully it has some explanations for the problems in the back of the chapters, because the textbook gives NOTHING to help you solve many of them.
Rating:
Summary: Should be titled "How to Hate Physics"
Review: This algebra-based physics text is one to avoid if you are interested in actually learning the material and getting a good grade in your general physics course. First of all, the explanations are convoluted and the example problems over simplistic. You spend a lot of time reading the text, trying to comprehend what Giancoli is trying to say, thinking you understand because your grasp of the example problems seems strong... then you get to the problems at the end of the chapter. These problems are SO much more difficult than anything in the chapter, with no two problems the same, you'd swear there was some sort of printing error and these problems were supposed to be for a later chapter. So you try to trudge your way through the problems, only to get stuck. You need some help, some feedback, a way to check your work, but alas, NO SOLUTIONS MANUAL exists!! So you save your half-completed problems for class, where the professor takes the entire period attempting to make up for the lack of solutions manual by breaking down each and every problem from the beginning. But there is no time to really focus on the finer points, because we must rush through all the problems! And the students are unable to fully participate with intelligent questions because they are so busy trying to master the fundamentals in class at warp speed!! If you still don't get it after class, then you're SCREWED!!! Pass on this this book if you are a student who wants to pass a general physics course, or if you are a teacher who wants your students to learn and appreciate the study of physics.
Rating:
Summary: Simply the best!
Review: This book is essential for the serious physics student. Not for the weak-of-heart, this latest edition combines the classic "Giancoli," comprehensive style with updated pictures and graphics. I would never recommend this book for beginning students without a solid background in trigonometry and calculus. However, I would never recommend any other book to anyone who wants to rise to the real challenges and rigor that the field of physics mandates.
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Summary: How I Prepared for the SAT II and AP Physics B Exam
Review: This book is excellent. I am using this book to prepare myself for the SAT II Physics and AP Physics B Exam. The only prerequisites I see are algebra and basic trigonometry. The only negative point about this book was that the odd answers it gave on the book were not explained. However, my physics teacher found very little errors in the problem (<6). If you are trying to prepare for one of those exam, I mentioned, this book is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: WARNING
Review: This book is maddening. Hundreds of physics problems, and no manual to show you how their solutions are derived. You can't learn physics unless you go over the solutions to problems -- so you can't learn physics with this book alone. You need 1.)a professor with the solutions manual 2.) the solutions manual (which a lowly student is not allowed to have) -- or 3.) a different book (my recommendation). I'm preparing on my own for the MCAT, and this book is driving me crazy. I'm able to get my hands on College Chemistry, Organic Chemistry and Biology texts, all with detailed answers to their problems. Trying to answer a problem, failing, reviewing the answer, coming back to it later and trying again -- that's how you learn. Reading five pages of text, one or two worked-out examples, and then tackling 30 problems of varying degrees of difficulty with no assistance from the text (or the absolutely useless student manual, what a waste of money) -- is no way to learn physics. If the authors published a student solutions manual with worked-out problems, this would be a good text. I wish the authors could read some of the comments on this site and realize WORKED-OUT PROBLEMS FOR STUDENTS OF PHYSICS ARE ESSENTIAL TO LEARNING PHYSICS. Perhaps in a classroom setting, with a good teacher, this is a helpful text. Trying to use it on your own as a resource for MCAT preparation, or any other solitary learning, however, is a complete waste of time. DON'T BUY IT.
Rating: 
Summary: difficult, compklicated stuff
Review: This book is one of the worst books I studied from in my entire high school. I'm failing my physics course from it beacause it doesn't explain the material well plus a bad teacher. I advise the author to explain the stuff more in the next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Book
Review: This book is pretty good. I took AP Physics B and this was the book that they used for my high school. I highly recommended it, it is the same book used at big universities (like University of Washington) and makes physics incredibly easy to understand. I got a 5 on the exam so no problems that were major. Another reviewer mentioned that it rambled a bit to much, and I agree, but most of the time if you have any intelligence at all you can just use the equations that they give you and you will be set. The problems are not difficult, but make alot of sense for skill level of the students they are dealing with. There is a companion website to the book which is also very helpful. The reason for the 4 as opposed to a 5 was that it rambled on too much like so old professor who liked to hear himself talk.
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