Book Review: The Physics of Superheroes

 

The Physics of Superheros is a book by James Kakalios, who is a physics and astronomy professor at the University of Minnesota. The book presents physics concepts without getting bogged down in the weeds like a regular textbook can. While the book does include some of the equations, it does not have the presentation you get in a textbook with all the formulas being derived and examples of worked-out problems. It reads more like a novel than a textbook, with the author explaining the concepts as he goes along but not really showing the work. In fact, I think doing some of that (giving a problem statement and working out the math) would have made the book a bit better. That said, he was not going for a rigorous academic presentation of the material, so it is understandable that he took the approach he did. Each chapter is devoted to a physics concept and then tied to a particular superhero (Aquaman with fluid mechanics, The Flash with friction, etc). In some chapters, the author will give an equation or two; in others, he just explains things without any equations.

The book is moderately long, at about 400 pages, but it is pretty easy and fun to read. For a student, it is actually the perfect kind of book to read before you take a class in physics because it is rigorous enough that you will actually learn the material but is presented in a fun enough way that the concepts are more likely to stick with you. It is not a book that I would say will ever help you pass a physics exam or assist in solving homework problems, but it will give you the all-important base of knowledge and understanding of the concepts you need when you do get to the point where the math, and working out the problems is critical.

Study Aid Review: Ultimate Physics 3 Tutor - Electricity and Magnetism Series - Volume 2

 

I used most of Jason's DVDs to prepare myself for my math and physics classes before I took them, fill in material from lectures that my teachers either glossed over, or did not explain very well, and get ready for tests.

To be clear, this is a tutorial DVD. To clarify for the supposed teacher that gave this two stars on Amazon because he did not process from the title of the product what it is, this is not something designed to get you interested in physics. It is to help work through actual physics problems and learn, or brush up on the material. It is Jason standing in front of a whiteboard going through many examples.

This set focuses mainly on capacitors and then the magnetic field material. The topics that you will get in the second semester of the class that he does not go through are the resistor circuit problems, inductance, and optics. That is why you cannot rely just on this to get through your class. There is material that you will see in class that Jason omits that you are going to get assigned homework on and be tested on.

Like most of the other physics DVDs Jason puts out, it is geared more toward non-calculus-based physics. However, he does in this video (and volume 1 of this set) use more calculus to show alternate ways to solve some of the problems and to derive some of the formulas. He does more derivation here than he has done in most of the other DVDs combined, but that is because many teachers require students to derive the formulas on quizzes and tests in calculus-based physics.

Like all of Jason's DVDs if you use this correctly (as a supplement to, not a replacement for class) they will definitely help you. Just know that some of the problems he goes through will be a little on the easy side for those taking calc-based physics. Although, he does give enough variety in the types of problems that he works through that regardless of what level of class you are in it will help you learn the subject.

Study Aid Review: Math and Science DVD Bundle

 

I found Jason Gibson's DVDs when looking for study aids to use when I went back to school to get an engineering degree. I would use them to study prior to my upcoming classes so I could at least get an idea of what the material was about, and they were the best non-required investment I made while in school. This is a bundle of math and physics DVDs that have been released individually. He has now transitioned away from the DVDs to putting everything on his online site. I am going to just give you a summary of my impressions of the DVDs should you decide to try and pick up used copies.

1) The production quality is not fancy but gets better over time. The early DVDs were filmed with little to no production, and probably filmed out of his home. As he went along he started filming out of a studio, which is where all the new lessons he puts out are filmed from. Even from the studio, the lessons just have Jason in front of a whiteboard. There are no fancy graphics or frills.

2) Jason does make mistakes from time to time. He catches some of the mistakes as he goes along, some are caught and corrected post-production, and occasionally he misses one altogether. It shows that he is human. While one could argue they should be edited out altogether, and I think that is a reasonable argument to make, it has never distracted me from learning the material. Almost every teacher I have had has made mistakes in math when working out problems. My calc III teacher who has a Phd in math made calculation errors all the time, yet I could still get the idea of what was going on.

4) Jason will go step by step in solving problems. Even in the advanced calculus DVDs, he does nearly every algebraic step, even things that most people at that level can easily do in their head. If you get these DVDs you will become very good at algebra. And since it is the foundation upon which all levels of math and science are built that is very important.

