Ruth in Canada Posted January 11, 2009 Share Posted January 11, 2009 Can anyone suggest a good calculus-based physics text? DD will be doing calculus concurrently with physics and has already thoroughly been through Hewitt's Conceptual Physics book. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mary in GA Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 If you look at the College Board website under AP Physics, they have some recommendations. Mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jenn in CA Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I wonder if Saxon Physics is calculus based because it's not meant to be used until after completing Saxon Calc. I'd also like to know if it's the norm to study calculus-based physics at the same time as calc, only because our CC requires 1 semester of "hard" (engineering) Calc before starting the first semester of calculus-based (engineering) physics. But maybe it's different for life-sciences physics. DH is a CC physics prof but isn't as familiar w/high school physics texts. OK, now I really need to know the answer to this question. Will edit if I find anything out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ailaena Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Once upon a time, I used the book Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, et al. It was fine, I'm sure, I just hated physics. At least they have a decent support website! Later, I used Physics for Scientists and Engineers: A Strategic Approach with Modern Physics by Randall Knight and I actually enjoyed it! I used the previous version, this one comes with enhanced online stuff. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth in Canada Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 When I went to university, engineering students took calculus and physics simultaneously. I checked the course catalog of a prep school where a friend works--they will allow kids to do both at the same time (with permission) or ask that the student have one term (out of 3) of calculus before starting physics. The calculus-based physics book I have on hand says in it's preface that they hold off on heavy calculus use until later in the book to allow simultaneous enrollment in both classes. What I'm anticipating happening is that we may have to do some extra tutoring when dd hits a concept in physics that she hasn't yet had in calculus--but with only one well-prepared student, I think that's doable. It does make sense, however, to choose a book that expects students to be in calculus at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 When I went to university, engineering students took calculus and physics simultaneously. I checked the course catalog of a prep school where a friend works--they will allow kids to do both at the same time (with permission) or ask that the student have one term (out of 3) of calculus before starting physics. When I taught Calculus to future engineers at a university, the norm was for the students to begin Calculus-based physics after one semester of Calculus. Unfortunately, this means that they are studying second semester physics and multivariable Calculus (Calc III) simultaneously. Here is a case where the students are often solving problems involving triple integrals in physics before they see them in Calculus. It all sort of evens out eventually, but there are usually a few points when engineering students are seen banging their heads on brick walls around campus. The university at which I taught, in fact, moved the first month of a traditional Differential Equation course into Calc II so that students would not be as frustrated in whatever physics or engineering course demanded that material before most would see it in the traditional math sequence. In such a math intensive curriculum, it is hard to present all of the math first. Students need to be able to "wing" it, so to speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth in Canada Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 See the open commons books at http://www.lightandmatter.com/ These books are designed to either be used for an algebra only physics course or for a physics course where the student is concurrently learning calculus. I'm going to prowl around a bit more to see if there's more like this out there. DD is unlikely to be an engineer--but we want to give her a strong science and math background because she's capable of learning it (and enjoys learning both when the focus isn't just on the number-crunching.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 If you want a heavy math-based physics text that doesn't actually require calculus, you might look at Giancoli's Physics. This is a popular AP physics B textbook that uses LOTS of math but doesn't actually require full-blown calculus. (My kids both loved this text, and it did a great job of preparing them for the AP Physics B test.) Many colleges (like mine) have students doing physics 1 and calculus 1 concurrently. HOWEVER, many of the college students who are taking calculus 1 have had some calculus in high school, so if the students meet a calculus concept in physics before they meet it in math, many have at least SEEN the math before, even if they did not fully master it. Concurrently doing calculus-based physics and calculus for the first time will certainly challenge your student, but it is certainly doable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth in Canada Posted January 12, 2009 Author Share Posted January 12, 2009 I'm going for clarity. I once had to take an engineering economics class from a prof who refused to use calculus. This meant we had to memorize more formulas and didn't understand as clearly what was actually happening. Having looked at the AP exam setup, I think going for both C exams is overkill. She should probably take physics again at the university level anyway. (She may need a good grade in it to get into a graduate physical therapy program.) However, covering AP B or "honors physics" material with some explanations of how calculus fits in would be appropriate, I think, to her background and interests. A book that has sidebars w/ calculus explanations and some optional calculus-based problems would be ideal. Does Giancoli mention calculus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gwen in VA Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I just got my Giancoli off the shelf to look at it. It has LOTS of math in it -- vectors in addition to lots of equations. BUT according to the info at the beginning of the book it strictly uses algebra 2 and trigonometry (aka pre-calculus). It uses lots of equations, but the emphasis is on using the math to solidify the understanding of the physics, not to replace it. (I have seen physics books that were so math-intensive that they didn't have clear explanations of the actual physical processes involved!) If you have any specific questions about it, feel free to ask. My dd1 took both semesters of freshman physics last year and felt that the Giancoli provided a very strong preparation for the class. (She did very well in the class.) Currently she is one of two non-physics/engineering majors taking an engineering class, so the Giancoli certainly helped her to feel comfortable with physics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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