Re: alternatives to Halliday

["Robert J. Beichner" <beichner@NCSU.EDU>]

Robert Cohen said:
> I have enjoyed the discussion of alternatives to Halliday.  However, I'm
> confused by the difference between Serway and Beichner's "Physics for
> Scientists and Engineers" and Serway's "Principles of Physics".  I got the
> impression that the latter had more PER infused into it.  Can anybody
> provide more information comparing the two?  Also, has similar changes
> occurred in Serway's algebra-based text?  In the same vein, can someone
> provide some opinions on the algebra-based texts in general?

Allow me the use of a few abbreviations for the book titles. The new (5th
edition) PSE has had research-based pedagogy embedded into it in some subtle
and  not-so-subtle ways. POP is a substantially shorter book extracted from
an earlier edition of PSE. POP will revised sometime fairly soon. My guess
is that the new edition will probably have some of the newer pedagogy of the
new PSE added to it since it has been so well received. Just to complicate
the issue, there is also Serway and Faughn's "College Physics" which has
some QuickLabs that I and others put together in an effort to make reading a
little more active (if that can be done.) It is an algebra-based book. If it
sounds like Ray Serway has been busy, you're right! He is amazing to work
with. There were many times I would struggle with a page of manuscript and
just couldn't get it right. I'd send it to him and back would come a single
paragraph that said the same thing with half the words and twice the
clarity!
> Speaking of texts, it seems that physics textbooks undergo a new edition
> every three or four years or so.  Personally, while I appreciate
> improvements in the texts, in most cases I don't think the improvements
> are worth the change.  For example, when a new edition comes out, students
> can no longer sell back used textbooks to the bookstore.  Also, I write
> study guides for the students and my references to page numbers and such
> have to be redone for each new edition.
>
> I'm sorry.  I suppose I am just venting.  Does anybody else share my
> concern?  Should I be concerned?  Is there a textbook that
> DOESN'T get revised every few years?  Is there a solution?

Believe it or not, the first people who would like a solution are the
publishers! It costs them a tremendous amount of money to put together a new
edition and they try to avoid that as long as they can. As you noted, in
some cases the changes between editions are pretty minor. In others (like
this new edition of PSE or when HR became HRW) they are substantial.
Although we'd like to think the reason for new versions of texts is to make
them better, in reality a major purpose is to temporarily kill the used book
market. After 4 years or so there are very few new books being sold...and in
the business world, if you don't sell products, you don't last long! Adding
to the problem is that bookstores typically come up with the selling price
by adding approx. 40% to their cost for the books. This might change as more
on-line booksellers offer some competition.

Hope this was helpful!

Bob