{"data":[{"id":22,"title":"Introductory Chemistry","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2011,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":"","accessibility_features":[],"description":"David W. Ball of Cleveland State University brings his new survey of general chemistry text, Introductory Chemistry, to the market with a fresh theme that will be sure to hold student interest: \"Chemistry is Everywhere.\" Introductory Chemistry is intended for a one-semester introductory or preparatory chemistry course. Throughout the chapters, David presents two features that reinforce the theme of the textbook, that chemistry is everywhere. The first is the boxed feature titled, appropriately, ”Chemistry is Everywhere“. This feature takes a topic of the chapter and demonstrates how this topic shows up in everyday life. In the introductory chapter, ”Chemistry is Everywhere“ focuses on the personal hygiene products that students may use every morning: toothpaste, soap, shampoo among others. These products are chemicals, aren't they? This book explores some of the chemical reactions like the ones that give students clean and healthy teeth, and shiny hair. This feature makes it clear to students that chemistry is, indeed, everywhere, and it will promote student retention in what is sometimes considered an intimidating course. The second boxed feature focuses on chemistry that students likely indulge in every day: eating and drinking. In the ”Food and Drink App“, David discusses how the chemistry of the chapter applies to things that students eat and drink every day. Carbonated beverages depend on the behavior of gases, foods contain acids and bases, and everyone actually eats certain rocks. (Yikes!) Cooking, eating, drinking, metabolism — all chemical processes students are involved with all the time. These features allow students to see the things we interact with every day in a new light — as chemistry. Just like many of the one-semester chemistry books you may be used to, each section in David Ball's starts with one or more Learning Objectives, which list the main points of the section. Each section ends with Key Takeaways, which are reviews of the main points of the section. Each chapter is full of examples to illustrate the key points of the materials, and each example is followed with a similar ”Test Yourself“ exercise to see if the student understands the concept. Each section ends with its own set of paired exercises to practice the material from that section, and each chapter ends with a section of ”Additional Exercises“ that are more challenging or require multiple steps or skills to answer. David took the time to treat mathematical problems in Introductory Chemistry one of two ways, either as a conversion-factor problem or as a formula problem. David believes having two basic mathematical approaches (converting and formulas) allows the text to focus on the logic of the approach and not tricks or shortcuts; which speaks to the final point about Introductory Chemistry. You'll notice that David took no shortcuts with the material in this text, his inviting writing style, concise approach, consistent presentation, and interesting pedagogy have given it some of the best peer reviews we've seen at Flat World. So, order a desk copy or dive in now to see for yourself.","contributors":[{"id":2565,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"David","middle_name":"W.","last_name":"Ball","location":"Cleveland State University","background_text":"Dr. David W. Ball is a professor of chemistry at Cleveland State University in Ohio. He earned his PhD from Rice University in Houston, Texas. His specialty is physical chemistry, which he teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels. About 50 percent of his teaching is in general chemistry: chemistry for nonscience majors, GOB, and general chemistry for science and engineering majors. In addition to this text, he is the author of a math review book for general chemistry students, a physical chemistry textbook with accompanying student and instructor solutions manuals, and two books on spectroscopy (published by SPIE Press). He is coauthor of a general chemistry textbook (with Dan Reger and Scott Goode), whose third edition was published in January 2009. His publication list has over 180 items, roughly evenly distributed between research papers and articles of educational interest."}],"subjects":[{"id":38,"name":"Chemistry","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QD31.3","visible_textbooks_count":31,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/chemistry"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":81,"url":"http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Introductory%20Chemistry.pdf","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:37.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:37.000-05:00","name":"Saylor Foundation"}],"formats":[{"id":272,"type":"PDF","url":"http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/Introductory%20Chemistry.pdf","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":273,"type":"Online","url":"https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_introductory-chemistry/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4","textbook_reviews_count":19,"reviews":[{"id":70,"first_name":"Hugh","last_name":"Cartwright","position":"Sessional Lecturer","institution_name":"University of Victoria and at Camosun","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"I should start by making clear that I reviewed the text in hardcopy form. A quick check suggests that the hardcopy version, the pdf version and the docx are similar, or perhaps identical, but there may be differences between the versions that I have not noted. All comments from this point on in the review relate only to the hardcopy version I was sent. 1. All but one of the areas that I would expect to see are covered in the text. The one exception is kinetics, which appears in the majority of introductory chemistry courses in Canada, and all the introductory chemistry textbooks that I am familiar with. There's a good reason for this - it's an important topic! The omission of kinetics cannot be justified on grounds of difficulty: in my experience students find kinetics more straightforward and interesting than some other areas, such as thermochemistry. Nor is kinetics peripheral; it is central to both chemistry and related subjects such as biochemistry. I think it is a mistake to leave out kinetics, and though some instructors may adopt the text despite the lack of kinetics, and construct a course around the material that is there, others will feel the topic coverage is incomplete and look elsewhere for a text. 2. The coverage of remaining topics is satisfactory. The text as a whole is at a low level, and would not be well suited to anything other than a basic chemistry course at school, College or University. This would mean that it would not be chosen for many 1st year University courses that cater for students aiming to be science majors. Nevertheless, many institutions provide courses for students with almost no prior knowledge of chemistry, and this might prove to be a suitable text for such courses. 