5 comments about Relativity Demystified.

1. I've purchased a whole book shelf of the Demystified series, though I've only just started using them. As a former physics undergrad, these books at least *appear* to offer a level of treatment that I can handle as I wade back into the subject. The one I've been using the most is Differential Equations Demystified, and I've found that very helpful so far.
   
   *This* book, however -- General Relativity Demystified -- proved somewhat of a disappointment. Basically, before you can get into the physics, you have to get some handle on the mathematics of Tensors, which is covered in the early chapters, but I simply found the treatment opaque. I'm planning to get some other books on Tensors and study them carefully. Then I plan to return to this book, and see if the later parts of the book -- which deal with the physics -- prove to be accessible, once I have the tensor math down.
   
   Possibly, if the author rewrote the early part of the book to clarify the tensor discussion, he might still have a hit here. As I say, though, other books in the series look pretty good, and I'm very happy with the DfEQ Demystified book, which I've really been working my way through and learning something in the process.



2. This book covered a lot of the practical topics in GR. The writing is quite easy to understand. In some places, it seems to be too short. For example, the explanation of the basis in coordinate basis is not very clear. [Just refer to Carroll] However, be careful if you are the first time study in GR. You should get one of the other standard books, like Schutz, Weinberg, MTW(Misner, Thorne, Wheeler) otherwise, you will not be able to move too far in this area. Also, I really hope the editor/author can do a bit more thorough job in proof reading before releasing the book. There are many places where you could find sign errors or the indices placement are not correct. For example, the definition of Christoffel Sympbol in terms of metric and also the definition of symmetrization and also the -ve sign in the proper time definition....If you already know about the subject matter, this is not a bad reference book, just a bit tiring in keeping track of these minor errors.



3. While this is not exactly the "learning of relativity at the speed of light" the book advertises, unlike many others of the Demystified series, this volume does indeed have its high points.
   
   The lead up to Einstein's Field Equations -- although the notational gymnastics and some of the mathematics was daunting -- is nevertheless first class. It gives the reader a very much-needed window into the role the Linear Algebra notion of mathematical mappings and transformations -- especially as viewed from the point of view of "basis vectors," through "one forms," and on to "partial derivatives of Tensor Calculus" -- play in bootstrapping one's way up from the local Newtonian/Euclidian frame of reference to the more generalized space-time Reimann/Malinowsky frame. And most importantly, it shows by carefully selected examples and exercises how tensor calculus takes over from Linear Algebra in moving from the more local Newtonian/Euclidian frame to the more generalized space-time frame.
   
   In fact, reading between the lines of the book, one could argue that the whole of understanding the mechanics of relativity is grasping fully this single concept: of how to move mathematically from reference frame to reference frame -- that is, from inertial frames moving relative to one another in the Euclidian world to doing the same in the Space-time world.
   
   Doing this is not easy either conceptually or mathematically but is a necessity for getting from Newtonian to Einsteinian physics. If the reader learns to appreciate that the heavy-duty mathematics is required only for this task, and only in this light, then the ride will be infinitely easier.
   
   Even in Taylor and Wheeler's very down to earth treatment of relativity (in their "Spacetime Physics"), this kind of understanding is left in the background for the reader to infer and to ferret out on his own. A great deal of time is save in the earlier chapters of this volume by forcing the reader to understand early on why working ones way gradually up the ladder to the tensor Calculus is necessary: so that he is better able do all of the mathematical heavy-lifting seamlessly, later.
   
   One word of caution to the reader, which also is my only serious criticism of the book: The written dialogue is painfully sparse, so every word must be read carefully, weighed and parsed for its full meaning. It is helpful to read the book three times: First as an overview to see where the author is headed; and then a second time to understand the mathematical content -- especially the dizzy array of notations -- and then finally to put all the pieces together. That is, read it a third time just to confirm that one understands fully how the larger concepts match up with the corresponding mathematics.
   
   It seems much easier for the authors of physics and mathematical texts to roll out reams of equations than to give just the minimal explanations about how these equations relate to the underlying concepts they are supposed to explain and describe. Why leave such important connections to the reader?
   
   Realizing that this is not a book of prose, still it would be helpful sometimes to give ample and clearly written explanations, with even (god forbid), a little repetition from time to time, just as a guide so that the reader can confirm that he is making the correct interpretations along the way.
   