5)The trig and pre-calculus DVD that is in this bundle does not cover all the concepts, so you may want to get the 2nd volume of the set. The one in the bundle will cover the unit circle, trig functions, the basic trig identities, right triangle trig, and graphing the trig functions. It does not cover trig equations, the law of sines and cosines, or the more little-used identities like the half-angle and double-angle identities. The second volume fills in those gaps. If you get that, the only concept from pre-calculus that will not be covered is conic sections.

6) In none of the DVDs does Jason touch on every concept you will learn in class. He hits the most important concepts, and the ones that if you don't know you will have no shot at learning the others. I would estimate that, depending on your particular teacher, if you learn the material on the DVDs you can expect to know 70% or more of what you would be asked on a final exam. In some of my classes, that percentage was closer to 90%. But you cannot expect to know everything for the entire class just from the DVDs. It is imperative that you do your homework problems and go to class to do well. While Jason does work through problems of varying difficulty they are usually not the hardest problems you will be exposed to.

7) The physics material is algebra-based more than calculus-based. He does not use calculus to derive the formulas for the most part. A couple times in the Physics 3 DVDs (which are not in this bundle) he will, but for the most part, he just gives the formulas and gives examples of how to use them. He does a great job of breaking down how the problems are worded so you really know what information is being given, and what the problem is asking you to do. Which, in physics, is over half the battle.

8) Jason has also put out newer extra practice with derivatives and extra practice with integration DVDs to fill in the Calc I and II material. On those, he gives more examples of the various differentiation and integration techniques and gets to topics such as implicit differentiation and the disk/washer/shell methods for finding volume using integrals that are not on the two DVDs you get here. While the two DVDs in this set did help me get an A in Calc I and II, I wish the other volumes would have been out when I took those classes.

In all, whether you find these useful will depend on your learning style and some amount of subjectivity. If I had to go back and do it over I would have bought the bundle and saved a bit of money, but whether you get the entire thing, or just need a couple DVDs, I highly recommend these to anyone subject to the provisos I listed in the review.

Book Review: Physics Without the Boring Bits

 

This is not a physics textbook. There are no equations (except for force equals mass times acceleration), no math, and no homework problems. Instead, it is a book that explains how physics affects the world and universe we live in. Many times in physics classes you get so wrapped up in the math that you use perspective on what any of it is good for. This book uses humor and anecdotes to explain how things from simple motion to quantum physics actually work. 

It will not help you pass a test or a quiz, but if you are a physics student it will give you an idea of why all those equations do what they do, and if you are taking a non-STEM major physics class (like physics for poets or something like that), it can help you understand the basic concepts. Otherwise, if you are just interested in science and are looking for a fun, quick and easy read this will be that as well.

Study Aid Review: Ultimate Physics 3 Tutor - Electricity and Magnetism Series - Volume 1

 

First, as the word TUTOR implies this is a DVD to help you learn how to do physics problems. It is not a DVD on the history of physics, a documentary, or a "physics is great" kind of set. It is simply a supplement to help you learn the process of how to do problems.  If you are not in physics, teaching yourself physics, or close to taking physics this is probably not for you. You would be better off looking for a good documentary. Also if watching a recorded lecture does not fit your learning style you would probably not get the most out of it.

For those of you who have the need for it, this is the best supplement that I have found that presents problems in the same manner as the material covered in your book. Jason (Gibson) has structured this DVD and volume 2 of this set to introduce the topic, give some of the theory behind the topic, and present the equations that will be utilized in one section, then he starts working on the problems on that topic in a separate section. This helps split some of the material up, especially when the "lecture" material can take over an hour for some of the topics. It just makes things flow better, and he can give more example problems that way.

