This book isn't really for people who aren't familiar with physics, it's a reference for people who've already learned physics to brush up on thing that might have slipped their minds. It's both comical and insulting in how it asserts that you should now understand some long equation after providing no explanation in English, no breakdown of how it works, no explanation for why some value must be squared or multiplied with another. A book like this should be accessible and explain concepts in terms ordinary curious dummies can understand. Instead it makes you feel uninvited and left out. Concepts of algebra, trigonometry and calculus are referenced numerous times but they have clearly gone out of their way to not offer any help if you're unfamiliar with the mathematical operations presumably to push three more Dummies books. Last I checked your typical dummy wasn't well versed in college level math. There are no secondary examples or practice problems, presumably to push the Physics Workbook for Dummies, and in that respect it doesn't even live up to the standards of a basic text book. I strongly advise against buying this book and urge people to read customer reviews before buying any other Dummies book in the near future.

Well, I'm not a dummy but this book will make you check your past algebra skills.

I have already received a degree in physics, but am always looking at texts for further understanding and alternate perspectives. This book is good for either a beginner or someone looking strengthen their grasp of physics.

I have already received a degree in physics, but am always looking at texts for further understanding and alternate perspectives. This book is good for either a beginner or someone looking strengthen their grasp of physics.

It's pretty good, although it could be better. It would have helped to be a little more concise, or to have more examples; really just MORE. It does help, though.

Los textos para "dummies" se traducen en España peyorativamente como "para torpes" y se deberían traducir como textos "facilmente comprensibles", ya que en absoluto son textos para torpes, sino textos muy asequibles.
Sin más, saludos

if you are really a "dummy" when it comes to physics, then this book is nearly a waste of money. It has incomplete explanations and very few examples.

if you are really a "dummy" when it comes to physics, then this book is nearly a waste of money. It has incomplete explanations and very few examples.

Let me preface my review by stating that I've gotten an A+ in my first semester college physics (mechanics). The reason for purchasing this book was to decrease the time I normally spend to visualize/conceptualize what is REALLY going on with each topic. For an example, with circuits I try to imagine the current as water flowing in a hose with parellel resistors having lower resistence to this water flow in comparison to series resistors by having multiple channels for the water to flow whereas series resistors would simply add resistence hence increasing total resistence to this water flow. When I purchased this book, I was hoping it'd provide ways to visualize and conceptualize various topics with tangible analogies so that I could spend less time. I found this book did not achieve what I was looking for. If you potential buyers are looking for what I was looking for when I purchased this book, save your money. What this book did do is present the material which would have taken 5 pages to describe and describe it in 1 page. To me, in order to get A's in any of my classes, I need to KNOW and VISUALIZE what is really going on to the core idea of the topic. Condensing materials without elucidating the concepts in an understandable way in my opinion makes learning from this book inferior to learning from the text.

So, my point is that this book is a poor supplement book to the text. In addition, it's a poor stand alone book for those of you trying to learn physics without having to learn from a thick text book. Again, I'm coming from the perspective of someone trying to understand the concepts inside and out. I feel I do that on my own. I was simply hoping to cut down on the time with my text book by using this book as a supplement. It just didn't work out for me.

I found this to be a very helpful supplement while studying for physics.

I found this to be a very helpful supplement while studying for physics.

I FOUND THIS TO BE A REALLY VALUABLE QUICK REFERENCE TO USE WHEN TRYING TO
EXPLAIN SOME OF THE MORE COMPLEX CONCEPTS FOUND IN FLUID MECHANICS.
THE MATH IS KEPT TO A MINIMUM, BUT PRIOR MATH EXPOSURE IS MOST HELPFUL.
I DID NOTICE SOME CONFUSION IN CHAPTER TWO (2) WHERE AN EXPLANATION TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS IS GIVEN, THIS IS A MINOR THING BUT MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS TO THE UNFAMILAR STUDENT.
ALL IN ALL THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK AND I RECOMEND IT TO ALL.