   Anyway, I am hooked on the Demystified Series and hope this book will be great preparation for the upcoming Demystified volume on String Theory.
   
   Four Stars



4. "Learn Relativity at the Speed of Light" is found on the back cover of this book and I think it's true. It was aproximately 1.23 light years ago when I first purchased this book and I am now on page 208(out of 328 total). My point is that the book is very good but to get through it requires a lot of work; relative to the math and physics background that you possess. I was totally stumped on pages 2 and 3 (Maxwells current-magnetic field equation). It will help to supplement this study with a book on tensor calculus and another relativity book by Hartle or Schutz. The worked examples and chapter quizes were great though and worth the effort.



5. This book is mathematically daunting. It covers the essentials and formulas of Einstein's theories through hundreds of worked (mathematical) examples. Unlike other books of the Demystified Series, I reckon this one not entertaining at all. It is absolutely not for beginners!

5 comments about Maps of Time: An Introduction to Big History (California World History Library).

1. Intellectually stimulating, rapid-fire journey, the "powers of 10" movie specialized for history buffs. Some of the material I found superficial/generalized to be of substance, but the author acknowledges that can be the nature of Big History. An ambitious book which talks directly to ideas that most historians only philosophically discuss. A charge of inductive reasoning would not be far fetched, ie. cherry picking of facts to support prefigured models. Excellent overview of Big History and World History ideas and methods and themes. Annotated bibliographies at the end of each chapter, and large one at the end of the book, are very good for further exploration, most book recommendations are recent (1990s and early 2000s). Despite criticisms learned some new and important perspectives and recommend it highly.



2. The book is not always easy, but well worth reading. It debates the different theories about life, the Universe and everything, through zooming in. The first part is about the big bang en the formation of stars, than follows the geological processes that formed the earth, the evolution of live, humans and our history. It ends with the 20 th century and possible futures. What I liked most about this book, was that it did not present a clear story, but gave the facts, and the different theories (different stories) that might come with those facts.
   It was for me the book at the center of my expending library, because it comes with a extensive bibliography from which I'm now selecting books about the different parts of the big everything to continue reading.
   The best book I've read in years (and I read a lot of (non)fiction books, about a large variaty of subjects).



3. David Christian had a great ambition with this book: to write the history of everything there has ever been. In other words, it describes not only human history but also natural history from the very first beginning. Of course, I had read this on the cover but I had not quite anticipated how elaborate and detailedly the author would describe the formation of the cosmos from the moment of the big bang. I had expected the book to go rather briefly through this part of history and to move on quickly to human history. But I was pleasantly surprised because this first part of the book turned out to be the most fascinating part, as far as I am concerned. The rest of the book is quite interesting too, I must add. The plan and ambition of this book are great, the way the author has worked them out, too. If you liked THE HUMAN WEB by JR McNeill and William H. McNeill, you may like MAPS OF TIME even more. If you admired A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking, you may admire this book just as much.



4. The Maps of Time is a good concept; however, the view is slanted to a Marxist view of history. This becomes apparent as the book moves along although at first it isn't so clear.
   
   The first clue that the book is slanted is the absence of religion in the discussion. The book is all science all the way in its descriptions of the universe and its origins. What mention there is of religion, especially Christian concepts, is negative.
   
   
   
   As one moves through history the author makes statements that simply cannot be supported. For example, on page 174 the author states: "Studies of Homo habilis skulls show that their brains were not merely large than australopithecine brains; they were also organized differently. In particular, there are hints of the division of labor between left and right sides..." I hate to point out that a skull in and of itself isn't going to be able to tell a researcher how the brain was organized. And the author acknowledges this in the statement that there are "hints" of the division of labor. I am not trying to be especially nit picky but this is the kind of statement the author makes over and over. Things that cannot be shown are said to be absolute.
   
   As the book moves into ancient societies the author argues that progress came through interconnection between societies. As trade grew so did progress to more complex things and more complex societies. He also divides the world into tribute taking and consensual societies. He argues that tribute taking states see war as their main concern. In essence, like Marx, he argues that states develop as exploitative institutions where those at the top use those at the bottom. Those at the bottom do all the work and those at the top enjoy the fruits of their labor. He also thinks that men began to lead society because they were less vital than women outside the home, so as society developed power structures outside the home men naturally began to run these.
   
