awful
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this is the worst book i have read for university. it is far too big and so it is impossible to find what you are looking for. the mastering physics is a complete waste of time as it needs to be the answer that they have- it is case sensitive etc so u could be correct but it still marks it as wrong. as well as this, the questions arent really relavent to the physics course. whenever i have had to read the book for help with my course work, i have had to look elsewhere, as after reading it i still didnt understand it :( it assumes you know nothing and so, since i am a joint maths and physics student this book was a bit boring as didnt get to the actual point. it may be a good book if you are want a general knowledge of the subject, but not really for your degree. i dont thnk it is even worth 1 star tbh.
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Tries too hard to be accessible to everyone.
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On the upside, this book is filled with examples, and it has a lot of figures and graphics that helps keep it out of the 'dreary, dry and dusty'-category. When beginning physics, it is helpful having a book such as this because it contains most of the basics for reference.
The problems appear when you advance in knowledge in physics and mathematics. The authors have a hard time getting to the point, because their strategy seems to be to explain everything as verbosely as possible so as to ensure that none will fail to understand it. After a while this gets incredibly tiresome, and it is also impossible to filter out the superfluous and get to the point, because the points are concealed in vast quantities of text. The book also takes annoying shortcuts, because it tries to be accessible to everyone, even those lacking Calculus.
The final verdict is that this book is somewhat useful, but could have been condensed to half its size by cutting its awful attempts at being pedagogical. For effective learning, you would do good to look elsewhere for more concise books.
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It's OK
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I had to buy this book in first year of my Physics degree. I was told that it would be used for second year work too. However, I have found that the material covered in the second year course is more advanced than what is in the book. It was quite useful for first year though although Mastering Physics is a waste of time! It offers no solutions to problems and takes marks off for the most ridiculous things! But overall I would say it's worth buying for a first year undergraduate Physics course.
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It book fills gaps in engineering knowledge
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Hi,
This book is a wonderful way to find out and repair gaps in basic engineering knowledge. If your undertaking around 'H.N'D' plus type level 'engineering' this must be on your bookshelf. The book is about as clear on its topics at this level as I have seen.
From basics to useful introductory explanations of and substantial topics as 'Electromagnetism' and 'thermodynamics' and 'Nuclear Physics'. This is a wonderful of its level book. Yes the size of the book is overkill and makes it hard to hold for very long periods. This would really help any one with engineering type studies who say missed out on 'A'-level 'Physics'. Yes it is a lot of money but its clear and obviously a 'labour of love' by the authors.
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Excellent Undergraduate Course Material
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Having graduated in Physics some years ago I now find myself working towards a Masters degree in Theoretical Physics and required a good undergraduate book in order to go over the essentials and basics of a lot of material. I found this book to be excellent as a reference guide, covering everything you should need for a first degree as well. The specialist chapters on Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are treated just right in my opinion as there are more detailed books available in these subjects, but it gives the core ideas a good going over. I wish I had used this book in my undergraduate years.
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