3. I was disappointed not to find a Chapter list. It would be a simple matter to prepare a 2-3 page list of chapters and section headings; this would provide an immediate indication of topic coverage. 4. Similarly, a glossary would be useful. A first iteration at a glossary could be prepared by selecting each term that has been introduced in bold face in the text and then either redefining it in the glossary, or even cutting and pasting the definition given in the text. Whether definitions are created afresh or merely copied from the text, a glossary should be added. 5. The lack of an index was disappointing, since, with neither an index nor a chapter list, it is difficult to quickly locate an earlier point in the text to check on previous topics. If the text is to be updated frequently, maintaining an index may be non-trivial. Were I using this text in my teaching, a properly maintained chapter list would be an adequate substitute for an index, but to have neither is a disadvantage.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"There are numerous errors in the text, most of them minor typos, mistakes in the numbering of questions, or formatting problems; these should all be fairly trivial to correct. A list of those I've spotted with be sent separately. There are occasional factual errors, but these too should be quite straightforward to remedy. I was not aware of any bias in the text.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Almost all the material in the text is \"old\", well-established chemistry. There is little likelihood that this material will become dated in the near future. The main area in which obsolescence is a possibility is the use of examples from current life to illustrate chemical principles. It will be necessary occasionally to check that the material about additives in foods, as a typical example, is still up-to-date, but these nuggets of \"real-life chemistry\" form a small (and useful) portion of the whole, so checking and, if necessary, updating should not be too onerous.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The style adopted is appropriate throughout, providing a good balance between the need to define chemical principles accurately and the desirability of engaging students with a relaxed, slightly chatty approach. New terms are defined when introduced and most explanations are clear and lucid.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"There are a few examples, noted in the list that I will supply separately, in which the structure of the discussion, or the use of a term, varies. However, the overall structure of the book itself is consistent and the number of occasions in which a term","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"In my view, the text is too \"bitty\", being broken into large numbers of small sections in which new topics are introduced and then immediately tested. On the face of it this use of very brief sections seems reasonable. However, I fear that students will learn one small piece of chemistry in just a few minutes, test themselves on it, conclude that they understand it and move on to the next topic at once. A degree of reflection is essential if one is to fully understand new material, and the format of this text does not encourage that reflection sufficiently. The approach chosen has a very short \"horizon\"; I believe there is a danger that the frequent exercises and problems may give students an unrealistic view of how well they have understood the material. This is a tricky issue. Students may find the approach attractive, since new topics are presented in such easily digested bites. I found the short sections very digestible, and I think students will too. I worry about how long the new knowledge will persist though. The author may argue that the end of chapter questions address this, bringing together questions that cover the whole chapter. However, including end of chapter problems does not improve learning, only shows the extent of it. Perhaps my unease is because I have never taught a course that depends upon a text in which new material is so rapidly followed by test-yourself questions. Most texts include plenty of examples of course, but a much smaller number of in-text problems. I'm afraid that I do not know of studies that have looked at this question of how the sections might best be divided, so my concerns may be unfounded. Some of the other reviewers may be more expert in this area and therefore better able to address this. The text is no more self-referential than any first year chemistry text. It would be hard to reorganise the sequence of individual sections of many chapters, since much of the material within a chapter flows logically from simple to more advanced. However, each chapter is largely self-contained, and it would be simple to adjust the order in which some of the chapters are used.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Apart from a small number of issues noted in my comments supplied separately, I thought the text was very clear.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"In numerous places in the text a figure is referred to, but not present. Hyperlinks exist for some of these, but not all. There are also a few minor matters relating to images in the list of corrections to be submitted. Since I was using a hardcopy I had no navigation issues...","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The number of grammatical errors is small, though the number of necessary corrections to the text arising from, for example, one word being run into another, is large. These corrections are noted on the list to be supplied separately.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"No issues of note here.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I enjoyed reading this text; there is much to recommend it. The style is relaxed and chatty without being trite or unscientific, the examples and the questions are generally well-chosen, and the number of questions is more than enough for students to fully test their understanding. My reservations can be summed up as follows: 1. There are many corrections, nearly all of them minor, that should be made before the text is released to the academic community at large. 2. I am uneasy about the speed with which questions follow the introduction of a new topic. This may diminish the time students spend reflecting on a topic before they move onto new material. However, I presume that this style of text, with a high density of questions, has been tried in chemistry before and been found to work satisfactorily, despite my concerns. 