4 comments about Elementary and Intermediate Algebra.

1. I ordered this book thinking that it was the textbook. The book that I got not only took forever, but was not the textbook, it was only a student answer key. Seeing as how the description of the book says "text" it is very decieving. So if you need the text be careful when ordering this.



2. This textbook is perfect for any learning college student. As a college math student I was forced to buy this book, but little did I know that in the long run, I'd learn alot from this book, and the materials learned stook out for a while. They stayed in my head and memory for a very long time. If you are going to move to the next higher level math, be glad you bought this one. It will help you a great deal. It's worth it!
   
   I can compare this with bittinger's book (the one with the flower) but I haven't read enough of bittinger's book because I'm used to this one.
   
   pros: great material, step by step examples and clear instructions. Hard to get used to at first but very easy to get used to. You learn about functions, equations, and everything!
   
   cons: some of the material is hard. What do you expect from an intermediate algebra book. Also, if you have a hard teacher, it might make it harder for you to pass (or a strict one), but that shouldn't hinder you from learning from the book because the book itself can sometimes be a good instructor too! Though sometimes there isn't enough explanation for a particular problem, so it would be hard for some people who are hard of learning or just take more time to learn. But all it takes is dedication and determination, like everyone is saying.



3. I recieved this book in bad condition but it is a good book. I needed it for school.



4. Let me preface this review with this: I do not have a math brain. I really have to spend a lot of time working through the problems, which means I get to know the book fairly well. it's pretty straight forward with general principles of math, but i find that the wording is weird in places, and there isnt a logical flow to the progression of information. My professor agrees ~ we started at 1.1, went to chapter 8, back to chapter 2, skipped another . . .
   
   the answer book that you can get only has the answers to the odd numbered problems, which is included in the back of the book ~ i don't really understand the purpose of having it twice.
   
   with the book, you get access to "Mathzone," an interactive math site set up by the publisher. i'm sure it will get better as the site gets older ~ but there's a lot of improvements that need to be made. I like that when you're doing the homework, you have access to "hints," which helps you get through some of the stuff you're still struggling with, and i like the "e professor" section that has video clips with explanations from the book. I don't like the "answer pallate" they use, (you can't even tab between in the same equation), and the "net tutor" is a joke. it took me 25 minutes to get help with a question, and i was the only person "in line."
   
   If you're looking at this book, you probably don't have much say in whether you have to buy it or not . . . if you do, good luck!

2 comments about Classical Mechanics (5th Edition).

1. This book covers a huge amount of classic physics techniques and theories. I bought it for the Hamiltonian section but I really like reading it. Note - I am not a physicist but I have a masters in math and do a lot of reading for amusement in physics of all kinds.



2. I've just finished up to Chapter 4 and
   everything I read is excellent. It has
   very good reviews of vectors and tensors
   in the appendix. Answers to the exercises
   are also provided.

5 comments about Physics: Calculus (with CD-ROM).

1. I have to agree with the previous review (the third from my viewing), this is an excellent book. I'm currently a senior in high school, and I borrowed this book from my teacher to look over how Physics would be taught from a more Calculus-intensive perspective. To put it lightly, I love it. I've had the book for a couple weeks now, and have read much of the way through the book (approximately 24 chapters). Sure the derivations are general, but that's the way they should be to cover all cases. Also, as the previous reviewer stated, the author attempts to put a little humor into the text (people on roller skates running into one another to demonstrate momentum conservation), which goes a long way into grabbing one's attention. I'd immediately recommend this text book to anyone who's interested in learning physics and likes some of the more interesting math involved (or perhaps the Algebra/Trig one if they don't), as it's far better than the text we're using in class (don't have it on me at the moment). In short, buy this book.



2. I can't believe that I have to use this book for my class. It is so hard to understand and I am thinking of committing sucide because of the class. Any book is better then this!



3. Dr. Hecht has written the best introductory text I have ever seen. It combines history with humor with math with the best explanations for fundamental physics concepts. He is consistent throughout on his use of notation, his problem solving hints are complete and tremendously important, his sequence of topics works extremely well for the integration of calculus, he doesn't overemphasize the importance of mathematics, he covers each topic thoroughly and clearly, and he writes like a best-selling author.