Like the predecessor physics DVDs he has put out, it is geared more toward algebra-based physics than calculus, although he does begin to add more of the calculus theories for some of the material. Some of the problems he goes through require very basic integration, and, if you are taking calculus-based physics you should have had at least a semester of calculus by the time you get to this material. So, the calculus he uses should really not be hard. Jason does a lot more deriving of the equations in this series than he has in his other DVD sets and really does try to show how the various electric field and electric potential equations are related to each other. But unlike what you may get in class, Jason does not skip steps or presume you know more than you really do. Of course, if you do not follow it the first time around you can re-watch the sections. At the core, it is giving you examples of how the questions are worded, and strategies for how to solve them. The problems range from very easy "plug and chug" examples to more complex deriving and proof kinds of problems where you are manipulating the formulas but are not given numbers. If used as a supplement to class and homework this will help you immensely.

Textbook Review: Fundamentals of Physics

 

This is the physics textbook by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker which is the required textbook for many calculus-based physics classes. It is what I would describe as a pretty standard textbook. It gives you a pretty good explanation of the theory, and because it is for a calculus-based physics class, it has a lot of proofs/derivation of the equations (which is mainly how calculus is used in calc-based physics classes). Because of that, it does not have a ton of examples, especially examples that give a lot of guidance for the hardest problems in the problem sets. It covers all of the main topics in the first two semesters of physics. The last couple of chapters cover more advanced topics like nuclear physics and particle physics to bridge to the concepts (like quantum physics and relativity) that would be covered in a modern physics class. You definitely need to have the first couple of semesters of calculus under your belt to understand the math being used to derive the equations. A couple of concepts from multivariable calculus do get used in the book, but it is mostly you just need to know how to take single-variable derivatives and integrals. 

The problems are broken down by difficulty level. Level one problems are the easiest, and can basically all be solved by reading the chapter and understanding the examples. Level two problems are harder and require more thought and a deeper understanding of the concepts. Most of them can be solved if you understand the last example or two in the chapter text, but that is not the case with all of them. The level three problems are the hardest and the ones that are most likely to trip people up. I am a big advocate for working as many problems as you can. In a perfect world, people would be able to work through all of the problems, as the level one problems help you to get the skills to do the level two problems and so on. Of course, if you are taking a class as opposed to self-studying, that may not be possible, but if you can do it, that is the best way to use the book. I do think it is helpful to pair this with a study guide, especially one that has a lot of worked-out examples because you will definitely get stuck at some point when working on the problem set.

While I do not think the book is perfect, and honestly in all the math, science, and engineering classes that I took, I never did have a book that I would call perfect, it does give you a good presentation of the theory and has a decent mix of problems. If you pair it with something like the Schaum's 3000 solved physics problems guide, you will get through the material.

Study Aid Review: A Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equations (Student's Guides) 1st Edition

 

Maxwell's equations are some of the most important things that you will learn if you are taking physics and/or working on an electrical engineering degree. They basically describe the concepts of electricity and magnetism, which apply to things like the power to our homes and semiconductor chips that are in every single device we own. Unfortunately, a lot of the textbooks (both physics and EM engineering textbooks) give them a bit of short shrift, giving a basic explanation and maybe deriving one or two of them, but do not give a good explanation of why they are useful and, thus, what they represent can be lost on students.

This is a small book (about 130 pages) that covers all four equations, one per chapter. That breaks down what each equation represents and what the variables in the equation mean and provides both the integral form of the equations and the differential form. I think the best way to use this guide is to supplement your textbook material so that when you get to the point in the textbook where one of the equations is discussed, use this to flesh out the theory behind the equations that your textbook may not cover (or cover in as much detail). To be clear, this is not something like "Maxwell's Equations for Dummies" or something like that, which assumes you have little to no background going in. You do need to have some understanding of calculus (if you have taken multivariable calculus, that will definitely help because there is a lot of discussion of surface integrals and vectors), and know some of the physics concepts you will learn before getting to the electricity and magnetism topics (which is covered in the second semester of physics). So, if you are taking calculus-based physics and/or have to take an electricity and magnetism class (electric and magnetic fields) as a part of an engineering program, this will be very useful. It is probably overkill for those who just have to take algebra-based physics because it will go way beyond what you will be exposed to in class or expected to learn.

