<p>Hey, all,
I am going to independant study Physics C (both tests) and want to know what the best text is. I need it to cover all the bases because I have no prior physics experience. If I need to get two books (one for the basics and one for the C) then I will.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Halliday and Resnick</p>
<p>I have heard good things about that one. It will cover the basics as well?</p>
<p>i have... Serway Beichner - "Physics for Scientists and Engineers , fifth edition". Its kinda crappy. Doesnt explain anything. i just do the work from it.</p>
<p>Thanks, irock1ce. I'll try and avoid that one.</p>
<p>you can start with Haliday and Resnick with no prior physics instruction. But you have to be good at math, and be at least concurrently learning calculus.</p>
<p>Halliday and Resnick is the authority</p>
<p>AP or not, halliday resnick & walker rocks!!! In India, that is what most ppl study for physics and I would say that our courses are atleast AP level (less emphasis on Modern Physics and more on Mechanics...very engineering based) but it is definitely the best textbook for physics</p>
<p>but yeah you have to no calculus and be comfortable with vector notation to study from resnick + halliday</p>
<p>Resnick and Halliday is elite for problems and the summary of equations, but reading the chapters isn't going to teach you AP Physics</p>
<p>What will teach me Physics C? I am willing to get two texts if need be.</p>
<p>I have 2 texts: Serway & Beichner "for Scientists and Engineers 5th ed" and Giancoli "Principles with Applications 5th ed"</p>
<p>The Serway and Beichner I used to teach myself Physics the summer before my junior year. I chose it because it puts a lot of emphasis on math and seemed more serious than the other books that were more catered to high school students.</p>
<p>This year, senior year, i bought the Giancoli for my AP C class. It's a great book; I heard that Harvard and other good schools use it for their 1st year physics courses. Many high schools use it, and the comments on amazon are mostly positive.</p>
<p>Hmm, I will look into those. I may end up getting Halliday later if I feel I need to do the problems or something, but that is a strong reccommedation for those two books.</p>
<p>serway is great; it has clear explanation and a sea of problems. It covers thoroughly every field of 1st year physics with calc and beyond. It's long though---so if you don't have that much time, choose another one.</p>
<p>Can someone provide me with a link to the specific Serway text you are talking about? Preferably a place where I can purchase it new.</p>
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<p>"but reading the (Halliday & Resnick) chapters isn't going to teach you AP Physics"</p>
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<p>I disagree. I think it has very clear, thorough explanations. It does cover more topics than Physcis C, but it's easy to figure out from an AP prep book which chapters you need for which test.</p>