Basic Physics: A Self-Teaching Guide, 3rd Edition (Wiley Self-Teaching Guides) Paperback – 21 Aug. 2020

I did physics A level sixty years ago and wanted a refresher, for which this book is just great. However, be warned that it is quite terse. So if you are a complete beginner who has never studied any science and in particular if you don’t understand the basics of simple equations, this will not be for you.

Having no scientific background or training, but an interest in how the world works and a desire to stretch myself I have tried other 'teach yourself' physics texts which promised a great deal but failed to deliver. This one is superb. It is unpretentious but nevertheless gives clear and understandable explanations of how physics describes the way things work. It needs concentration, but the effort is more than repaid by the results. The insights it gives into even everyday phenomena is quite amazing. I loved every minute I spent studying it and would recommend it to anyone who wants an introduction to the subject. It doesn't even require any great mathematical ability (which is just as well as I am also trying to teach myself maths), but formulae etc are included for those who are interested. Excellent

I have just started this book and am studying the first chapter but already it is clear that even though this is the third edition no proper copy editing has been carried out. This is evident because the text contains basic errors. For example, on page four the text beneath the motion diagram states: "when the car slows down, the spacing between the dots decreases because the car travels a greater distance in each successive instance". Clearly this is not the case: when the car slows down it actually travels a lesser distance in each successive instance, but errors of sense such as this (I have already spotted at least one other in the first chapter) have not been picked up by a copy editor, which is a shame as this is intended to be an introductory text to physics.

A lot more content then the previous. Really handy in giving a clear understanding.

It is intended for someone who knows nothing about physics and wants to learn the basics of the surrounding world in a simple way. The book explains how we define speed, force, etc., how sound works, how light works.There is no modern mathematics, such as differential equations or mathematics used in quantum physics. In my opinion, the basics are quite shallow. That's a good description: a very broad range of knowledge, not touched too deeply.

Started well and then descended into the usual arrogance and assumptions. It's called basic physics (I'm assuming) for a reason. I got stuck on a page until my brain stopped working, because it stepped away from logical lay terms and jumped into equations. It might be that with a clear focus on real world explanations rather than equations, the beginner would understand the equation better.