Study Tips: How to survive Physics

Physics is one of those classes that people either avoid (those in the liberal arts majors) or begrudgingly take because they have to (engineering majors). Physics is an interesting subject that basically gives you insight into how things move, and how things like electricity, magnetism, gravity, thermodynamics, etc., work. But, the concepts can be bogged down in a lot of math and the problems are often harder than the underlying concepts. There are, in most college curricula at least two versions of physics and sometimes three. There is always an algebra-based physics class that you can take after taking algebra and/or precalculus (which someone in a non-engineering track can take if they want) and a calculus-based course (which is what anyone who wants an actual physics or engineering degree has to take). Some colleges also offer a course that is titled something like Physics for Presidents, Physics for Poets, or something catchy like that, which basically introduces the concepts but has little to no math in it at all. The dirty little secret for those who have to take calculus-based physics is that there is actually very little calculus used. That, of course, depends on your teacher, but most of the time, calculus is used to derive the equations, but then you just use algebra to solve 90% of the problems. So, what teachers usually do is assign the harder problems in calculus-based physics and assign the easier problems in algebra-based physics. Occasionally, you do have to use calculus on some homework problems, and I think I had one exam problem between the two semesters of calculus-based physics that required using the cross-product from Multivariable Calculus, but everything else just used algebra or trig. So, here are some tips to make it through. 

First, if you are a freshman if your college offers it, take a physics for poets type class. One that is for liberal arts majors, that has no math, that will introduce you to the concepts in physics. That will help you wrap your head around what you will be learning. If your school does not have such as course, UC Berkley has a course that you can find on YouTube here: 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaLOVNqqD-2Ep5N9os9jWMSkxK_TLki9h

Second, when you are in algebra and trig, do some of the word problems. I know that when you are in math class, word problems are the bane of your existence and you dread the thought of them showing up on an exam. But, many of the word problems at that level are just very easy chemistry, physics, or engineering problems. And, if you are going to take those higher-level classes, every single homework and exam problem is going to be a word problem, so the more comfortable you are with them the easier they will be. I am not saying do every word problem since you are only going to have so much time to devote to homework, but do one or two from each problem set to get your feet wet.

Third, if you can afford to do so, take algebra-based physics before you take calculus-based physics. This will get you a huge leg up in calculus-based physics because you will be used to doing problems and you can figure out what concepts are hard for you and get a lot of practice.

Fourth, find a good supplement, especially if you cannot follow what your teacher is saying. My physics teacher was a nice guy but was not always great at conveying what he knew to everyone else. Also, he expected you to learn the concepts from the book, and then he would show a bunch of example problems. So, he rarely ever gave a good introduction to the concepts. All of this made the class harder than it should have been. I used Jason Gibson's Physics Tutor DVD sets (some of which I have reviewed on this site), but also used Khan Academy and just some general YouTube videos. There are also some good book-based supplements like Homework Helper's Physics and Schaum's 3000 physics problems book (which are under the study aids tab). 

Fifth, work on as many problems as you have time for. The only way to get good at physics problems is by doing them. Obviously, do your assigned homework, but do as many different types of problems as you can. I would make up my own mock exams with different problem types from the concepts that could be on an exam.

Sixth, if you can get old exams, do so. I had a friend who took physics with the same teacher I had the year before I took it, and I got all of his old exams. This helped me see what kinds of questions my professor tested on and what I could expect. The professor reused a couple of the same questions, but for the most part, I did have different questions on every exam, but I was rarely ever surprised by anything.

Seventh, make notes in your book if you can have open-book tests. Most teachers allow you to have at least a cheat sheet or your book. I would make notes in the margins of my book for things to watch out for on different types of questions or things to remind myself of and basically annotated my book to help me remember things or reword concepts so I understood them. One to note, in homework problems, you will often be solving for one or two things, but on exams (especially in calculus-based physics), teachers will give you problems that will require you to solve six or seven different things. And, often, each thing that you solve for is then used in the next part of the problem. Sometimes, one part of the problem will require you to solve something that is not asked for, and you have to figure out how to solve that first and then use that to solve what you are asked for. For example, there are a bunch of different equations of motion that have variables like time, initial velocity, acceleration, and the like, as variables. Many times you will need to solve for time in order to be able to calculate something like initial velocity (using a different equation), then use that to solve for final velocity. But, you will not be told you have to solve for time, so you just have to know that. So, practicing compound problems is essential, and why it is always a good idea to get sample exam questions if you can. 