4. I used this book in intro physics as a college junior. The maths were gentle, and the problems very well set up. Hecht's writing style is easy to read, and often quite humourous. Of the large stack of science textbooks I have acquired so far, these two volumes are definitely two of the most useful and easy to understand.



5. I used this book to teach general physics II last semester. This book is compared nothing with Serway, Tipler, Halliday. The problems are too below the level of general physics and poor multimedia, the chapters and sections are completely unorganized.
   I do not recommend this book for any thing

5 comments about Quantum Mechanics, Volume 1.

1. I'll keep this review short, unlike the 2-volume set on QM that I am reviewing here.
   
   I used this text book for a two-semester graduate course in QM. Although lengthy, practically everything is in here. In that respect, it makes it difficult to pick out the key concepts. It is sort of the same problem when you try to learn relativity using Misner Thorne & Wheeler's book. Although I'd say that Cohen-Tannoudji's textbook is better organized. It may help if you read this book alongside a more concise book on the subject. A concise book will pick out the most important concepts for you, as well as help you with the homework problems. A good accompanyment I have in mind is Bransden & Jochain's textbook. Speaking of homework, I do not like how it is arranged in Cohen-Tannoudji. Say a professor decides to give you problems 1, 2 and 3 for a particular homework assignment, from some chapter. You think, "great, only three problems, no sweat, I'll do those a day or two before the due date." Trouble is, every problem has sections a, b, c, etc. and subsections i, ii, iii, etc. and within those sometimes sub-subsections alpha, beta, etc,--very frustrating! But if you sweat it out (managing your time well of course) with this textbook, and do the homework problems yourself instead of relying on the solutions older graduate students might be kind enough to hand down to you, you will get alot out of it.



2. Very good book for undergraduate or even graduate quantum mechanics. The book is very well organized and gives detailed explanations and examples of key quantum mechanical concepts. I would suggest that all undergraduates give it a try. It balances out importance of detail while maintaining clarity to give students a good understanding of the subject. Though it is a little hard to digest at first, that is just the nature of the subject. Once you become familiar with the basics of quantum mechanics, postulates, bra-ket etc this is a perfect book to learn from, or to go back as reference



3. Almost no words needs to be said about this masterwork.
   And rare are serious students of quantum mechanics who could really afford to ignore it.
   Several important techniques and recent developments are omitted, but having grasped the material presented in these two volumes, learning further about quantum mechanics will prove astonishingly straightforward.
   A caution remark is in order, though : these books don't really suit to self-study, due to their sometimes rather lengthy, verbose exposition, which could well quickly fade away an initially strong motivation for studying quantum mechanics, if not bolstered by a teacher's or fellow student's incentives.



4. If you're looking for a one-stop reference for your physics library, this is it. Complements ANY textbook, in fact it stands on its own better than any other quantum mechanics textbook that I've used so far (Including Sakurai, Bransden-Joachain, Gasiorowizc, Griffiths). The notation is convenient and easy, worked out "compliments" show you how to apply concepts and build your problem solving skills. Even as just a casual read on subjects you may not have been exposed to yet/ever, this text is great. I had this text recommended to me by basically every grad student and professor I've talked to, and I can now recommend it myself.
   
   That said, many complaints I've read here have a common thread. This is not meant (at least it shouldn't be meant) as an undergraduate text. It definitely assumes at least a moderate understanding of underlying principles, although you don't have to be a genius either. I would never recommend this to an undergraduate student until you have been exposed to at least 2 semesters of the introductory stuff. Period.
   
   Buy this book if you're looking for a one-stop quantum mechanics reference, for your graduate studies.



5. The service was very good and swift. The book was in excellent condition. Thank you.

3 comments about Hydrologic Analysis and Design (3rd Edition).

1. I seem to refer to this book over and over. I am always searching for answers and this book seems to have them all! I am a water resources engineer and feel that this book is well organized, applicable to real engineering problems, easy to read, and well indexed.



2. A much needed book at a great price. In great condition at a fraction of the original price. Would certainly buy from them again.



3. This books is hard to read because of the extensive and monotonous writing in addition to lacking variety of examples.
   
   I took a semester of Hydrology Design, taught by Dr. Mc Cuen himself, in which he had to complement the lectures with numerous handouts with graphs, formulas, examples, and procedures that are not available in this textbook.
   
   You would be better off checking your University's Library database for other authors rather than purchasing this textbook.

