Changing track...

[mmejavert]

(x-posted to _scientists_All right, I'm heading towards being a physics/astronomy major at the University of Pittsburgh. Thing is, I had two semesters of high school physics that were taught by an awful teacher, and therefore I have a very small background in physics. Because I really don't want to struggle through calc-based physics next semester, I'm looking

Comments

[tammabanana]

Physics books are expensive, and I have an excess of them just sitting in my closet. I bought up a whole bunch cheap at a used booksale once, when I was planning to be a teacher. Let me look at them, find the really good ones, and give them to you.

I know you're not in Pittsburgh right now; are you in/near Western PA at all for me to drive over and hand them to you, or should I box 'em up and ship 'em? You can email me at teukolsky@hotmail.com about it.

And Feynman's lectures are *ABSOLUTELY* worth buying. I don't have them myself, but we wants them, precious.

Results!

[tammabanana]

Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Infotrac -- ISBN: 0534408427
The one you've marked is 6th edition Serway. I have in my little paddy paws the 2nd edition. Obviously this will not be a good substitute if you're required to buy it for a class - and Serway is popular - but it should be decent for preparing over the summer, at least. It's sort of old and battered, but first-year physics material is the stuff that hasn't changed dramatically over the past few decades, so it should be fine.

College Physics -- ISBN: 0130676446
Not only do I have the 4th edition (5th is current) of this one, it's the annotated instructor's edition! The answers to the problems are right there, so you can check yourself and see if you did it right.

I found a couple of other first-year physics textbooks, too. If a particular topic doesn't make sense in one of them, you can open up another. They're yours, dahling! Just tell me how to get them to you!

Re: Results!

[mmejavert]

Dude, you are officially the most awesome person I know!

Unfortunately I've moved "back east" for the summer, so I'm not anywhere near Pittsburgh right now. It's about a five hour drive between my house and Pittsburgh.

So if you really want to mail them to me... I'll be sending you an e-mail in just a few. :)

[jerryrigged]

I second the feynman recommendation. He almost always has a perspective different enough from, well, all of the others that if you're not "getting it" in the text, feynman will make sense. I don't remember if he's got mechanics/kinematics (ie, usual first semester stuff) in there or not, but I bet he does. Ah hell, I'll get up off my ass and look. All right, yes he does.
My intro mechanics book I can only recommend against. I like it now, but I (like you, maybe) had sort of a crummy HS physics prep, and it was really hard, to the extent that I would have very quickly given up on it if I didn't have TAs and Prof and (mainly) better prepared and/or more intelligent fellow students to lean on. It was Kleppner&Kolenkov (I don't remember the title...probable something like "introduction to mechanics"). (ah, as a hint, it is common to cite the author (and maybe the title too) when referring to the textbooks... I think it's just because all of the books are titled something like "introduction to mechanics" or "university physics" and it

continuation

[jerryrigged]

A hard part about physics is that it's very heirarchical. Like, you just can't do general relativity before you've got a lot of earlier physics and math concepts down pat. This is unfortunate in that sometimes it feels like, "this stuff is boring...how come I never get to do anything cool?"... (I don't know. There's actually a fair amount of cool stuff in the intro classes, I think... but it's not as flashy, you know?) ... so, you really have to give it some time. There may be some neat astrophysics courses at the freshman or sophomore level, but like, talking about what goes on inside stars is hard... you need fluid mechanics (which needs mechanics) and probably E&M and probably quantum (if you want to talk about the fusion)... etc. So it's something that can't really be done in depth until maybe junior or senior year. I don't quite know why I've said that, but just to sort of give you a head's up. Like, I think that I remember looking at an "introduction to astrophysics" course description in the book my freshman year and being

Re: continuation

[tammabanana]

I was always highly amused, as an astro major, that I couldn't take "Intro to Astrophysics" till my senior year.

Re: continuation

[mmejavert]

Heh. Astrophysics doesn't even enter into the undergrad studies here at Pitt. You have to wait until grad school to get that. I don't really mind; Intro to Quantum is my junior year. (Of course, it's optional course for me...)

Re: continuation

[mmejavert]

Novella? No problem. Thanks so much for all of the information! :)

[oldschoolnewave]

Hey you, I found you on _scientists_ and figured I would add you because we are very similar ;) I'm also a Physics - Astronomy major here in Orlando and am getting started.

I was in your same position a year ago having an awful Physics high school teacher and being worried that I would be so lost in the first university classes. Fortunately I was wrong and they were pretty easy (Calculus II on the other hand....).

Anyway, look over stuff if you want, but don't stress. The classes will be taught as if you've never heard of the things before. Having even a general background is just a bonus!

[mmejavert]

That's definitely a relief to know! I keep hearing this, oh, it'll be easy... but I found I accidentally signed up for the more difficult physics sequence. Not that I really mind, because more difficult is usually more interesting. But I have a GPA to boost, and besides, I love physics. :)

And I shall add you right back!

[oldschoolnewave]

Well you'd probably be required to take the more difficult one anyway, no? Its required here at least, although the only difference in difficulty really is one uses Calculus and the other doesn't (although honestly we barely used in Calc in my class

[mmejavert]

Yeah. Actually my major is just physics with an astronomy "flavour." The university only offers about eight astronomy classes -- four of which are gen. ed. and won't count towards my major if I took them. Basically the physics/astronomy major at Pitt takes the physics major and replaces four physics courses with the four astro ones. I have to take something like 11-13 physics courses.

Three of the four astronomy classes I have to take are only offered every six semesters (including summer terms). Two of them are offered this coming year so I won't be able to take them until my senior year. Intro astronomy is offered just every fall (used to be every fall/spring). Which only goes to show that there's few teachers and even fewer interest.

I don't have to take quantum mechanics, because I'm not doing the honours degree but I think I'll take it anyway, 'cause quantum's pretty damn cool. :)