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Physics Textbooks



On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 06:14:07 -0400 Lorren Hotaling <lhotaling@MAC.COM>
wrote:

Personally, I don't like any (of the High School Physics)books
out there, and think that the Glencoe is the worst. Too bad the
Murphy and Smoot, "Principles and Problems" isn't still in print.
An updated version of that, in the old style, instead of the
Glencoe update of it would be much appreciated.

Maybe it's time to write a textbook.

------------------- ----------------- -------------------
Herb Gottlieb replies:

Now here's a real challenge for all aspiring High School and
College physics teachers. Writing a physics textbook requires
only ten percent inspiration together wtih ninty persent perspiration.
In my lifetime, I have personally met with most of the textbook
authors at local and national meetings of the AAPT and NSTA.

Mario Iona, our best critic of physics textbooks, once told me
that he enjoys finding serious errors in these books but he
would never try to write one himself. It's too hard. I can attest
that after having been worn out after several years writing
only a high school physics review book and a physics lab manual.

Perhaps some of the physics textbook authors and others who are
reading this would like to respond.

Herb Gottlieb from New York City
(Who also finds it much easier to criticize than write a physics
textbook)
will confirm