3. The text starts at a very low level. Although it introduces a good range of fundamental topics - apart from kinetics, which should be added - it does not provide sufficient depth for many 1st year University courses. However, it be suitable for typical basic chemistry introductory courses, for which there is a considerable demand, both in Canada and in the USA.\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":71,"first_name":"Christine","last_name":"Tong","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Vancouver Island University","comprehensiveness_rating":2,"comprehensiveness_review":"In general this textbook has neither the breadth nor depth of content to satisfy the first year chemistry curriculum for B.Sc. student. The current version would be suitable for a massive online open courses (MOOC), high school, introductory college course for students who do not have Chem 11 or a non-science major. I would also like to point out that more content is better than less for a first-year chemistry textbook because it becomes a reference resource for students throughout their academic career. The current edition of the book contains several major flaws: a) the lack of conceptual problems and higher-level thinking problems b) lack of numeracy building and data interpretation/analysis practice and examples c) integrative problems, although this will always be one of the shortcomings to a modular approach --- which I urge the open textbook community to reconsider d) insufficient number and quality of diagrams/graphics f) contains numerous typos and mistakes. To make the content suitable for a first year chemistry course for B.Sc. students, it must include a chapter on kinetics and thermodynamics (not just thermochemistry) and must elaborate on chemical bonding and chemical equilibrium. For brevity, I list only the most desirable additions to make this book suitable for a, however, there are many more minor changes that would improve the quality of the book. Please contact me if you would like more details.","accuracy_rating":2,"accuracy_review":"This book, at least the print version, suffers from numerous typos that cause both major and minor confusion. These must be fixed in order to be usable for any student. Particular attention needs to be paid towards superscripts and subscripts, and spacing because syntax is critical in chemistry. There are some errors in the accuracy of the content as well. Pg 62, the answer to 337/217 is not 337. Chapter 11, p 633 \"Salting Pasta Cooking Water\": I disagree with the omission of the van't Hoff factor in the solution because NaCl is an ionic solid which forms a strong electolyte in aqueous soluiton so must dissociate in order to dissolve in water. I think it is more appropriate to include the van't Hoff factor as an ideal value or estimate the value as somewhere between 1 and 2 (probably closer to the ideal value of 2) rather than ignoring the value. From a student point of view this is especially confusing because the \"Salting Pasta Cooking Water\" example directly preceeds a sample calculation in which the van't hoff factor is included for a NaCl solution of similar molality. Chapter 12: Sulfuric acid (H2SO4) is listed as a strong acid, but this is only true for the first deprotonantion and should be noted, especially because the hydrogen sulfate ion (HSO4-) and sulfate (SO42-) is discussed later in the book. Chapter 12: Definition of neutral as pH = 7 is not correct, it is only true when the temp is 25 degrees Celsius. Either includes a more correct definition (hydronium conc \u0026gt; hydroxide conc) or limit the definition to 25 degrees Celsius.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"The quantum chemical view is Chemistry's most up-to-date understanding of atoms and molecules but this has been largely ignored in this book. I worry that this omission will leave students with an outdated, nineteenth century understanding of atoms and molecules.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The text is clearly written and accessible to students. In some places, it would be desirable to use more technical language because students are learning to become fluent and proficient with the terms and should see technical terminology used in the correct context as much as possible. For the students' benefit, some of the example solutions need to include more steps.","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"The most notable inconsistency is the use of a wedged shaped bond to represent a polarized bond. This is confusing because wedge bonds are usually reserved for representing bonds coming out of the plane in VSEPR model. Conventionally, delta symbols or arr","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"This text can be used modularly; however, I see this as a weakness. Modular treatment in textbooks lead to a compartmentalized understanding of the subject, which is undesirable.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The book needs a table of contents, index and glossary in the printed version.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"The text version contains regular readability issues in the form of fuzzy text. There are also font size control issues in many instances. In a couple of instances, the html tags are present instead of formatted text. Paragraph and section spacing in the printed version could be improved to enhance organization and readability; for example, a section title that appears at the end of a page can be anchored to the section text so that it starts at the beginning of a new page.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"It is sometimes not clear when a new paragraph begins. New paragraphs should be indented.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"The examples that connect chemistry to the everyday experience are good. I would like to see a more global perspective by extending the context of these examples to concerns that are beyond North American boarders. There is also very little discussion of the environment. Regardless of the cultural context, this is a leading concern for our students and society, it is important that students make the connection between chemistry and the environment.","overall_rating":6,"overall_review":"The book is text heavy and more diagrams would help to convey the ideas using a different mode, which would be useful for students who prefer pictures to words. The visuals in the book could be vastly improved in terms of appeal and quantity. Discussion of imperial units (ounces, feet, Fahrenheit etc.), which most Canadian students are unfamiliar with, should be omitted. This is especially true for the section on unit analysis in Chapter 2. The current version is a single, gigantic file which takes forever to download and open, even on a fast computer. To be useful the book needs to be divided into separate files – one for each chapter. The single file version allows the entire text to be searchable, but this takes a long time and often generates too many hits to be useful. In the Preface, the author tries to put chemistry in context for students by supporting the view that chemistry is the \"central science\", sandwiched between physics and biology. I feel this hierarchical view of the sciences is antiquated. A more modern understanding is that all the sciences and mathematics, indeed all academic disciplines, are interrelated, each discipline depending on knowledge from all other fields for inspiration and insight.