   I could go on, but the entire argument is flawed in so many ways it is hard to count them all. I would say that society developed as it did because of the need for protection. Even hunter gathers need protection from wild beasts and other tribes. Who is going to be doing the attacking? The biggest strongest men from the other tribe. Who will have to do the defending? The biggest strongest men from the tribe under attack. Those who go off to raid, or to protect, must be shown some honor from the group. If nothing else the men who fight will demand honor from the group, and eventually they will come to lead the group because protection is so vital. It may also be the leaders of the group are those with good ideas or whatever. It is not a given that exploiters came to lead society.
   
   Why settle down and farm? Is it because you want to be exploited? No, it is because you can do more with your life. The crops and animals will support you without needing to tramp about all year. Specialization will naturally grow out of such settlements because some people will be better at certain tasks, and as they improve their work they will be paid (given grain etc) which will take the place of working in the fields. This will be especially true in areas such as metal working. Someone has to mine the metal ore (which requires staying in one place), smelt the ore, and then make the metal objects such as swords, spear points etc. From this alone a group of non-farming individuals will develop which will exist as specialist within the group. The author believes specialization developed because of interconnection with other groups (trade etc) and because the elites desired it. I would argue it is a natural process of staying in one place.
   
   In my opinion society did not develop as set forth in the Maps of Time, and the book gives no other ideas as to how societies might have come about. The ONLY way it is described is a group of elitists pushing the "working class" into subjugation.
   
   As the author argues the interconnectedness of societies as the key to progress he also argues that Europe was a geographic hub and that was critical to its progress. Europe isn't the geographic hub of anything. In fact it sits on the edge of a huge landmass (Euro-Asia) apart from anything that would cross it naturally. However, Europe became a hub of trade and learning because of the Renaissance, the age of discovery and the industrial revolution. The key was a change in mindset, and all else followed that key change. Capitalist societies etc came about because the minds in Europe had changed, not because the economy had somehow changed. The fact that other parts of the world had no Renaissance is the key to why Europe emerged triumphant from the dark ages and eventually ruled the world.
   
   In essence, the author overlooks the importance of protection, war, religion, and thought processes in history. To his credit he includes economic factors (trade etc), the role of disease and the role of the types of government in directing history. Unfortunately he overstates the role of economic matters and government type in history. The author fails to effectively link the very long sections on the origins of the universe and our earth to history itself. More than half the book is taken up with physical history and pre-history, much of which is speculation. Little time is spent on ancient history, the foundations of democracy, the economic collapse of the middle ages in Europe, the development of the modern world, World Wars I and II etc. What good is knowing the physical history of the universe if it isn't tied to how we act and react in the modern world?
   
   In the end, I reject the premise of the book that history can be explained by science and Karl Marx's economic philosophy.
   
   AD2



5. Mostly this is a very good book, which is amazing considering how much Christian tries to do. It is well worth reading, though hard to follow in places. Having given it five stars, let me offer a few warnings for potential readers:
   
   Christian can be kind of fuzzy. For a book of history there are remarkably few dates, and I often found myself asking, "Just when did this take place?" I was also bothered by the way Christian didn't "define his terms." For example, a fair amount of the last part of the book talks about Europe becoming "commercial." But he never tells us just what he means by commercial, or how we can tell when one country is more commercial than another, or how we can tell whether a country has gotten a lot more commercial or just a little more commercial.
   
   I was especially frustrated by a section near the end. He seems to say, "The modern world is capitalist. The modern world has tremendous poverty. Therefore, capitalism has caused tremendous poverty." This seems silly. Most people would agree that capitalism involves well-defined and well-protected property rights, and a large amount of freedom to engage in economic transactions without interference by a government. By this standard, much of the world isn't all that capitalist. Moreover, in general, the less "capitalist" the country, the poorer it is. Blaming capitalism for poverty seems like blaming medicine when people refuse to allow their children to get vaccinated and then the kids get sick. No doubt Christian means something different by capitalism--but since he doesn't say what, it is impossible to know how to agree or disagree.
   
