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Re: Work and Energy



We use Serway
and Faughn and I think the work and energy chapter is one of the
weakest in the book. The authors either have not read the literature
(Arons, et al) or they disagree with what Arons and others have to
say. I have seen the next edition and there is little improvement.
Among other things, the layout is so cluttered that, were I a
student, I would have a hard time getting to the essential ideas.

I have Serway and Faughn on my shelf. Its treatment of work and
energy looks pretty standard to me and more or less okay. Could you
be more specific in your objections? What exactly do you mean by too
cluttered?

And yes, I have read Arons. But at the risk of stating the obvious,
Arons doesn't like *any chapter* in the standard texts. He is equally
vocal about his criticisms of the kinematics and dynamics chapter,
for example, as about work and energy.

I think at least the
following two texts are worth looking at for their treatments of work
and energy among other things:

"Matter and Interactions" (Wiley, 2000) by Chabay and Sherwood
"Physics: A Contemporary Perspective" (Addison-Wesley, 1997) by Knight

Yes I agree, good books. But rather unconventional. Too
unconventional in fact for most departmental committees. Which is why
they're not adopted more widely and I certainly don't have the luxury
of teaching out of them. Carl
--
Carl E. Mungan, Asst. Prof. of Physics 410-293-6680 (O) -3729 (F)
U.S. Naval Academy, Stop 9C, Annapolis, MD 21402-5026
mungan@usna.edu http://physics.usna.edu/physics/faculty/mungan/

This posting is the position of the writer, not that of SUNY-BSC, NAU or the AAPT.