Eighth, try to get together with a study group. Sometimes, you will know things that others in the class do not, and other times, someone else will understand something better than you. If you get together with three or four people to study, it will save you time and a lot of frustration when you are stuck on something. 

And finally, keep your algebra and trigonometry skills up. Being good at algebra will not guarantee you ace physics, but if you are not good at algebra, you absolutely will not do well in physics. You will also need to be comfortable with trig concepts, as you will use triangles and angles constantly in physics problems. If you get bogged down with the math, you will take way too long to work through the problems. Most teachers will let math mistakes slide since they are not teaching a math class, but if you cannot manipulate equations well, you will lose needless points. Tied in with that, always solve the equations symbolically first, and then plug in the numbers at the last step. Basically, the equations will have a ton of variables in them. You will be given some of the information and then have to solve for something variable in the equation. Figure out what you need to solve for first, then manipulate the equation so that you have the variable you want to solve for equal to all the other stuff, then plug in the numbers for the other stuff and find the number you need. That will reduce the number of math mistakes you make and show the teacher you understand the process. Then, if you plug something into your calculator wrong you only lose half a point as opposed to losing 3 or 4 points.

Physics is a foundational class that you will have to take to get into any engineering classes, and engineering classes are mostly just applied physics classes themselves. They take one chapter from physics, turn that into an entire semester, and make the problems harder. So the better you understand physics, the easier your life will be. At some point, I plan on putting up my physics notes as well as working a bunch of homework and exam problems and putting them on the site. So, keep an eye on that tab in the future. I am not sure when I will get to that because I do want to go through the math material first just to get my math skills back up, but I will get to physics as soon as I can.

Study Aid Review: Statics for Dummies

 

The way I felt about statics was, it took the worst problems from physics, made them harder, and then filled an entire semester with them. Needless to say, it was not my favorite subject. Thankfully, I had a fairly good teacher, but I was taking online/distance classes before that really became a mainstream thing, so it was hard to ask questions and get them answered well, and while the book explained some concepts well, it was tough to follow for other concepts. This really helped fill in that gap. I would say that it is more useful for explaining the concepts than it is for helping with homework. It does have some examples that will help you a bit on homework problems but it generally does not have examples of the harder types of problems that you are likely to get on an exam. So, I used this and the Schaum's outline for Statics (mainly as a problems repository) to help get me through the class. So, if you are having trouble following the book and are looking for something that makes the concepts understandable, this is definitely a good resource.

Study Aid Review: Schaum's 3,000 Solved Problems in Physics (Schaum's Outlines) 1st Edition

 

This is one of the Schaum's guides that is really just a problems repository. It does not have much in the way of explanatory material designed to teach you the subject. It is meant to be used in conjunction with a textbook so you can get the explanation of the subject from the book and then come to this for problems. One very helpful thing is that it classifies the problems into categories. Some problems are meant to be very basic examples, much like you will see in the chapter text that are pretty easy and only take one or two steps to solve. Then the book will give homework problems that are divided into problems for everyone (basically problems you would see in algebra-based physics) and calculus-based homework problems. It also suggests problems to select for exams (easy, hard, or calculus-based) for each chapter and to use for a final exam.

My one issue with the book is that there are not many of what I refer to as "compound problems". By that, I mean problems that have 6-7 steps that you have to solve, and you generally use the solution to one step to solve for one of the other steps and so on. In many calculus-based physics classes, calculus is used to derive the formulas, but on the exams, you just use algebra to solve compound problems. If I remember correctly, between the 8 exams I had in two semesters of calculus-based physics, we only had two or three problems that required using calculus in the exams. Obviously, this can vary from teacher to teacher, but because the problems that use calculus take so long to solve, on exams many teachers use problems that have multiple parts but you just use algebra to solve the problems. So, if you have a teacher who does that, this is likely to be more helpful to you on homework problems (where you generally will have to use calculus more) but may not be as helpful mimicking your exam problems. So, with those provisos, I definitely think it is one of the more helpful supplements out there and does give a good breakdown of the solutions so you actually learn how to solve the problems.