   A major theme of the book is that for most of the last two thousand years, the richest areas of the world were southwest Asia (mesopotamia and Persia), south Asia (India) and east Asia (China). As late as 1800, a "man from Mars" would have reported back to his home planet that India and China, not Europe, were where people lived best. The book then seems to say that a century later, China and India were poverty-stricken. Yet aside from a reference to the Opium Wars (and some reading between the lines about population increase), there is no explanation of how such a monumental change happened.
   
   Sometimes Christian doesn't realize the power of simple arithmetic. If one farm family can produce enough food to feed one family, just about everyone has to be a farmer. If technology improves so that one farm family can feed two families, one half of the farm families will have to cease being farmers. If technology means one farm family can feed three, two thirds of the farm families have to get out of the ancestral business. Whether the process will be negative ("thrown off the land") or positive (peasants flee "the idiocy of rural life" for the increased stimulation and opportunity of urban areas) will depend on a lot of things, but the fact that it happens follows directly from the increased productivity. High agricultural productivity dooms a peasantry.

2 comments about Student Solutions Manual/Study Guide for Serway/Jewett's Physics for Scientists and Engineers, Volume 1, 7th.

1. The solutions manual part of Volume 1 is good as far as it goes. The explanations are well written for the selected odd problems it covers. However, it does not cover an example of each type of problem.
   
   I do recommend purchasing Volume 1 because over the duration of the course it does help to make clear the process of problem solving.



2. I don't think that this student solutions manual is that helpful because it doesn't have all the answers for odd questions. It only gives steps to those questions that have a square on them.

5 comments about The Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed and Critical Errors to Avoid.

1. Although this is a little old fashioned in its style and content (particularly the photos and graphic style), I was sufficiently engaged with the content and anecdotes to read it right through in one evening. I learnt some new facts and had an insight into the style and ideas of someone who approaches fine lectures and presentations with great care. This made it worthwhile. It is a delightful change not to be assaulted by ego or self assurance. There is one irritating characteristic of style - the repeated use of "granted".



2. It gave me advice on traps to avoid in presentations. I just need to make good practice of them.



3. This book suggests ways to go beyond the "stock" powerpoint style presentation scheme of titles and bullets to create better presentations. What do I mean by better? Basically, the goal is to create a more narrative presenation. Rather than a presentation of lists of facts, a good scientific presentation also tells a story, and at the same time elucidates a finding in clear detail.
   
   Getting someone to think or create a presentation in this way is a difficult thing to teach, and so the book takes a conversational tone and has plenty of examples and counter examples. It also discusses the various expectations of author, audience, and other politicos who might be in the room, and suggests ways to meet those expectations. I recently put the tactics to good use, for instance, I had picutres of the actual elements of the apparatus over schematic as I spoke about them. It was very effective, and kept the audience engaged.
   
   Bottom line, I recommend this book if you want to improve your style or if you are nervous about starting out in the world of scientific presentation. It also helps with confidence to know you've worked hard on improving your style, your audience will appreciate it as well.



4. I've been thinking about how to improve students' scientific presentation and find this book very useful. The author occasionally slips in quite a few interesting stories of some famous scientists. Quite an enjoyable reading experience.



5. The book was excellent pointing out errors that as a presenter one may overlook and yet they determine the quality of your presentation

5 comments about Understanding Thermodynamics.

1. This book is an excellent conceptual introduction to thermodynamics. It helps you to get the "big picture" without getting into mathematical details. The first few chapters are suitable for high-school students that are interested in the fundamental concepts and laws of thermodynamics.



2. Van Ness cures the common problem of vapid thermodynamics texts by clearly explaining the basics and then stopping.
   
   His little book is an easy read, and firmly roots the student in the reality of what thermodynamic laws and equations actually mean. Most importantly, van Ness repeatedly makes clear that thermodynamics is about imaginary processes that will never occur in real machines.
   
   This should be the first week's read of every course in thermo.



