Sears and Zemansky's University Physics

This is an excellent book. A lot of useful information which I can use as reference. I received the book ahead of time and in better condition as advertised. Thank you.

This book is several tiers above in quality what I was forced to deal with as a textbook when I took Freshman Engineering Physics years ago. So when my long-frazzled freshman physics volume finally gave up the ghost, I replaced it with this 10th edition of University Physics. This is how all scientific textbooks should be written. In this book, all concepts are clearly described, there are plenty of instructive figures, and most of all, lots of detailed examples and solved problems. I am specifically recommending the 10th edition, rather than the eleventh edition which is called "University Physics with Modern Physics" by Young et al. That is because with the exception of the modern physics section, the two books are virtually identical. I don't know why authors do this to students. Just as a volume gets affordable they make a minor change and foist a triple-digit price tag upon the poor students, which is largely unaffordable to many undergraduates. In fact this text actually deletes some material from the classical physics section in the 11th edition! So, unless you MUST have this book because you are taking a class and there is no other way around it, or you are interested in the greatly expanded (and very good) modern physics of the 11th edition, save yourself some major bucks and buy this edition used. To prove to you that this out-of-print volume has virtually the same classical physics content as the 11th edition, I present to you the 10th edition's table of contents:MECHANICS.1. Units, Physical Quantities, and Vectors.2. Motion Along a Straight Line.3. Motion in Two or Three Dimensions.4. Newton's Laws of Motion.5. Applications of Newton's Laws.6. Work and Kinetic Energy.7. Potential Energy and Energy Conservation.8. Momentum, Impulse, and Collisions.9. Rotation of Rigid Bodies.10. Dynamics of Rotational Motion.11. Equilibrium and Elasticity.12. Gravitation.13. Periodic Motion.14. Fluid Mechanics.THERMODYNAMICS.15. Temperature and Heat.16. Thermal Properties of Matter.17. The First Law of Thermodynamics.18. The Second Law of Thermodynamics.WAVES/ACOUSTICS.19. Mechanical Waves.20. Wave Interference and Normal Modes.21. Sound and Hearing.ELECTROMAGNETISM.22. Electric Charge and Electric Field.23. Gauss's Law.24. Electric Potential.25. Capacitance and Dielectrics.26. Current, Resistance, and Electromotive Force.27. Direct-Current Circuits.28. Magnetic Field and Magnetic Forces.29. Sources of Magnetic Field.30. Electromagnetic Induction.31. Inductance.32. Alternating Current.33. Electromagnetic Waves.OPTICS.34. The Nature and Propagation of Light.35. Geometric Optics.36. Optical Instruments.37. Interference.38. Diffraction.MODERN PHYSICS.39. Relativity.Appendices.Answers to Odd-Numbered Problems.Credits.Index.To be fair these are the extra chapters that you get if you buy the 11th edition:38. Quantum Physics I: Photons, Electrons, and Atoms.39. Quantum Physics II: The Wave Nature of Particles.40. Quantum Physics III: Quantum Mechanics.41. Atomic Structure.42. Molecules and Condensed Matter.43. Nuclear Physics.44. Particle Physics and Cosmology.Plus, there is some web-enabled stuff you get with the 11th edition, but I don't think it is worth the huge price tag!

It is not the fault of the seller that this book which came in a new condition started falling apart. This is a trend in college textbooks, I mostly buy math texts, so this is where I see it the most often. I guess it is their way to get people to want to buy e-texts, there has to be a better way.I am glad I bought this as a cheap used edition, I would not have been happy if I paid 100+ dollars and this happened.

My only beef (if you can call it one) is that this is a HEAVY book. But it's very well organized, reads well, and encourages you to think of processes related to physics as a whole, not just in a linear fashion.

I'm using this textbook to review the subject for the CSET in California. It's an excellent book for self-study, covering all essential topics clearly, with a good number of problems and exercises.