1 comments about Quantum Computer Science: An Introduction.

1. Mermin is perhaps best known as the co-author of 'Solid State Physics', a longstanding text of its subject. But his interests are diverse, and one of these is presented here. He explains the intriguing use of quantum computing. Starting with the concept of a Qbit.
   
   The text assumes you've done some non-relativistic quantum mechanics. After all, the entire subject is based on quantum effects producing different results than traditional computing. You should know the bra and ket notation, that was first introduced by Dirac. This notation is amazingly concise and pervades the text. It is probably fair to say that 90% of the discussion uses this notation.
   
   The derivations are elegant and surprisingly simple, compared to the intricacies of other applications of quantum mechanics. There is relatively little discussion of experimental methods. This is primarily a theoretical text.
   
   One conclusion is that this field is young. No serious computations are yet capable, compared to those on computers using traditional classical physics.

3 comments about Dynamic Programming and Optimal Control (2 Vol Set).

1. really nice book on dynamic programming... easy to understand and contains all requisite details.



2. It's a good book for dynamic programming, though it requires substantial knowledge of mathematics.



3. *This is easily the best book on dynamic programming. The first volume covers numerous topics such as finite horizon MDPs, partially observable MDPs, and rollout heuristics. The second volume treats the infinite horizon case for the regular MDP --- average reward, discounted reward, semi-Markov control, and some reinforcement learning.
   *I love the notation. The proofs in this book are easier than those any you will find elsewhere. The treatment is very sophisticated and yet very accessible! Furthermore, what is really a bonus here --- something you won't find in the other books --- is a discussion on the shortest stochastic path problem (SSP). The SSP makes it so easy to analyze the average reward problem and the finite horizon problem with the stationary structure.
   *I strongly recommend this book to all readers interested in understanding the convergence proofs underlying the DP machinery. It is a must on your book shelf if you are working on research in DP.

5 comments about E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation.

1. Because so much has been written about Einstein, it's not easy to come up with a fresh approach to him and his work. But that's what Bodanis has done, by tracing the history of each of the five symbols in the equation E = mc(2). Then Bodanis traces some of the implications of Einstein's work, from the Bomb to Black Holes.
   
   Readers who are primarily interested in the personalities and dramas of science may like this book better than those interested in the science itself. Bodanis made a deliberate decision to keep the scientific content of the main part of the book light (too light for my taste), but then to put more meat into his extensive notes and web site. Call me old fashioned, but I don't want to have to go to an author's web site to get the full story.
   
   Still, for anyone interested in Einstein and relativity, it's a worthwhile read.
   
   Robert Adler, author of Science Firsts: From the Creation of Science to the Science of Creation; and Medical Firsts: From Hippocrates to the Human Genome



2. I first heard of this book from the TV show of the same name. The show, presented on PBS by Nova on October 11, 2005 was one of the highlights of the year so far. Asuming that the book would be better than the show I immediately went out and bought it. I was not disappointed. The show was great. The book is great. The show brings out the essense of the book in an extremely easy way. The book backs up the show with greater detail. The show will undoubtedly be repeated watch for it, go buy the book now.
   
   Basically this book/show talks about each term in the famous equasion. What is energy, where/when did we start to think of it? And what's mass? And of course c, the speed limit of the universe. This book uses these terms as the starting point to explain how each of these terms were developed. And then Einstein put them together.
   
   The way the book/show treats Lise Meitner is supurb. She was at the cutting edge of nuclear physics for 55 years. In 1992 the 109th element was named Meitnerium (Mt) in her honor (Einsteinium is number 99). One point not mentioned, at the time when she was developing the basic theory of radioactivity as depicted in the show, she was sixty years old, not the young actress playing her part. Einstein called her 'The German Madame Curie.'
   
   In one scene in the show Einstein is talking to his first wife Mileva Maric. He is explaining the equasion. His wife asks if he would like her to check his mathematics. Mileva Maric was no dummy. Largely forgotten until the recent publication of the love letters Einstein wrote to her, she provided enough input into Einstein's theories that she probably should have been listed as a co-developer, but in those days women just couldn't do those things. Further, the show didn't quite bring out that the famous equasion had a very rigorous mathematical background based on the then newly developed tensor calculus.
   
   Enough writing: Get the book, when it comes out buy the DVD of the show, buy the DVD of the PBS show 'Einstein's Wife.' They cannot be recommended too highly.