\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":72,"first_name":"Marten","last_name":"Lettinga","position":"Lecturer","institution_name":"Thompson Rivers University","comprehensiveness_rating":2,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook does not have a glossary, index or table of contents. This textbook is not in depth enough for science majors. However, it might suffice as a prep course for students that have never taken any highschool chemistry. In chapter 4, double replacement reactions are introduced. Yet only precipitation reactions are given as examples even though some of the exercises involve strong acids reacting with weakly basic salts. Arrhenius acid-base reactions are treated separately as neutralization reactions. Also, when single replacement and synthesis (combination) reactions are introduced no attempt was made to present them as examples of redox reactions. Redox reactions are treated separately at the end of chapter 4. Chapter 6 (Gases), is not in depth enough. Kinetic-molecular theory is completely left out. As a result, students will not learn anything about effusion/diffusion or non-ideal gases. Chapter 7 appears to cover basic thermochemistry fairly adequately. However, thermodynamics is not covered deeper anywhere in this textbook. In other words, students are not exposed to the Third Law of Thermodynamics and Gibbs' Free Energy. Chapter 8 (Electronic Structure) also is not in depth enough. The textbook treads very lightly on quantum mechanics. Thus, the student will never learn the contributions made by Einstein, De Broglie, Heisenberg or Schrodinger. There is a short paragraph on photon energies but no credit is given to Max Planck. In the section on periodic trends, the shielding effect and effective nuclear charge are not mentioned at all. Thus, students will get the false impression that actual nuclear charge and average distance of valence electrons from the nucleus (principal quantum number) are sufficient for explaining periodic trends. In Chapter 9 (Chemical Bonding), the concepts of formal charge and resonance stabilization are not discussed anywhere. In the section on molecular geometry, trigonal bipyramidal and octahedral geometries are left out altogether. Also, students are not even introduced to molecular polarity and dipole moments. The next chapter (Intermolecular Forces) briefly jumps into dipole-dipole forces but with few examples and little explanation. Likewise, very few examples are given to understand the relative strengths and nature of dispersion forces and hydrogen bonding. Chapter 13 (equilibrium) seems nearly in depth enough despite the fact that the textbook leaves out kinetics altogether. This chapter includes acid-base and solubility equilibria. However, buffers are only treated qualitatively. Also, the effect of strong acids on solubility of weakly basic salts is not discussed. Electro-chemistry was covered fairly adequately in this textbook although cell potential under non-standard conditions (Nernst Equation) was not covered at all. Standard cell potential also was not related to the thermodynamic equilibrium constant. In the section on electrolysis, there are no stoichiometric calculations involving charge. The final chapter (Organic Chemistry) covers organic nomenclature reasonably well. However, the IUPAC convention for naming of amines and ethers is not used. No mention is made of resonance stabilization of aromatic compounds. Elimination reactions are discussed very briefly. No other reactions appear to be discussed in this chapter.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"In chapter 3, it is implied that all acids must be in aqueous state (so that H+ ions can be dissolved in water). This works for binary acids (such as hydrochloric acid) but not for oxy-acids such as sulfuric acid. The author does clarify that he will expand on the definition of acids and bases in chapter 12. Electron affinity (in chapter 8) has the opposite sign compared to the IUPAC definition, Lattice energy is not clearly defined in chapter 9 (chemical bonding). In some of the exercises in chapter 9, Lewis dot symbols are somewhat arbitrarily assigned to transition metals (e.g. pair of dots for iron). This is very confusing for students. For clarity, Lewis dot symbols should only be assigned to main group elements. The opening essay of chapter 12 (acids and bases) improperly explains the physiological danger of bases as only needing an H+ ion compared to acids needing an OH- ion. At the end of the chapter, the irritating effect of aspirin to the stomach lining due to its mild acidity is overstated.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The content appears to be up to date. The textbook is unified around the theme of food chemistry. From time to time, any new discoveries in relation to food chemistry could easily be updated.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The textbook is quite jargon free. At times, the author may have tried to simplify chemical terminology a little too much. For example, lattice energy is not clearly defined and is not placed in adequate context. Intermolecular forces are discussed only briefly not placed into adequate context either (especially in relation to dipole moment).","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"In chapter 4 (sec. 4.7, exercise 4), students are led to believe that fractions shouldn't be used to balance equations. However, in sec. 7.6, formation equations are balanced with fractional coefficients. Limiting reagent problems are not solved consist","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The textbook appears to be well suited for being broken up into small reading sections and for the order of sections or chapters to be re-arranged. However, the sections sometimes appear to be broken up too much. For example, chapter 6 (gases) starts off by solving a lot of problems involving the simple gas laws. However, when ideal gas law is introduced in a later section, it is not related to the simple gas laws. Acids and bases are introduced before equilibrium. It is quite possible to move the material in the acid-base chapter to the middle of the chapter on equilibrium before the section on acid-base equilibria.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"In chapter 3, the naming of ionic compounds (sec. 3.4) and non-ionic compounds (sec. 3.2) could have been covered in the same section. Common ionic charges could have been related to the group number in the periodic table rather than referring students to a later chapter and telling them to memorize these charges.