Re: Today's jaw dropper

[Leigh Palmer <palmer@sfu.ca>]

> Now that the Sears and Zemanszk book has been updated by Young, what is
> your opinion of the updated version?

What do you mean "updated", Herb? What was obsolete and in need of
"updating"? Many of us feel that new editions of old textbooks in
physics are issued more for the purpose of generating the illusion
that the old edition somehow needs "updating" than because of any
actual need. Usually the problems have been rearranged to render
previous editions inconvenient to use if only problem numbers are
assigned. Copies of new texts pour unsolicited into our mailboxes,
lately "enhanced" by inclusion of a CDROM with links to sites
where java animations can be found, not vital additions in any of
the cases I've looked at.

Is it essential that the latest information on quarks be included
in an introductory physics textbook? I think not. QFT certainly is
not a proper part of first year physics, and a "conceptual"
treatment of QCD is of less than limited applicability in my view.

I've looked at Young before, but I was not thrilled; it didn't
seem to me that there was a significant improvement. There are
some things that are definite regressive changes (e.g. the loss of
the principle of virtual work about which I've complained before).
I haven't got a current edition; I've likely given it away to some
student*. (I seem to have two Serways, however, and those are
purported to be different editions, but casual examination
suggests that the unchanged material in them exceeds 95% of the
content.) I think Young is mainstream. All new modern textbooks
must resemble the competition as closely as possible. Otherwise
conservative faculty like me will never consider switching texts.
Most new adoptions in this area are made not because a better text
has come along, but rather because the faculty have become
dissatisfied with one or another text and want to try something
(only very slightly) different.

Leigh

*I reckon that students pay for all these promotional copies. It
is only fair that they get them. I certainly have never sold them
to the vultures who come seeking to buy them.