3. Even though I like math & science subjects, I do not normally put math, science and fascinating all together in the same sentence. E = MC2 is such an interesting story, mostly because it brings "life" into the process. The analytical work was well described for each of the respective persons, along with their human side.
   
   Excellent! I will read more by this author!



4. I hate writing less than glowing reviews, but this almost excellent book disappointed me.
   
   I was most impressed with this work- until I got almost to the very end. On the positive side, this is the first work I've read that clearly explains "the" equation in a manner even I could understand. It's done using a historical perspective using anecdotes. That makes most of the book a fun read.
   
   Unfortunately, it's biased. In the closing portions of the book, when describing the use of the atomic bomb against Japan, it paints a very one-sided picture about our decision to use the bomb, only quoting sources who were (supposedly) opposed to its use. Some of the facts used were, simply put, stretched a bit, and others.... well, let's just say that my own reading and interviews with people involved paints a somewhat different picture. The author asserts that men such as Eisenhower, LeMay and others did not believe the bomb to be needed, and that's simply not true. The record itself shows that the controversy did not arise until much later- over 20 years later, to be exact.
   
   When the author stays off of his soap box (as he does most of the time throughout the book), it's an excellent work. But I would caution any who read this work to take some of what is said regarding the use of the bomb against Japan with a grain of salt.



5. Human side stories of E=mc² with perfect blend of science, anecdotes, little biographies, humor, and tragedies for layman. Some of the stories are very interesting, hence I wouldn't forget the people and their contribution to science (relativity theory). Wondering why some of our science text books are not like this!
   
   I am very impressed with the appendix containing the postscripts of the scientists contributed to E=mc² some or the other way and very long list of "suggestion for further reading". I have already noted down some books from that list.
   
   Overall, a very enjoyable read without a bit of feeling of a science book.

5 comments about Quaternions and Rotation Sequences: A Primer with Applications to Orbits, Aerospace and Virtual Reality.

1. This is an excellent book, it's right up there with Gilbert Strang's Linear Algebra texts.
   Want to understand quaternions and rotational matrices, well this is the book for you. Starts with the basics, coordinated transformations and such, and moves at a reasonable pace into quaternions. Others at work, looking at this book felt that they understood the text. Interestingly these were software engineers that never really gotten basic college calculus. Never could understand why many software people are so light on math. Different part of the brain I guess. Author vs. engineer.



2. Quaternions are not as intuitive as 3x3 matrices however this book give a strong understanding of quaternions so that the reader can let go of the 3x3 matrix and successfully, in my case at least, change over to only using quaternions. This has proven useful in my simulations for, and firmware code for, satellite attitude determination and control. In the version I have of this book, there are some mistakes that hopefully will be corrected, but the mistakes are obvious and easy to overlook. I hate quaternions but they are powerful tools in solving real world problems. This book made quaternions interesting and bearable. If you already have a really good understanding of quaternions, this book might help, but it has a long introduction into quaternions so you might want to review the book using the online outline to see if it actually covers more than what you might already know.



3. Book is more or less what all the glowing 4 and 5 stars say it is. I would like to add a 1859 quote from William Rowan Hamilton about his Quaternions in a note to Peter Guthrie Tait (professor and friend of James Maxwell):
   
   "Could anything be simpler or more satisfactory? Don't you feel, as well as think, that we are on a right track, and shall be thanked hereafter. Never mind when."



4. There are many other reviews that discuss (and applaud) the merits of Kuipers' treatment of the subject, and I agree with them. Rather than add a "me too", I wanted to treat some of the features of this book that make it approachable.
   
   This book is not written for the layman, you do need a fair grounding in matrix methods, complex variables, and rotations. If you remember the basics you should be fine because Kuipers reminds you of special theorems and properties as they are used. Notation is kept simple and unconfusing.
   
   Of particular note, he uses the margins in a novel way. Most math texts number their equations and refer to them often. The reader spends a lot of time flipping back and forth. Kuipers frequently puts referenced equations, needed properties, and other information in the margins where they are needed. This minimizes the usual back and forth and enables a marginally sophisticated reader to actually read and learn something new in bed.



5. Excellent book. Well written. Clear. Thoughtful.
   Plenty of examples. I would highly recommend it!

5 comments about University Physics (with InfoTrac ).