3. First, skip over the silly introductory analogy of a little kid playing with marbles or whatever. But then it gets good. Aside from introducing an equation (p.28) including the variable S without even defining, let alone explaining, it, the 1st and 2nd law are explained very lucidly and with much care (I am a graduate electrical engineer with a full-semester thermodynamics course under my belt who's forgotten most of the subject). Entropy is very well dealt with. The last part of the book deals with thermodynamics vs statistical mechanics & there it gets pretty rough. I didn't try to assimilate too much of that part, not being as intetersted, but it's rigorous and doubtlessly also a fine exposition.
   
   This book is certainly worth the small price and a chunk of your time.



4. Who knew that thermodynamics could actually be entertaining? This book is a joy to read regardless of your technical background or interests. It isn't meant to be a text, or even a demonstration of the subject's importance, but, rather, an invocation of the sheer wonder that can lie in the most mundane things if only you can look at them from the viewpoint that thermodynamics offers.



5. This thin book is a must-have for anyone who wants to understand thermodynamics. A better title for this book may be `Thermodynamics Companion'. This it not a stand alone text, but a supplement to a text book or more advanced reference. This author explains in detail (and without a lot of mathematical mumbo-jumbo) the basics of thermodynamics. It is geared toward the advanced undergraduate or beginning graduate student in engineering or physics who wants to understand thermo. The mathematics is simple (anyone with a little knowledge of calculus can handle it), so the reader won't get bogged down in the equations. If you really want to get a handle on what thermo means (beyond just manipulating equations), this would be a great place to start. This book contains the best discussion of entropy that I've ever found. The notion of entropy is a difficult one for many new to thermo. It is easy to learn how to manipulate the equations, another thing to really understand what they mean. The latter is the author's goal in this book, and he has succeeded. At less than $8, this is a no-brainer.

4 comments about Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics and MasteringPhysics(TM) (2nd Edition) (MasteringPhysics Series).

1. This book is not very good. After using it for my beginning physics course, i found this book to be very complex and not very helpful. The reading of the book was frustrating as the book spends text trying to make the topics interesting instead of thoroughly explaining the content of the chapter. The book does give the appropriate formulas however it does not make up for the unreadability of the book. The practice problems at the end of the chapter are only somewhat related to example problems shown in the chapter, leaving the reader to try to incorporate the formula in complex situations. If you are not required to buy this book for a course, i would recommend trying another book which better explains the content.



2. This is a very well written book. I have been using this book for a semester now and feel that it is an excellent book to learn from. It has a logical order, a very well organized problem set for each chapter organized by chapter section and tagged with difficulty levels (so that you can do a few easy problems then concentrate on the hard to save time). The graphs are informative and meaningful. Unhelpful pictures common in other textbooks (like a pictures of a car with a caption "A car has kinetic energy when it moves") are not numerous in this text book. The paperback textbooks come in a case with five volumes, helpful to the students to alleviate back pains as you can carry only the volumes you currently need.
   
   Overall, excellent book. The only downside is that the Solutions Manuals are sold separately.
   
   As an aside note, I often hear people griping about how bad books are and I have heard from many their negative views on this book. The common thing I find among all of those students is this: "How would they know? They never opened it."



3. This is quite possibly among the worst physics textbooks ever written. It's bloated, hiding neccesarry information, complicated (the typical homework problem can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 3 hours... and apparently the average instructor will assign 10 problems, which can be multiple days of work.) Need formulas are hidden in lots of useless text that doesn't get to the point, and the 'summeries' at the back of each chapter leave a lot of the important equations out. Further, the book feels more like a Calculus book than a physics book. I was taking a Calc course at the same time as this physics course, and there was more math work in the Physics course. I love science, being a scientist was one of my dreams as a child, this book did a good job of putting a sour taste in my mouth. If you want your students to turn to religion instead of science, THEN this book might be a good choice.
   
   Further, did I mention how bloated this book is? This 1300 page book could probably be cut down to about 30 pages without losing any meaningful content.
   
   Further, the "Mastering Physics" associated teaching program is horrible. It claims it's a 'socratic teaching method', but in reality it's just questions from each chapter & having to submit answers online, it does nothing to ease the learning process, and usually just makes it more convoluted and frustrating. For example, it understands some constants, but not all of them... not even all the one's listed in it's own book. This means that if you're submitting an answer with constants as part, it's Russian Rolluete whether your answer will be accepted. Also, identical problems from the book and the website have had different answers on multiple occasions. The website is often wrong, and when it's right, half the time the book is wrong.
   
