Modern Physics

I've used this book for two semesters of modern physics and think it's a great introduction to the material. It's a nice/easy read which expects almost no prior knowledge besides calculus. If you're interested in relativity and quantum mechanics, yet have never had any formal education on either, then this book is perfect for you. The book is clear and very readable. The notation/symbols used are for the most part standard. I really wish more books were written like this, the textbook I used for Physics I and II was well over 1000 pages, this one is short and to the point. My Instructors covered more material than was covered in this text so it really depends on your instructor if this book will help you for class, but if you're looking for a good modern physics text, don't let a few bad reviews stop you from buying a great book.

I used this text for two semesters. I am an A student and learn most of the material for my classes from my books, so their qualitiy is important to me. I found that overall that book did a solid job of covering special relativity and introducing quantum mechanics/wave particle theory(I have to admit I did not read all of the material on quantum mechanics.) I dislike several things about the text. First, it is a text intended for early stage physics majors, and in being so, I thought that it all too often skipped mathematical derivations, saying"it is left to the reader to confirm," or similar. I feel that such methods severely hinder the flow of the text. They cause readers to either skip ahead or stop and plug through the math. Secondly, the chapter introducing the basic ideas behind statistical mechanics is horribly written. I have since taken a senior level stat mech course and understood the material fairly well. However, I still don't think that Serway's chapter on stat mech is an easy read. To reiterate, the two stat mech chapters are horrible, but the rest of the book is fairly good.

It is true that this book has its weak points, but I have taken a modern physics course using this book, and I was enlightened and fascinated with the material this book is composed of. In fact, this book was an invaluable reference for a later course I took in physics, so it is surely a must have for reference. If you're a student preparing to continue with physics, this is a must have book. It'll help send you on your way.

This book opened my eyes to the beauty of math and physics. The least I can do is give it 5 stars. It's been years since I first opened it. I had just moved to a place of my own and my Dad called to say my grandpa had died. I needed something to do and started reading. It was the first time I really paid attention to derivations and I found comfort in them. I'm not smart. Before reading this book I was a C student, but I got an A+ in this class.

This is a good introductory book on modern physics for any serious physics student who has already completed the first year GHW text. This book covers such concepts as Brownian Motion, Blackbody Radiation, the Photoelectric Effect, various early and later atomic theories, the Compton Effect, Special Relativity, as well as a few other things. First year calculus and differential equations, as well as a patient instructor, are suggested prerequisites for this text.