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"Tables are often spread over two or more pages. Formatting errors occur frequently throughout the textbook whichd will be thoroughly confusing for students. Here are some examples: Sec. 2.3 (Significant Figures) – Example 3 (pg.64) - Test Yourself: The diagram implies that the width is 0.61 cm rather than 0.63 cm. Exercise 1b, 2b (pg.71/72)– scales don't look very uniform. Sec.2.4 (pg.77) – shows \"12 yd = 32 ft\" when author meant \"½ yd = 3/2 yd\" Sec.2.4 also doesn't display the numerator in any the conversion factors. In example 12 (pg. 94), it gets even worse: not only are the fractions not displayed but the second part of the conversion formulas are left out off the solution. Section 3.1 has missing mass numbers in some problems. Many calculations throughout the textbook have inadequate spacing. At times, html tags show up. Some balanced equations are improperly formatted.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There are some occasional minor spelling errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"There are no concerns here.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"Non-SI units are not appropriate in a Canadian context. The bar, the IUPAC unit of pressure under standard conditions, is not mentioned anywhere in the textbook.\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":73,"first_name":"Matthew","last_name":"Jensen","position":"Part-time Instructor","institution_name":"University of Northern British Columbia","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"On the whole, this textbook reads at the high school level at best. Though most of the topics necessary in a first year chemistry course at the university level are covered, there is a lack of depth in explanations and concepts. With this being said, this text is far more suitable for students that are inexperienced in general chemistry and require the most basic of background information before entering the more detailed first year chemistry curriculum. The text does include a substantial number of figures that support the written text; however, the figures that are included are, for the most part, not visually striking and therefore may not support learning while assisting in maintaining student interest. The addition of a table of contents, index, and glossary is required in order to allow students to find specific information easily in the hard copy. Many first year students rely heavily on chemistry text glossaries to supplement their learning and studying as first year chemistry courses typically introduce students to a large number of terms and definitions they are not familiar with.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Other than the several typos throughout the text, the chemistry described throughout is tried, true, and accurate. Though diagrams support the text, they tend to lack visual appeal and sometimes appear unnecessary. There does not appear to be any bias in the text, though more discussion of SI units and less discussion on conversion of imperial units to metric units in Chapter 3 would be beneficial.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"The content in this text consists of principles of chemistry that have been well accepted for a number of years and will likely remain so. With this being said there are some notable additions that are necessary for modern first year chemistry courses at the university level. The text explains VSEPR theory quite well while focusing on the Bohr model of the atom; however, Molecular orbital theory, the Quantum Mechanical model, and reaction rate kinetics are not discussed at all. Though these are more difficult topics for students at the first year level, they complement, and can even assist in student's abilities to understand many of the other topics discussed in this text, and thus should be included. Though the text spends a brief time discussing the calculation of pH, it does not discuss buffers in significant detail. It also does not introduce the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation so students will not learn how to easily calculate the pH of weak-acid buffers. As this is a topic that is utilized in many sub-disciplines of chemistry, it should also be included in more detail.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The text is written in a very clear manner. However, I feel it is overly concise and at times over simplified. Students in a first year chemistry course should be learning the technical information behind concepts as this information is going to be referred to for the rest of their careers. This text uses relatively lay terminology to describe concepts.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text seems to be consistent throughout with no major issues to note.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"On the surface this text appears to be ideal for modularity. The many small sections could be easily rearranged as needed to fit into a course as desired (and may actually be required in order to help material flow better) and these sections do not heavily reference other sections in the text. That being said, the end of section questions will not engage students in enough depth to truly test their understanding of the concepts at hand and instructors will likely wish to complement these sections with additional assignments or testing.","organization_rating":2,"organization_review":"In addition to a lack of a table of contents, glossary, and index, the text has been arranged in a manner that may be undesirable for many instructors and could place student learning at a detriment if taught using the current order of chapters. Though the questions asked in the \"Test Yourself\" and \"Exercises\" sections are highly applicable, the answers are placed immediately after the question. This can be less conducive to student learning as many of these answers are on the same page as the question making completion of the question without looking at the answer very difficult. It may also be more conducive to student learning to introduce chemical bonding and states of matter early in the text. It is beneficial for students to understand these concepts before discussing other topics in greater detail. It may also be beneficial to move VSEPR theory and molecular geometry to later in the text as is can be more easily understood for many students after chemical bonding has been discussed in more detail. Additionally, it may be more desirable for some instructors to move the discussion on solutions and concentrations closer to the chapter covering the mole and stoichiometry while moving the section on Redox reactions to be included with the chapter on oxidation and reduction. Simply rearranging the order in which these chapters are discussed can easily accommodate these issues when using this text but will likely require additional planning and preparation on the part of the course instructor.