Physics: Calculus

Many years after completing an undergraduate physics degree, I ordered Hecht's Physics book as a replacement for my misplaced Halliday/Resnick. At the time, several aspects of the book caught my attention and motivated my purchase. One was the unusual number of sidebars and examples dealing with interesting everyday applications and easy to perform experiments. Another was its mention of underlying themes; in particular, Noether's Principle is not just mentioned, but is used as a unifying framework for the more fundamental concepts being introduced. And, I was also familiar with Hecht's book on Optics. I haven't regretted the purchase at all. Over the years, I used Hecht's Physics book for quick refreshers on various topics, occasionally learning minor but interesting details that I hadn't encountered during my undergraduate education. Earlier this year, I decided to read the book cover to cover (bedtime reading) to catch all the tidbits in the sections I hadn't yet perused. I found it enjoyable and time well-spent. Although the math is lightweight (being an introductory book), Hecht is an excellent expositor and it made for easy reading. I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about physics and the role it plays in our everyday lives.

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.

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.