   If you're a professor considering using this book to teach your students, the answer is no. Don't touch it. It's a horrible, horrible waste of paper. The physics portions of Wikipedia have a better track record than this piece of trash.



4. If someone is going to be taking at least two physics classes that involve the volumes of this book, I would strongly recommend to buy this copy of all the volumes. It's about 3 TIMES CHEAPER and you won't have to worry about getting the second or third or fourth volume just for two classes.

No comments about Inquiry into Physics (with InfoTrac 1-Semester Printed Access Card).

5 comments about How Everything Works: Making Physics Out of the Ordinary.

1. A great book on the concepts of Physics and how things work in relation to Physics.



2. Amazing.
   
   I have bought hundreds of things from Amazon, books and otherwise, and have never felt the need to leave a review. This book is so phenomenal in its clarity, depth, and topic range that I simply feel obligated to rave.
   
   Although I'm a grad student in CS my knowledge of physics is very weak, and there was a time when I dreaded physics in college. So when I ordered this book I was expecting something along the lines of an idiots guide. When it arrived, the textbook-like layout almost scared me off from reading, but when I started I couldn't put it down.
   
   Almost every big question I've asked myself about the physics of the world I live in is answered clearly in this book, given our current state of knowledge. The planets and their relationship to calendars and cycles, eclipses and tides. Electricity. Light. Electromagnetics. Semiconductors. Airplanes. Buoyancy. Nuclear reactors. Power production, and on and on and on. So much, and described so well, that I've decided to put several weeks aside to enjoy this book.
   
   For instance, in answering a question about electricity the author will take you on a seamless journey from Edison's initial ideas to modern distribution systems, to resistance, to types of current, to transformers, to voltage, to generators and motors, down to individual components like capacitors and semiconductors.
   
   And the detail and flow is just beautiful. Prof Bloomfield achieved a very rare, delicate balance between being overly simplistic, and drowning the reader with unnecessary details. This sets the book miles apart from anything I've ever read about physics.
   
   It's actually quite remarkable to know that so many who came before us have spent countless lifetimes trying to obtain the knowledge that is now on the pages of a book like this. Most people take these things for granted. And then there's a tiny minority amongst us who choose to know and understand.



3. I love this book, I am enjoying every line of it.
   It makes you understand so many things.
   The author totally attains his goal: showing that most physics rely on the same simple principles, and that even complex theories, once disassembled, are within reach of anyone.
   What also makes it so good is that physics are demonstrated through every day use things, so you feel compelled and can apply your new knowledge on your world.
   
   1 Note though: if you have never opened a physics book, or if equations gives you chills, then this book is not for you. This is not entertainment science, it's the real deal with easy access.



4. I ordered this book on a suggestion of Discover Magazine, and I was not let down. I am the type of guy who enjoys learning how things work, and this book was a true masterpiece. I really like the way Bloomfield structured the book into easy to read sections. It is also easy to either read all the technical stuff, or to just read the general information and see the diagrams.
   
   If you are wanting a true "heavy science" technical book about Physics, this is not it. However if you would just like to "know" how certain things work, this book is the best I have seen. I think this book would be great for teenagers, and I have to admit, it's nice to know exactly how those elevators work, why planes can fly, and a ton of other common devices and contraptions as well. If you have any interest at all in how things work, you will really enjoy this book.



5. I was specifically looking for an explanation on the refugee system in the US so I could assist a particular refugee, but alas, this book was strictly limited to science... I missed the subtitle, sad to say.
   
   At any rate, OUTSTANDING book for understanding the science of everyday life. It pretty much sums up the total of human understanding of practical physics on earth.
   
   One of my all time favorite books.
   
   But only two stars, because "everything" is quite a bit...

2 comments about Cracking the AP Physics C Exam, 2008 Edition (College Test Prep).

1. This book is very concise, and goes over only what you need to know for the AP Exam. There are review questions at the end of each chapter that help you maximize your overall understanding of the concepts.
   
   However, as with any concise prep books, there are flaws. This book assumes that you are really firmly rooted in your calculus, and it spends little or no time explaining them. I would highly, highly recommend readers to brush up on their calculus before attempting this book.
   