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"As a hard copy of this text was reviewed, the largest issue navigating the text stems from a lack of table of contents, which would be useful in quickly finding chapters of interest. Additionally, the hyper-links are obviously not of use in the hard copy, which becomes problematic when trying to view some of the figures that are hyperlinked to the text in the PDF version. In order to use these hyper-links, students/instructors appear to be required to sign into an online service in order to view the material, which is less than desirable for some individuals. This is in addition to multiple typos, including areas where html tags are still visible instead of the properly formatted text.","grammatical_rating":3,"grammatical_review":"The text contains several grammatical errors including small sections with numerous html tags remaining in text or occasional sentences that end mid-sentence or with half of a word before moving to the next paragraph.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"As this is a chemistry text and questions do not utilizes any cultural perspectives, there is nothing to note.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"This text is easy to read but lacks a more technical perspective that first year chemistry students are expected to learn at the university level. Though the overall organization of the text may be less than desirable for some instructors, the fragmented organization can be easily pieced together through a more modular teaching approach. The text on the whole does not provide substantial depth or technical background in many of the topics discussed. Although it may not be appropriate for the first year university level, it does provide enough depth to supplement a general interest chemistry course or an adult upgrading course for individuals seeking high school equivalency before entering university level coursework. Additionally, the discussion on conversion of imperial units to metric units in Chapter 3 is not relevant in Canada and is not often seen in other chemistry texts used in Canadian universities.\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":240,"first_name":"Daniel","last_name":"Crane","position":"Professor of Chemistry ","institution_name":"University of Northwestern - Saint Paul","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book is intended for students who have never studied chemistry previously; it is not aimed at science majors in higher education.  The topics are appropriate for the beginner in chemistry.  Certain topics, such as kinetics, are not addressed in any detail, but given the mathematical nature of that topic, the omission of kinetics is not surprising.  By comparison, the well-known competing text written by John Hill, Chemistry for Changing Times, does not address either kinetics or equilibrium.  The topics are reasonably comprehensive for the intended audience, but since the book lacks a table of contents and an index (and even lacks a title page!), elements of a book which are specifically mentioned for the criterion of comprehensiveness, three stars in this category seems appropriate.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"There are a few minor problems.  For example, the author chose a poor example for significant digits involving population (a counted number rather than a measured number), and the awkward statement “most naturally occurring elements exist as isotopes” is corrected later in the same chapter with “as a mixture of isotopes.”   Furthermore, binary compounds in which the electronegativity difference of the two elements is 0.4 – 1.9 are described as “definitely polar covalent,” and by this measure sodium iodide would be “definitely polar covalent” rather than ionic.  Figure 9.2, a periodic table, contains several errors (O is given as D, and the electronegativity of sulfur is incorrect).  Some of these errors undoubtedly would not make it past the reviewers and editors of commercial texts.   On the whole, however, the content is reasonably accurate.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The content is up-to-date and should not become obsolete soon.  Updating the text, if deemed necessary in the future, should not prove difficult.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The writing is friendly and informal, perfectly appropriate for its audience and is certainly accessible to anyone of fifteen years of age or older.  Orbital filling is explained well with figures (and words) in terms of the periodic table.  The use of humor is appreciated:  “most wine drinkers don’t like to chew their wine” (referring to the solubility of potassium hydrogen tartrate crystals in chapter 13). ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"No problems in this respect.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is divided into multiple sections, and each section is structured with learning objective(s) and example(s).  A “test yourself” problem(s) for the student follows each example.  At the end of each section is a review called “key takeaways” related to the objective(s) and then a number of other practice exercises.  This layout differs from many textbooks, in which several pages of practice exercises are typically given at the very end of the chapter rather than at the end of each section.  Some will prefer a more conventional layout, but overall the structure of the chapters is consistent and very good.  ","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The organization of the topics is similar to many other textbooks.  No new ground is broken in this respect.  In the preface the author states his reasoning for introducing the concept of chemical change earlier rather than later in the sequence of topics, and even though I prefer an \"atoms first\" approach, his opinion is at least as good as mine.    ","interface_rating":1,"interface_review":"This is easily the worst aspect of the book.  The formatting of special symbols, superscripts, and subscripts is extremely uneven and problematic.  In addition, the representations of isotopes, with superscripted mass numbers and subscripted atomic numbers, often appear extremely fuzzy.  Everything is readable but sometimes doesn’t look good at all.  All of these problems can be fixed, at least in principle, if you have the time and patience, since the text is available in both Word and pdf versions and is easily modified.  Another example of a formatting or an editing problem is obvious at the top of page 50, where the following example is given for significant figures: “take 337/217, you will get the following: 337”  According to the text, twelve digits are supposed to be shown (1.552995392etc., not 337), but none of those digits were visible in the versions that I reviewed.  Many, many problems with the formatting of equations and unit conversions can be found in Chapter 2 alone.  One table in Chapter 7 is ridiculously poorly formatted.  