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If you used Giancoli physics:


Guest Barb B
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Guest Barb B

Is one chapter per week to much? I'm trying to loosely plan how we will pace through this book. I also plan on giving ds tests so . . .

 

Thanks for your help,

Barb

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What worked for my son:

 

We started in early Sept and aimed to finish mechanics by Christmas break (first 8 chapters in the third edition book). It's important to really have a good grasp of kinematics, the laws of motion, energy methods, momentum, and rotational motion. So we devoted approximately two weeks per chaper, including lab work and quizzes from the textbook website on every chapter.

 

After Christmas break, we picked up the pace, as it was going well and he was getting the hang of it. So with the material on fluids through the wave nature of light (chapters 10 through 24 in the 3rd edition), he spent about one week per chapter. The exception was the chapter on vibrations and waves which took two weeks.

 

At the end of the year, he skimmed (read with minimal problem sets) the chapters on optical instruments, nuclear physics (which he remembered from chemistry), quantum theory, & special relativity.

 

Now, my ds was not preparing to take the AP physics B exam. Instead, his goal was to write the SAT Subject test in physics in June. If you want to be ready for the AP in early May, you'd have to either start earlier or go faster through the earlier chapters.

 

hth,

~Kathy

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  • 4 years later...

Hi Kristie,

 

We just used the textbook alone without the solutions manual, checking our answers against those in the back of the textbook.

 

I tried googling around for a while tonight, but I couldn't find a solution manual for you. I know that I've seen it online in the past, but that was a few years ago. the text is now in the 7th edition, so it may just be too late.

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I see two different textbooks by Giancoli.  One is the Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics (4th ed.), and that one has a student study guide and solutions manual, and the study guide looks like it has three different volumes, based on the one textbook (is that right?):

 

http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Scientists-Engineers-Modern-4th/dp/0131495089/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378604117&sr=1-2&keywords=giancoli+physics+solutions+manual

 

And then there is the regular Physics by Giancoli:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Principles-Applications-MasteringPhysics-Package/dp/0321625919

 

Which one would be better to use?

 

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I see two different textbooks by Giancoli.  One is the Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics (4th ed.), and that one has a student study guide and solutions manual, and the study guide looks like it has three different volumes, based on the one textbook (is that right?):

 

http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Scientists-Engineers-Modern-4th/dp/0131495089/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378604117&sr=1-2&keywords=giancoli+physics+solutions+manual

 

And then there is the regular Physics by Giancoli:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Physics-Principles-Applications-MasteringPhysics-Package/dp/0321625919

 

Which one would be better to use?

 

Your first link is a calculus-based physics course. Calc based physics is often taught over three semesters in college, so I wouldn't be surprised to see three volumes of workbooks. I have no experience with this, however. At this level, we used Resnick & Halliday instead.

 

Your second link is an algebra-based physics course, commonly used at the AP Physics B level (or the new AP Phys 1 and 2 course). This is the book I used at home for a first physics class, though we opted out of taking the AP B exam.

 

 

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Thanks Kathy!  I am still waffling.  I have the 3rd edition book, my dd is in calculus at the uni and is generally very good at math, so I am thinking of seeing how it goes.  

 

Did you 'teach'?  Or did your children self teach from the book?  My dd has self taught math for years and also chemistry and did swimmingly in the course she took at the collegiate last year...

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Thanks Kathy!  I am still waffling.  I have the 3rd edition book, my dd is in calculus at the uni and is generally very good at math, so I am thinking of seeing how it goes.  

 

Did you 'teach'?  Or did your children self teach from the book?  My dd has self taught math for years and also chemistry and did swimmingly in the course she took at the collegiate last year...

 

No, I didn't teach Giancoli per se, but I did do the work myself, & we checked our answers against each other & against the back of the book. I don't remember having any difficulties, but it's been a few years now, lol. If your daughter likes self-teaching like my kids, then why not try it? Giancoli has terrific explanations IMO, and lots and lots of good problems.

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For those of you considering Giancoli physics, here are a couple of useful links not yet mentioned in this thread:

 

planning guide: Delores Gendes is an AP physics B teacher who knows her stuff. We used her homework assignment lists, links to demos, and many other resources. Currently, she has weekly assignments keyed to the 5th and 6th editions of the text. Since the 7th edition was just published this summer, these editions should be available for less $$ now.

 

publisher's website: (for 6th edition) Click on any chapter for resources & practice questions/ problems. I used the latter for quizzes and review.

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Why did you decide that?

If a student is planning on studying a STEM subject in college, the Physics B AP exam will probably not produce useable credit for those types of majors. Many colleges require a SAT II subject exam, so algebra/trig based physics is a course that can often be finished early enough take it for college admissions.
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Hello Kathy,

 

I have the 3rd edition book in front of me right now and I am trying to find the sm.  Do you perhaps have one for sale, or could you direct me to that spot?  I have been trying for a while with no luck.

Hi Kristie,

I don't know if this can help you or not, but I have the 5th edition of Giancoli and the SM. I was able to find the ISBN for the SM from the preface of the student book under "Supplements." The SM is very detailed - just what I was looking for.

 

Here are ISBNs for the 5th edition:

Student Book ISBN 0-13-061143-3

Instructor Solutions Manual by Irvin A. Miller, Print Version ISBN 0-13-627985-6

Student Study Guide by Joseph Boyle (Just in case; we tend to not find SG's useful) ISBN 0-13-627944-9

There are many other supplements, including electronic, listed.

 

Since the Dolores Gende website has lesson plans, including problems already picked, for the 5th and 6th editions, and the 5th edition materials can be purchased online for a song (at this time), it might be worth your while to switch from your 3rd to the 5th.

 

HTH,

GardenMom

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THanks so much! My dd ended up going to the local uni. that has highschool classes and enrolled in gr. 12 physics- so we are just using Giancoli to fill holes (and the great Physics Classroom)!  I must admit that she is looking more forward to the calculus based physics as she has learned some of that in her text and loves the math!

 

But I am going to store all of this away for my next mathy kid who will do physics very soon!

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