   Also, keep in mind that this is a review, not a textbook. This book uses the "ring a bell" approach; it was written for those who have successfully completed the AP Physics C course in their school, and thus, many of the concepts serve as reminder principles rather than learning methods. Therefore, I advise against purchasing this book if you fall into any of the following categories:
   - Failed to maintain at least a "B" average in Physics C
   - An AP Physics B student attempting the C Exam
   - Poor grasp of calculus (note that I stated before that you must be FIRMLY ROOTED in your calculus in order to enjoy any success with this book; being merely competent will not help you)
   
   If you fall into either of the three categories, I highly recommend that you purchase the Barrons study guide for Physics C as it goes much more in depth (I didn't like it because it had too many things that aren't even tested on the AP Exam). Expect the test questions to be slightly more difficult than the problems posed in this book, but it is my contention that any student that seriously studies this book will get a 5 on the exam. Good luck!



2. The only major complaint I have with this book is that the practise open response questions are far easier than the questions on the actual test.

5 comments about Physics Demystified : A Self-Teaching Guide (Demystified).

1. I have already studied physics, so I was able to follow this, but there is not a chance of understanding this without the previous knowledge. This is the kind of teaching strategy that is mostly memorizing and rote learning. You can "learn" what the book says, but you won't have a clue what it means. If you are only interested in spouting off physics facts to sound impressive, this book will do just fine. If you want to even begin to understand physics, you'll need to find a book that goes into the how and why of every phenomenon, rather than just stating that the phenomena exist.



2. The back of this book says simple enough for beginners, but IT IS NOT! I think if you have been over physics before this book "could" be helpful, but not for someone seeing this stuff for the first time. The refresher part only states some facts about pre-physics material, but doesn't explain why it is stated. The tests after each chapter ask about material outside the book that is not even covered. I will be taking this book back for a refund and getting the "for dummies" version.



3. 
   Presented here in seriatim, are basic introductions to a number of isolated and completely unrelated topics in physics. Compared to the "REA Problem Solver on Physics;" the old standby, the "Schaum Outline Series on Physics;" or indeed my favorite on these topics "The Transnational College of LEX series," the DeMYSTiFieD Series is comfortably pulling up the rear.
   
   After having read seven of the series, so far, all of the signs are that the material in them seems to have been "culled" from the bottom of better summary and introductory sources.
   
   But giving credit where some is surely due, at least this volume has some very good and useful graphics and diagrams that tend to bring home the most basic points of some of the key elements of physics.
   
   That of course is all to the good. However, in trying to make the substance "overly" accessible, the author has reached so low as to bleach out everything but the most elementary of the basic concepts and ideas.
   
   As Einstein is reputed to have said about theorizing: "We should make it simple, but no simpler than necessary." Here, Physics has been made much simpler than necessary. So much so that one loses any sense of wholeness to the subject matter itself.
   
   What's the point of studying physics if you can't ever hope to understand its more advanced concepts like Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, etc.? This volume starts so low, that even when it ends it is still well off the low end of the charts. This is especially unforgivable in an era where there is so much excitement in the field of physics. Too much time is spent providing background on elementary mathematics, which is never shown to be useful later on anyway.
   
   There are easy ways to introduce difficult materials, just as there are difficult ways to avoid introducing them. The DeMYSTiFieD Series seems to have chosen the latter approach.
   
   If as is the case in most of the DeMYSTiFieD Series, the subjects are only intended to be the most basic and elementary of introductions, the authors should say so up front.
   
   Again, I am thoroughly disappointed, but two stars for the graphics.



4. This is a good text for someone like myself who has been away from physics for a while. Things are explained quite well using algebra and trig. There is no calculus that I could identify.
   
   I found that using this book along with the "Physics Tutor" DVD was a good way for me to recall stuff long forgotten and some things that I never understood to begin with. All in all a good introductory text and guide book but this is no substitute for a "real" college level physics textbook like "Physics: Principles with Applications" by Giancoli.



5. If you want to "teach" physics to a parrot
   this is the book to use. There is no insight,
   no derivations, no guiding principles. To make
   matters worse the so-called problems often consist
   of nothing but shuffling powers of ten to convert
   from one measurement system to another - making the
   work about the units and not about the physics.
   Utterly deplorable.