Computational Physics : Problem Solving with Computers

Rating:
Summary: This book is for advanced physics
Review: The number of stars I gave the book is basically irrelevant.

I'm writing the review to point out that the book should be called: "computations for *advanced* physics".

Most of the topics covered in the book are for second year physics, or advanced topics. That's neither good nor bad, it just depends what you're looking for. If you want to find ways to apply computer programs in a first-years course -- this ain't it. There are probably only a few cases in which the topics are close enough to first-year physics to be relevant (multiple waves on a string; contrasting an idealized model of a pendulum with a "real-one").

Having said that, I give the book some pluses for covering a wide range of physics and mathematical topics, and a bit of a minus for writing that can be fairly opaque.

Rating:
Summary: This book is for advanced physics
Review: The number of stars I gave the book is basically irrelevant.

I'm writing the review to point out that the book should be called: "computations for *advanced* physics".

Most of the topics covered in the book are for second year physics, or advanced topics. That's neither good nor bad, it just depends what you're looking for. If you want to find ways to apply computer programs in a first-years course -- this ain't it. There are probably only a few cases in which the topics are close enough to first-year physics to be relevant (multiple waves on a string; contrasting an idealized model of a pendulum with a "real-one").

Having said that, I give the book some pluses for covering a wide range of physics and mathematical topics, and a bit of a minus for writing that can be fairly opaque.