Study Aid Review: Ultimate Physics 2 Tutor Vol. 2 - Oscillations and Waves

 

This is a continuation of Jason's series of physics tutors. Where the material falls in your particular class sequence (if you are taking classes and not just learning on your own) will depend on how your school sets up the courses. I took two semesters of calculus-based physics at the community college level, and my teacher barely covered this material, right at the very end of the first semester. I think we had two lectures and one bonus question on the Doppler Shift on the final exam.

The set covers harmonic motion, different types of waves (transverse, standing, interference), speed and intensity of waves, and then ends with a lesson on the Doppler Shift. So, pretty much everything on the subject of waves that is likely to be covered regardless of what type of class (algebra-based or calculus-based) you are taking. The examples he goes through in the set are more geared toward algebra-based classes as they tend to be easier problems than are assigned in calculus-based classes. If you have a teacher that does not cover this material in a lot of detail, then what Jason covers here may be way more than you need to know. Unfortunately, it is hard to get an idea of what your teacher may focus on before you take the class. But, if you have a hard time following what your teacher is saying or if you are just trying to teach yourself the material, this is a good resource if you are an audio/visual learner. If you learn better through reading, however, this is not likely to be of much help to you.

Study Aid Review: The Ultimate Physics 2 Tutor Volume 1: Thermodynamics

 

This set is honestly, probably a bit overkill for the amount of Thermodynamics you are likely to be exposed to in Physics. Most physics curriculums tackle Thermo for a couple of weeks (at most) either at the very end of the first semester or the very beginning of the second semester. This will give you all the theory behind the concepts of Thermo and the equations that you will need in Physics. But, Thermo also comes up in the first year of Chemistry (at least part of which any engineering major will need to take) and is offered as a stand-alone engineering class that will either be required or an elective, depending on what area of engineering you are studying. While the examples that Jason goes over on this set are not exactly like the problems you would see in an engineering Thermodynamics class, the theory is the same, and will definitely help you.

The set is divided into three discs, each of which has several lessons/sections.

Disc One Contains:
Section 1: Thermometers and Temperature Scales
Section 2: Expansion and Contraction of Solids and Liquids
Section 3: Kinetic Theory of Gases

Disc 2 Contains:
Section 4: Heat
Section 5: Latent Heat and Phase Change
Section 6: Heat Transfer by Convection, Radiation, and Conduction
Section 7: Work, Heat, and PV Diagrams

And Disc 3 Contains:
Section 8: The First Law of Thermodynamics
Section 9: Heat Engines and the Second Law of Thermodynamics
Section 10: Refrigerators
Section 11: Entropy

For me, the section on PV diagrams was very helpful, and it is probably the lesson that helped me the most in my engineering Thermodynamics class. We did not really discuss them much in physics but used them all the time in the engineering class. Like Jason's other sets, he breaks down each topic providing enough theory to make the topic understandable without getting bogged down in the minutia. Then he goes through examples to help solidify the topics. It is just him standing in front of a whiteboard giving a simulated lecture, however, and not everyone's style of learning is conducive to that. But, if yours is, this is a great set that will be helpful beyond just a physics class.

Study Aid Review: How to Solve Physics Problems

 

This is a decent book to help you learn the concepts of physics and give you some exposure to the theory. It does have some helpful information at the beginning of the book about how to approach class, how to test yourself to determine if you are learning the concepts, etc. The two main drawbacks are that it does have a bunch of typos. I have not come across anything that made what it was trying to say incomprehensible, and I did not notice errors in the worked-out solutions (but I did not go through them all). Second, like most physics supplements, even though it does discuss some calculus concepts, it does not have examples of what I would describe as multi-part or compound problems that you often get in calculus-based physics classes.

A lot of times, the calculus in calc-based physics is used in lectures to derive the formulas, but when you have exams, you do not have to actually use much calculus. So, teachers tend to make the problems harder than what students in an algebra-based physics class will have to deal with, and one way they do that is to break the problems into a bunch of parts and make you solve for five or six different things. And, a lot of times you have to use the solution to one thing to calculate something else. For example, you will be required to solve for time, then use the value that you calculate for time to then calculate the initial velocity, and once you have that, you can solve for something else. Problems that just ask you to (or show you how to) solve for just one thing are helpful to an extent but are not nearly as complex as what you are likely to see on an exam.