1. "University Physics" is a wonderful introductory physics text --- I should know, I'm a student who used it last semester! Reese pares no material -- he isn't afraid to use vector calculus (after the introductory chapters on vectors, of course) and will show formulas that have partial derivaties -- he even has a conceptual section of a chapter on Fourier series. This book is excellent -- there are very many problems so the student gets lots of practice, and some of the problems are quite tough, but end up being beautifully crafted -- once you discover the answer! All of the problems, in fact, rely on material explicitly covered in each chapter, so there are no surprises or new concepts sprung on the student while he is doing the problems, just the sense that he is doing things by the most general method possible, and hence learning them in the most efficient manner possible. Reese does not rely on special tricks of symmetry or vector identities to transform equations that he believes may be 'scary looking' to the student into soft, over-simplified special cases. Reese treats the student as if he is intensely interested in physics and is planning on making a career in it.

   However, this book is not beyond students on even a more rudimentary level, like those who are engineering, chemistry, or biology majors. In fact, I found this book much easier to use and much more accessible than another book by Giancoli meant for non-physics majors -- mainly because Reese presents the material in its most general form, allowing students to hence derive all they need to know about special cases from the general form. Instructors, this is what makes physics easier! It is harder -- even for non-physics majors -- to learn just about the special cases, as simpler books often try to press.

   This book is ideal for freshmen in college, but can also be used for high school students who have some knowledge of very rudimentary calculus.




2. This is a great text for Physics at the freshmen level because it stays on the freshmen level. It has very challenging problems that are progressively difficult. The only problem, is that it does not reach deep enough into Physics for a University text.



3. I was an unemployed software guy with time on my hands so I decided to go back and relearn my undergrad physics and mathematics. The idea was to savor the subjects this time around in contrast to the frenzied cramming of my college days.
   
   My previous college physics professor was the classic "weed out the unworthy" type. He hit us over the head with "Physics" by Halliday and oblique, snotty lectures designed more to demonstrate the gulf between him and us rather than to ignite the glory of science in our hearts. I remember endless hours fitfully parsing Halliday with the growing dread that I was just not good enough to "get" physics. I passed my physics and calculus courses but I never shook that "second-rater" feeling I got from my physics professor.
   
   With the hope of redeeming myself in physics, I turned to the Amazon book reviews and was able to quickly identify "University Physics" by Reese, and "Mathematics: Its Content, Methods and Meaning" by Aleksandrov, as the very best books for a self-taught review of undergraduate physics and mathematics.
   
   Once in a long while we open a book and shout with great joy that we have discovered a treasure. And so it was with Reese's book. Reese apparently had endless energy, knowledge, and good will to craft a book so abundantly rich with myriad drawings, pictures, examples, quotations, and historical perspectives that combined to provide one an abundant sense of appreciation and MASTERY of the great themes of fundamental physics. Reese has bent over backwards to give us it all.
   
   Yeah, I'm thrilled and I'm planning on savoring every word of Reese's book. By God, I LOVE physics now and Reese should be given a medal!



4. It is a pricey but "worth-it" book for learning physics. I went through a lot of books, Resnick Halliday etc, but found this book much easier to understand. IT is bulky so you have to manage with that.



5. Different readers have different needs. I gave this book only three stars because for me the problems this book has are sufficiently annoying so as to make me wish I had bought another book. I don't deny that the book is physically attractive, with glossy pages and many color photos. It also seems to have all the information.
   Here are the three problems I find:
   1) Mr. Reese is one of those scientists with a corny sense of humor who insist on "livening" the book up with said corny jokes on every page. It's almost more than I can take. I want to make it clear we are not talking wit here. These "jokes" are the kind that can only make this reader groan.
   2) Mr. Reese seems to be under the impression that the only people who might want to learn physics (whether in or out of college) are 18-year-olds living in dorms and driving sports cars when they're not in front of the TV eating pizza and watching basketball or football. Anyone who is an older student feels marginalized, as all the examples are based on this assumption.
   3) VERY few answers are included in the back. Sometimes, when it says the answer to a particular problem IS there, what you actually find is something like: "the answer is included in the statement of the problem". Yeah, thanks.
   4) Some readers may also find the injection of his religious views inappropriate.
   If these issues do not concern you, then this is probably a five-star book, as other reviewers have said.