A depiction of the Bohr model of hydrogen (Figure 8.5) shows unequal spacing between successive orbits, but the spacing is backwards: the higher-numbered orbits are closer together than the lower-numbered orbits.   Sometimes the symbol for “stoichiometrically equal to” appears as the symbol for trademark instead!","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The grammar is fine.  ","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive to me, but that is the perspective of an American who has spent less than 1% of his entire life outside the borders of the United States.  Perhaps this criterion is more important for a chemistry textbook than I think it is.  In any case, Ball’s text is no different in this respect than the dozens of other texts I have used in my career as a chemistry instructor.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"Ball tries to stoke the reader’s interest in chemistry with the three essays found in nearly every chapter: the “opening essay,” “chemistry is everywhere,” and “food and drink app.”  These essays are well done and should achieve his purpose with many readers.  \r\nThe text contains fewer figures, diagrams, photos, etc., compared to most other current texts. \r\nThis is a text for introductory chemistry, but even so, no explanation is even attempted, however rudimentary, for some concepts.  Two examples are (1) “ The rule for heterogeneous equilibria is as follows: Do not include the concentrations of pure solids and pure liquids in Keq expressions. Only partial pressures for gas-phase substances or concentrations in solutions are included in the expressions of equilibrium constants” and (2) “To determine the overall voltage of a particular voltaic cell, simply combine the voltages of the oxidation and reduction half reactions.  Even if you need to take a multiple of a half reaction for the electrons to cancel, do not take the multiple of the E1/2.”  In addition, the reader is led to believe that balancing an equation is done completely randomly rather than beginning with the element(s) which appear in only one substance on each side of the equation: “We do this [balancing an equation] one element at a time, going from one side of the reaction to the other, changing the number of molecules of a substance until all elements have the same number of atoms on each side . . . [a]lso, the convention is to use all whole numbers when balancing chemical equations. This sometimes makes us do a bit more “back and forth” work when balancing a chemical equation.”\r\n","created_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":261,"first_name":"Carlos","last_name":"Olivo","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Colorado State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Text covers all the main areas of general chemistry. However, there is lack of picutres in some topics so that students understand the concepts.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Some expressions should be revised (i.e. superscripts and subscripts). Periodic table on page 101 and Table 3.3 on page 108 need to be updated and revised. Some illustrations and images are disproportionated. Some tables are blurry, specially when the equation editor is used.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Contents are up to date. However, reference to the most recent discoveries should be added in future revisions. For example, changes in the Periodic Table. Also, reference to the ACS should be included as an asset for good chemistry and jobs connections.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"Readability is an issue in this text. Pictures and figures are in one page and the explanation stands in the next page. All chapters should begin in new pages. Key takeaways should include key concepts from the chapter, along with definitions. Learning objectives should be quantifiable. Avoid using \"learn\" or \"know\". At least, three objectives should be included per chapter or section.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Font size is not consistent. Other than that, the text is well written and uses the correct chemical vocabulary and terminology. Sections are brief which is good, they focus on little material allowing for studying to be easier for students.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text book is perfect for non-majors and focus on the basic foundations of chemistry.  Some challenging examples or exercises should be added to encourage classroom discussion.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Good organization and sequence of chapters. Topics are presented in a way any non-major student could understand.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"Images should be proportionate to the size of the page. Some equations get blurry when size increases. The way images are presented should have more connection with the material explained.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text is well written using standard English grammar.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Text is not culturally biased and of course, it has many examples  that are relevant to any group and culture.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":612,"first_name":"Matthew","last_name":"Rail","position":"Adjunct Chemistry Instructor","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Given the book's title (Introductory Chemistry), I would say that it successfully attempts to cover most topics which I would associate with an introductory chemistry course (but not a General Chemistry course).  That is, it would be appropriate for an introductory course geared toward non-science majors or for a chemistry course geared toward prospective science majors (i.e. college students who are majoring in science but have never taken a science course before).  I reviewed the book with this in mind and primarily focused on Chapters 1 - 5 and 9, which cover topics often found in introductory courses.  \n\nI would add though that some topics are left out, notably kinetics.  While this is appropriate for a very introductory course, it's not appropriate for a General Chemistry course.  Further, topics like an Introduction to Organic Chemistry, (which was an included topic) ARE appropriate for a General Chemistry course but not for an introductory chemistry course.  Overall, the book does an adequate job of covering topics needed for an introductory course but does a less than adequate job of covering topics needed for a General Chemistry course.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"The sample problems and examples that I reviewed seemed generally accurate.  However, examples used to explain concepts were not always well chosen and I would disagree with certain word choices the author used to explain concepts.  For example, when explaining sig figs, the author seems to treat them as more of a convention that is arbitrary rather than as a practice grounded in scientific and mathematical principles.  