Another drawback to the book is that the drawings are really very basic. That was probably a decision to save money, and while you can still figure out what they are showing, they could have been a lot better. So, overall, this will be a good resource, to a point, but if you are taking calc-based physics (or AP physics in high school) it may not be enough.

Study Aid Review: Homework Helpers: Physics, Revised Edition

 

This is a great guide for a high-school, non-AP physics class, or an algebra-based physics class at the college level. It contains the material that you will see in the first two semesters of physics (Newtonian motion and mechanics, electricity and magnetism, waves and light, optics, thermodynamics, and nuclear physics (which sometimes gets introduced in the second semester, and sometimes it is left for the more advanced classes)). It does not cover subjects like quantum physics or relativity, or the other material you would see in a Modern Physics class to any great extent.
The introductory chapter discusses topics like unit conversion, symbols, sign conventions, and the basics of algebra and trigonometry that you will need to know. The rest of the chapters are broken into lessons that introduce the theory behind each topic, give examples, and then provide a short problem set at the end. Then, at the end of each chapter, there is a chapter test that has problem types from each lesson, and an answer key to the problems in the chapter. The answer key does not work out the problems, just allows you to check your work. So, it does not spoonfeed you everything and makes you learn the material. The examples in the chapters are fully worked out, and the problems in the problem sets are representative of the example problems.

One thing I love about the approach is that the book stresses solving the problems symbolically first, and then plugging the values in at the end. Far too many people tend to plug the numbers in as they go, which provides many more opportunities for making math mistakes. Now, most physics teachers do not kill you for math mistakes, but some do. If you solve the problems symbolically first, you show your teacher that you actually understand the problem and how to solve it, and if you screw up on the math at the very end, you will get the vast majority of the points. It also provides a good template for how to set up your answer by labeling what is given and what you are trying to find, which shows that you can interpret what the question is asking for correctly.

If there is one drawback to this guide is that it does not have a lot of multi-step problems. Meaning problems where you have to calculate one parameter (like time) using one formula and then take that result and plug it into a different formula to solve for a different parameter (like distance or velocity). Those kinds of problems are almost exclusively what you will get on calculus-based physics exams because they are more complex than problems that amount to just "plug and chug" where you are given all the information you need to solve the problem upfront. But, because this is geared for the "easier" problem types, just know that if you are going to be taking calc-based physics the examples and the problems you get in this guide are going to be similar to your easiest homework problems, and will not be anywhere near as complex as the hardest homework problems or any exam problems you will have. But, even if you are going to be taking calc-based physics, this can be used to learn the theory (especially if you cannot easily follow the textbook or your teacher is not a good lecturer) and provide you with basic examples from which to build from. So, I highly recommend this regardless of what level of physics you are taking.

Book/Study Guide Review: The Physics Problem Solver

 

The REA problem-solvers guides give you a lot of example problems on all of the major topics you will come across in the first year of physics. It does cover some of the more advanced material that you would come across in a Modern Physics class including Relativity and Quantum Mechanics, but I just took the first two semesters of physics which covers Newtonian Mechanics, Optics, Waves, Electricity, Magnetism, and Thermodynamics. The book definitely has a lot of examples covering those subjects, but I am not sure how extensive it gets into the higher-level concepts.

The guide does lay out some of the theory, but it generally confines that to a few pages and then gets into the example problems. It works out the examples in a lot of detail, and it gives you strategies for how to solve the various problem types. The two cons that I noticed when using this is that the diagrams are pretty basic. It definitely does not give the kind of higher-quality drawings that the textbooks will give you, but they do provide you with enough detail on how to attack the problem. Second, the solutions do, at times, skip steps. Usually, they are things that you should know how to do by the time you are taking physics, but sometimes it can be hard to figure out how they got from one point to the next. The guide also has a wide range of problem types, both the "easier" problems that you will get in algebra-based physics and the more complex problems that you get in calculus-based physics. And, it does go over calculus concepts like the dot product and cross product that you will need to solve some problems that actually use calculus. So, it will be helpful no matter what version of physics you are taking.

