Physics in Perspective

by Eugene Hecht

Book by Eugene Hecht This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201028301
• ISBN13: 9780201028300
• Release Date: January 1980
• Publisher: Addison Wesley Publishing Company
• Length: 532 Pages
• Weight: 2.70 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Stop lecturing, start thinking

This book was a giant help for me. I was unfamiliar with most physics concepts when I attempted to blow through a US Navy entrance test as a (prospective) nuclear power plant training candidate. In other words, you gotta pass the test to demonstrate a basic familiarity with the terms and ideas, or you aren't qualified to get into the program. So, I took the test and tried to use generic reasoning to beat it. I failed, but only by a few points, which was pretty good for uneducated guessing. I was subsequently offered entry into another career field, or an opportunity to re-test in 90 days; I opted to re-test. In the meantime, I checked out many books from the public library to acquaint myself with the ideas. I noticed that - by reading several books open on the table at once - there was a common framework; Definitions, Newton's laws, Periodic Table, Atomic structure, etc. By comparing what these books held in common and the different ways they went into details, I basically taught myself. If one book didn't outline something so I could grasp it, another book was there to connect the dots. One of the books (Physics in Perspective) was the very best of all. It wasn't like the others; instead of regurgitating the rules of Physics, it was the backstory for what was really going on. It was like; if you took a Physics course and had an older brother there to tell you WHY the information was relevant. It made a huge difference between memorizing the material and really caring about how the ideas were developed... which of course, made it easier to follow the structure of physics. I loved this book so much that I NEVER returned it to the library. That was back in 1987. I still occasionally read the book, and share it with my kids when they stumble on an idea that I recall from the book. Happy ending: On the Navy re-test, I passed with far less guessing. In summary - I feel that this book is a great companion to your physics journey. Physics rule books are everywhere, but the story of Physics is harder to find. You'll find it in this book.