How To Solve Physics Problems and Make The Grade

Rating:
Summary: This Is The Book If You Need Help with Physics
Review: Beginning with the "How To Use This Book" and "How To Excel in Your Physics Course", (especially the latter) and throughout its pages, this is, without a doubt in this readers opinion, the very best book on the subject I have found to date (And I have many). It puts you through the paces. If you want to know this subject and excel in it, these authors have placed before you the practice you will need. I recommend this book highly for your first experiences in this subject. Starting with the mathematical background required; then on to Classical through Special Relativity. It covers each and every topic, in a clear, concise method that enhances learning and improves retention greatly in each and every area. It's a great reference to have on the shelf. EXCELLENT! My thanks to the authors. Your book has helped me much more than I ever expected.

Rating:
Summary: Author's Summary of Content and Approach
Review: Generations of physics students, the authors included, have often lamented, concerning their physics courses, "I understood everything in lecture and the text but I can't do the problems." This book was written to help you do the problems.

We explain not only how to do a problem but why we do it a certain way. This gives you not just a collection of problems, but a collection of methods that can be used, modified, and built on to do other physics problems. We do not claim to present every problem you will ever encounter. We do, however, present the methods that work for large groups of problems. If you develop the techniques we describe for solving problems then you will know how to successfully attack the problems you will encounter on tests.

This is the book you should have as a reference when you are doing your homework problems. It will show you how to work the problems and explain why they are being done the way they are.

The topics in this book are in the order of most physics texts. Each chapter begins with a theoretical discussion. Problems are mixed in with the discussion as soon as possible. These problems follow the development of the theory. This starts you working problems and learning from them before digesting large amounts of conceptual material.

A "standard" route is followed for problems wherever possible. We avoid methods that may be quick and have limited application to problem solving in favor of possibly longer solutions that have broad applications and always work. The problems and text are integrated with a minimum of artificial barriers between them.

The book is intended as a complement to either the calculus-based or the non-calculus-based elementary physics course. It has been our experience that calculus can be introduced into the traditionally non-calculus course and used in the development of concepts. Conceptually, calculus is not difficult especially when it is introduced in a physics problem. In those instances where calculus is needed, the problems and paragraphs are marked with a calculus icon. Even the student without formal calculus training will benefit from these sections.

Learning physics is different from most disciplines. Most disciplines can be learned by reading and listening, with mastery demonstrated by writing. Physics is not like that. Learning physics requires learning to do the problems of physics not by writing about them but by manipulating mathematical symbols in the correct manner. Success in physics is demonstrated by solving problems. This is what you will learn in this book.

The book was started around 1980 (by RMO) and was provided in rough form to his students in the elementary physics sequence to help them understand concepts and give them practice and confidence in working problems. The favorable response from those students provided motivation to continue to expand the number and extent of the topics. In 1984 the problems were used (by DMO) as an aid in the elementary physics courses he was taking. Since then the collection of problems and text has been expanded by both authors and refined through further use by their students.

Robert M. Oman e-mail: [e-mail]
St. Petersburg, Florida

Daniel M. Oman e-mail: [e-mail]
Orlando, Florida

Rating:
Summary: It is a very good book .
Review: It is a very good book but it does not solve complicated problems.Furthermore,it has few mistakes(EX. Pages 88 and 94).In all honesty,it solves the most problems that you will encounter in the freshman physics courses.

Rating:
Summary: It is a very good book .
Review: It is a very good book but it does not solve complicated problems.Furthermore,it has few mistakes(EX. Pages 88 and 94).In all honesty,it solves the most problems that you will encounter in the freshman physics courses.

Rating:
Summary: typographical errors
Review: it's a good book, it helped a great deal. I wish time was taken to correct typographical errors. I lost valuable time that could have been used to study.

Rating:
Summary: Buy this book as a supplement to your textbook
Review: Other than a few typos, this book is awesome. I learn the basic concepts from this book, and then do the problems in my textbook. This book has helped me when my professor couldn't/wouldn't. You cannot learn physics from this book only, but it is an excellent addition to any textbook.

Rating:
Summary: Decent book - many errors
Review: This book is a decent book for those being taking a freshman physics course for non-majors. This is a good supplement to a calculus based physics textbook.

Rating:
Summary: Very helpful, recommend
Review: this is a very good book except there are some mistakes(but the mistakes are easily found and corrected by yourself). This book gives you how to attack problems in a very organized manner even though the problems are not so difficult. I came to be able to solve more challenging problems in a different book after solving the easy but organized ones in this book. I recommend this book!