DVD Review: The Ultimate Physics Tutor

 

As most are likely aware, physics classes range from very introductory, with little to no math (usually in a college class called something like physics for poets or something like that), then algebra-based/high-school physics, where you use math but the equations are pretty much given to you and the problems are easier, and then calculus-based or high-school AP physics, where the equations are derived using calculus, but the problems are harder. Even in calculus-based physics (which is the one you have to take if you are going into any of the engineering disciplines) you only use calculus on a very limited basis in the problems. I think when I took calc-based physics I had two exam problems that required using calculus and maybe 4-5 homework problems between the two semesters. But, the problems were a lot harder than in the algebra-based physics class (or so my professor told our class).

At any rate, the problems in this, while geared more toward the algebra-based physics level, still helped me get through the first semester of calc-based physics with an A. And, there were actually a couple of problems worked out in this set that was very similar to the "easier" homework problems we were assigned (when our professor occasionally assigned us a level-1 problem). The set covers the major topics from the first semester of physics, which is basically the semester on Newton's laws of motion. It starts out with motion in one dimension, then discusses the equations of motion in one dimension (which you will have to memorize), scalars and vectors, projectile motion, Newton's laws of motion, Newton's Laws with friction, kinetic, and potential energy, impulse and momentum, work, collisions, angular speed, and acceleration, totational motion, tangential speed, and centripetal force, gravitation, torque, and then ends with the physics of liquids.

Like Jason's math sets, it is just him in front of a whiteboard working out problems. He takes you through the process of breaking down problems, writing a picture and creating force diagrams, and then working out the steps. He also shows how he does unit conversion/dimensional analysis (which makes way more sense than reading it from the first chapter of the book) to make sure to get the problem into the correct units before you solve it. He gives enough of the theory to understand the equations but focuses on solving problems. Really the only topic he did not go as deeply as I would have liked is the problems involving static equilibrium. He did have some, but those were the bane of my existence in first semester physics, and I hated Statics class (although my teacher for that was better than my physics teacher, so I understood it a bit more) with a passion.

I definitely recommend getting this set no matter what level of physics you are taking (unless it is a physics class with no math, then this is probably overkill). Jason makes a lot more sense of the material than a lot of professors do (certainly better than mine did), and he walks through each problem step-by-step never assuming the person watching knows more than they do. Really, the only thing he assumes is that you know algebra, which anyone taking a class with this material should know. So, if you are a visual learner, then this will probably be very helpful for you and I highly recommend it.

Book Review: Physics Workbook for Dummies

 

This is the companion book to Physics for Dummies, by the same author. Hence, it follows the same chapter format and layout of that book. This is mostly just a book with problems to practice. There is some explanatory material, but that is kept to a minimum. Like the Physics for Dummies book, this is geared more toward high-school-level (or algebra-based) physics classes. That is not to say it will not help if you are taking calculus-based physics, because it will. The equations and most of the concepts are exactly the same in calculus-based physics as in algebra-based physics classes. However, just know that if you are taking calculus-based physics, some of the problems you will be exposed to are much more difficult than what this will throw at you. But, as a primer to learn physics concepts and get practice working on problems, this is a very good option.

Book Review: Physics for Dummies

 

This is a book that introduces the concepts that you will learn in a first-semester physics class, like the laws of motion, gravitation, conservation of energy, and the like. It does have some examples, and some problems that you can work out on your own, but it is mostly the kind of explanatory material that you get in the chapter reading. But, it distills all of the concepts so that they are generally more understandable than what you get from a textbook (and some teachers). It is definitely geared more toward high school physics or what in college is referred to as algebra-based physics. As most people who have taken calculus-based physics already know, calculus is mainly used to derive the equations, but you still mainly use algebra to solve the problems. So, what most teachers do is, in algebra-based physics classes they assign the "easier" versions of the problems and in calculus-based physics classes, they assign the harder problems. So, the kind of examples and the problems in this are definitely the easier versions, but it is a good primer even if you are going to be taking calculus-based physics because it will introduce you to the concepts, give you some experience with solving physics problems, and put you in a good position once you start class. And, for those who get this just because they want to learn something about physics, or refresh their knowledge of the subject, it is good for that too.