I FOUND THIS TO BE A REALLY VALUABLE QUICK REFERENCE TO USE WHEN TRYING TO
EXPLAIN SOME OF THE MORE COMPLEX CONCEPTS FOUND IN FLUID MECHANICS.
THE MATH IS KEPT TO A MINIMUM, BUT PRIOR MATH EXPOSURE IS MOST HELPFUL.
I DID NOTICE SOME CONFUSION IN CHAPTER TWO (2) WHERE AN EXPLANATION TRIGONOMETRIC FUNCTIONS IS GIVEN, THIS IS A MINOR THING BUT MAY CAUSE PROBLEMS TO THE UNFAMILAR STUDENT.
ALL IN ALL THIS IS A VERY GOOD BOOK AND I RECOMEND IT TO ALL.

This is a very neat and clear guide. It explains almost everything.
It shows you the steps clearly, it repeats equations that were written before everytime that it is needed. It doesnt jump quickly into something new. It writes why to use these equations. Everything suddenly make sense.
What is missing from this book is practise. It would be nice to have something to solve for yourself and then check in the back if the solution is correct. However it gives good examples.

Pleasantly surprised. Actually covers alot of intensive material in an easy to digest format. The real bonus is the step by step walk through some of the harder problems. decent on the math too

so i'm actually reading this book right now prior to doing some hw, and i just had to stop and write a review for this amazing book. i'm in an low level mnechanics course right now, and this book covers all of the key concepts, and from what i've read (which is a fair amount), it does a very nice job of reinforcing the topics we've covered, breaking them down to the basics. i was afraid this book wouldn't be of much use concerning the mathematical parts of physics, being a guide of sorts for the layman, but there were plenty examples of mathematical reasoning (although i've spotted some times in which the particular derivations from one formula to another aren't present, which isn't particularly bad, since if you're in a phys course you should be able to trace the steps, and if you're not, there's really no reason to be concerned, right?). alas, i'm not sure how much use this book will be for someone in upper level courses, but i'm sure it will retain its value as a reference source. believe it or not, this was actually an entertaining read. highly recommended.

This book has been a great help to me in providing me with the general physics knowledge I need for my non-physics profession.
It also refreshed my knowledge of important discoveries in physics history and the math behind physics. A clear, fast and enjoyable immersion into the laws of the universe! I recommend it very highly to students and readers at many levels.

This book was purchased as a gift item and the recipient is very pleased with it. Have been told that it is providing exactly the base of information that is needed for her particular situation.

I was fortunate enough to know the author and able to get a copy of the unpublished (unedited) book, "Physics For Dummies," by Kimberly Zimmermann and found this book invaluable in understanding concepts of college freshman physics while feeling bogged down with equations in the class room. I especially liked the "at home" experiments outlined in the book using only objects you have lying around your house. I passed the book along to a friend who took the class a year later who also found it helped him tremendously with the concepts of physics often lost in all the equations you are bombarted with while in class. What was especially neat was how the table of contents of the "Physics For Dummies" book written by Kimberly C. Zimmermann followed the freshman text, Holiday and Resnick'stable of contents makingh it easy to reference and supplement my reading. I was going to order the book to keep it as a reference, however, the author (a friend of mine) has informed me that when the book finally does get printed and arrive on my door step it's highly likely it will not be the book she wrote; that what I order will most likely end up being an entirely different book from an entirely different author. This is disturbing.

I was struggling in my college freshman physics class when my friend copied her book for me to help with the concepts in physics so that I could understand the equations not just plug in values and get answers that had meaning, not just answers. Kimberly Zimmermann's book was a life saver because most physics books and classes emerse you in equations to the point that you have no idea what is really going on in a system. I was going to order her book because it's listed her on amazon.com, but she said no, not to bother that when my book came in the mail (if it ever did) it would no be her book - it would be some other guy's book that didn't compliment the table of contents of my physics book in the way that hers had. If the publisher chooses to sell her book I will buy it as I thought it was a great conceptual book.

I intend to go to vet school when I graduate and so I didn't want physics to separate me from my dream. Ms. Zimmermann's book, "Physics For Dummies," helped me understand what was going on behind the scnenes of all the equations we were using - it helped me to understand the physical phenomenom the equations describe. I highly recommend this book, however, when I told her I was going to order it Ms. Zimmermann told me that the book I would get inthe mail (if any) would most likely NOT be the book she lent me to get through the first few quarteres of college freshman physics. I think it's a great book!