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Rating: 
Summary: Texts like this are why many people fear physics.
Review: Hey look, I used this book as preparation for an oncoming university engineering programme and I must say it is brilliant. I am astounded that so many people do not appreciate the quality of this book. The explanations are clear, to the point (Giancoli does stray from this occasionally with his look back at history and so on) and then we are given good questions to help us THINK carefully about what we just learned. I'm sure if more of these readers studied this book harder instead of becoming frustrated at not understanding a topic at first go well then this speaks more about the student then the author. Physics is difficult, but not so if we get into the mindset of a physicist. This is obviously easier said then done but as with anything worth doing takes effort.
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Summary: Texts like this are why many people fear physics.
Review: I am a student at a university who has been forced to wade through this book, with little prior knowledge of the topic. The explanations for the theories and concepts are not incredible, but suffice. The problems, however, are torture. Simply having a couple of novice examples throughout the chapters, and then being thrown into the problems at the end with no help but for the ODD answers at the back of the text is not helpful, and not conducive to learning. Frustration is not a good method to get people to understand and/or enjoy a topic. I would not recommend this book for the novice, but can see how it can be used as a good reference book for those of more learning in the topic. A solutions manual really does need to exist, as that is how one learns this subject, through trial and error, and the answers in the back are simply not enough.
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Summary: Good Book
Review: I am currently taking AP Physics B, and this textbook has become the enemy of mine and many of my classmates. For a intro to physics book, this book would be difficult to comprehend. The book does offer in-chapter examples, but the problems that are worked are straight-forward. However, the problems at the end of the chapters are hard and confusing. It does require thinking (which is a good thing), but some problems would take hours, literally, for the average physics student. The book does have answers to MOST odd number problems, not all. There is no solution to show how they arrived at the answer. The solution manual is a must to understand or to get started on hard problems. This book would be great for a physics student who understands the concepts and wants to enhance their knowledge with challenging problems. It is not a good book for people trying to understand physics.
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Summary: Outstanding text
Review: I used Giancoli as my primary text in high school, and found it to be a superb text. I think those complaining of a lack of worked problems are missing the entire point of this text and the essence of studying physics. This book is about understanding physics principles and the equations you use to solve physics problems. You will find that with this understanding (certainly provided by this excellent text), the need for mindless ploughing through physics problems is lost. You will be able to solve physics problems on the basis of your conceptual understanding of the problems. So many students rely on rote learning and repetition by doing hundreds of questions. Sure, you might be able to attack similar problems for the next week or so, but as soon as you stop practicing, the skill is lost. True mastery of physics comes from appreciation of principles, not mere recognition of patterns in problems...this text will help you achieve such an appreciation.
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Summary: Very difficult book to understand and follow.
Review: I used this book in my AP Physics B course in grade 12. The book, if you read JUST the text and examples, is not difficult at all. The examples are very straightforward, and the text is coherent. There are a few errors I have found, but in mathematics/physics books, this is a frequent thing. But the weakness in this book is the Problems--WAY WAY WAY too hard for an intro Physics class. Now I have a strong algebra and calculus/trig basis, and even for me this book is very diffucult. Too much time is spent rambling on about useless topics, and more time should be devoted to crafting a stronger exposition--explain the solutions to more of the problems. The only thing that saved us is the fact that we had the INSTRUCTOR'S SOLUTIONS MANUAL, by Irvin A Miller to guide us through these gruesome questions. Mr Giancoli, if you are reading this--you wrote a very good textbook. But in order to do problems, one must SEE visually how it is done out and be able to clearly follow the exposition. We are grateful to Mr Miller, the author of the solutions manual, for enabling us to get through the book. With the answer book to guide us, we all got 4's and a few 5's on the AP exam. The kids the year before who used just the Giancoli text got all 3's or less (most got 2's). A word of advise--get the answer book if you are studying this text. Without it the book is useless in understanding how to do the problems. ...
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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.
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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.
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Summary: Physics Fifth Edition, Giancoli
Review: While this book has use for college level physics students, I believe the author does not achieve the purpose he states for writing the book in the preface, "This book is written for students...who are taking a one year introductory course in phyics that uses algebra and triginomoetry but not calculus." I have found that my students, even some who are studying calculus, are having a difficult time understanding the examples in the book and many of the concepts.
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Summary: Down with Giancoli
Review: Will someone please tell the King that he has no clothes on? Will someone please stop stocking Physics departments with books that are simply a flag for how clever we all are. "Look at this book chaps..."as we flaunt the open text, "bloody tough to understand, eh?!" Giancoli is accurate and detailed. Giancoli is a fantastic text to dip into (for the most) able student. In my experience of delivering the subject within the English National Curriculum it is hopeless for the 'average' Physics student. Giancoli is black and white in a colourful world. Has anyone that has ordered this book ever seen a Tom Duncan? Have you looked at the Longman series? Streuth! Why do 'we' make it so difficult for people to access our subject?
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