Modern Physics

Rating:
Summary: A good intermediate-level textbook
Review: I am a college professor who has used this book for two years in a sophomore-level course on modern physics. In my opinion it is substantially better than competing textbooks currently available. It is written in a clear and engaging fashion, the illustrations are good, and the examples are well chosen. The mathematical level is appropriate for sophomore physics, engineering, or other physical science majors. The homework problems are also well designed and a good resource.

I do have a couple of quibbles. Thermodynamics are not introduced until Chapter 12, which makes the discussion of the black body spectrum in chapter 4 highly abbreviated and hard to follow--I actually had my class jump ahead to the first part of chapter 12 and then go back to chapter 4, hardly an ideal approach. Also, the Instructor's Solutions Manual is almost completely useless--carelessly produced and riddled with errors.

Rating:
Summary: A good intermediate-level textbook
Review: I am a college professor who has used this book for two years in a sophomore-level course on modern physics. In my opinion it is substantially better than competing textbooks currently available. It is written in a clear and engaging fashion, the illustrations are good, and the examples are well chosen. The mathematical level is appropriate for sophomore physics, engineering, or other physical science majors. The homework problems are also well designed and a good resource.

I do have a couple of quibbles. Thermodynamics are not introduced until Chapter 12, which makes the discussion of the black body spectrum in chapter 4 highly abbreviated and hard to follow--I actually had my class jump ahead to the first part of chapter 12 and then go back to chapter 4, hardly an ideal approach. Also, the Instructor's Solutions Manual is almost completely useless--carelessly produced and riddled with errors.

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Introduction to Modern Physics
Review: I bought this book for the first class in modern physics that I took. Till then I had only read books by Serway and Hayt for mechanics and electromagnetics. Comparably this book is not as well explained as Serway, but also not as difficult to understand as Hayt. However, It is a very good book for people who are just getting introduced to the concepts of Modern Physics. I think that the book gives a good base to readers who would like to further study modern physics. It is clearly and precisely explained and helps the reader see the physical world in a new perspective, different from what is understood by studying mechanics and electromagnetics. The book is divided into 4 parts: Relativity, Quantum mechanics, Applications and Frontiers. Each part does a fair role of presenting a good explanation supported by easy to understand diagrams, graphs and equations. Each physical concept is accompanied by a historical background and mathematical equations to back it up. The final sections talk about some applications of these concepts, such as lasers and semiconductors, which would be useful to engineering students as myself. I think that the book would be a good choice for someone who is beginning to learn modern physics.

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Introduction to Modern Physics
Review: I bought this book for the first class in modern physics that I took. Till then I had only read books by Serway and Hayt for mechanics and electromagnetics. Comparably this book is not as well explained as Serway, but also not as difficult to understand as Hayt. However, It is a very good book for people who are just getting introduced to the concepts of Modern Physics. I think that the book gives a good base to readers who would like to further study modern physics. It is clearly and precisely explained and helps the reader see the physical world in a new perspective, different from what is understood by studying mechanics and electromagnetics. The book is divided into 4 parts: Relativity, Quantum mechanics, Applications and Frontiers. Each part does a fair role of presenting a good explanation supported by easy to understand diagrams, graphs and equations. Each physical concept is accompanied by a historical background and mathematical equations to back it up. The final sections talk about some applications of these concepts, such as lasers and semiconductors, which would be useful to engineering students as myself. I think that the book would be a good choice for someone who is beginning to learn modern physics.

Rating:
Summary: Not Good for an Intro or Self-Study in Modern Physics
Review: This modern physics book is excellent for those who have some background in the material that is covered. For those of us who are being introduced to the topic, it isn't the best text. The book whizzes through the basics of many topics and dives right into some of the more difficult material. That isn't true for every topic, but it is true for some of the hardest chapters. The math that is "explained" in this book is not explained; I learned all of the necessary math in lecture. It is easy to tell the writers know their material; they just can't express it very well to others in an introductory text. The book gets clearer in the middle, but discontinues that trend shortly. Also, the text contains numerous errors--our class just keeps finding more.

I would recommend at least getting an additional, simpler text if this is your assigned text. I used Paul Tipler's text, "Modern Physics" and Serway's Modern Text (a continuation of the intro to physics texts). These were of sufficient level and clarity. Out of the three, I thought Serway nosed ahead of Tipler with Bernstein, etc. in last.

One last thing, the binding is terrible. Several of the people in my class (including me) had books that were falling apart.

Overall, this book is great for a second semester of modern physics. However, it doesn't stand alone very well for first-timers in the field. For those of you interested, THIS BOOK IS NOT GOOD FOR SELF-STUDY.