In other areas of the text, the author oversimplifies, such as when he explains the octet rule in chapter 9 and says \"...for whatever reason, having eight electrons in a valence shell is a particularly energetically stable arrangement....\"  This is misleading - the reasons behind the octet rule can be explained using MO theory.  It's perfectly acceptable (and more accurate) when introducing the octet rule to say instead that the reasons behind it aren't going to be explained at that time.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Well, it's a chemistry book...and the basic concepts taught in general or introductory chemistry haven't changed a ton in many decades now.  That being said, I would give it good marks for longevity as the author attempts to introduce everyday examples of chemistry in the world around us - in ingredient labels, cooking, etc.  This (hopefully) will make students more interested in the material in the long run.  It suffers though, from not being a bit more interactive.  Perhaps pairing it with YouTube videos, other CC materials or free resources would make it have more staying power.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"In my view, the book has too many errors of grammar to be rated as having good clarity.  It also has poor labeling of diagrams (i.e. Figure 4.3) and no consistent use of state symbols in chemical equations (i.e. first equation in section 4.6 among many others).  It's very important to always use state symbols once they have been introduced.  \n\nI would even say that the sections are often out of order.  For example, section 1.1 introduces the concept of chemistry as the study of matter and energy and their interaction.  But then in section 1.2, the concept of science is introduced.  The concept of science is more fundamental and should be introduced prior to or concurrent with the definition of chemistry.  And how the author defines science is nebulous at best (c.f. his reasoning behind why political science isn't a science - it would be better to not use the example at all or to say that certain branches of political science involve the application of the scientific method to issues in politics).  \n\nAnother confusing statement which demonstrates poor word choice is the statement in Chapter 3 that \"Some elements exist as molecules.\"  It would be much clearer, and much less confusing to new students to say something like \"Some molecules are composed of only one element\" or \"Most elements aren't found in nature in atomic form.\"","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"I would give the book mediocre marks on consistency.  I say this mainly because the book has very inconsistent use of state symbols in chemical equations.  It does have good parallel structure in that it has similar structures for each chapter.  And it has a similar tone throughout the book.  But, it also suffers from a lack of sufficient examples and all the examples are of very similar format (i.e. one or maybe two examples and then practice problems).  I think many of the concepts could be explained in more ways so that they would be accessible to a more diverse body of students.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"i would give the book decent marks on modularity.  The chapters are reasonably stand alone and tend to reference concepts which can be learned about from other sources (i.e. a normal textbook, ChemWiki, Khan Academy, etc.).  The book does reference itself sometimes, but it doesn't seem to do this too much.  I think there are particular concepts the author explains quite well and which could be pulled from the text for a lecture or course packet.  His explanation of unit conversions is good as is his example of why coefficients in chemical equations can refer to atoms/molecules or to moles.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"I commented some on this in my comments on clarity, but I would say the book would get mediocre marks for organization and flow.  Even in chapter 1, the concept of chemistry is introduced explicitly before the concept of science, which strikes me as odd.  Chapter 6 (Gases) seems out of place also - why discuss the theory of gases right after stoichiometry but before bonding (Chapter 9).  It does make sense to put Nuclear Chemistry and Organic Chemistry at the end, but the order of Chapters 6 - 14 is odd to me.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I would give the book a mediocre score for interface.  The graphics are not particularly engaging and, in certain cases they are poorly chosen (i.e. in Figure 4.2 it's difficult to tell a precipitate has formed).  Also, when you click on the links in the text (in the online version) sometimes it snaps to slightly the wrong place.  It should snap to a place where you can still see the title and caption of the Figure, and this isn't generally the case (i.e. Figure 4.1 link or many links in Chapter 3).  Some links don't work i.e. Figure 1.2  Also, some figures don't have complete labeling or have confusing labeling (the label for the nucleus in Figure 3.1 could be confusing to new students).","grammatical_rating":2,"grammatical_review":"I would say the grammar/word choice is mediocre to poor, as I have noted in some of the previous review sections.  To give a further example, in chapter 1, when the author is defining matter, he says that air is \"...thin...\"  This isn't a great word to use to describe air for a chemistry text.  Also in chapter 1, the author, when attempting to describe chemical properties, uses the sentence \"Burning is a chemical property.\"  That's terrible sentence that doesn't make sense.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Well, it's a chemistry text, so this isn't as big of an issue and is more difficult to comment on.  That being said, I suppose the book could try to incorporate more examples of women or minority chemists and their contributions.  Or, in example problems make sure to use a wide array of names which (traditionally) represent men and women.","overall_rating":6,"overall_review":"Overall, I would not use this book (as written) for a chemistry course I am teaching.  But, I would make use of certain example problems and definitions that I think the author has done well.  I think the author made a good effort to make a text which is accessible to introductory students but needed more consistency, editing and thought put into the final product.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1006,"first_name":"Jason","last_name":"Powell","position":"Associate Professor of Chemistry and Physics","institution_name":"Ferrum College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"The topics listed in the Table of Contents are fairly typical of a textbook aimed at an Introductory Chemistry audience. Upon closer examination, these topics receive a surface-level treatment; this is not inappropriate for a one-semester \"bridge\" type course between high school and college-level chemistry. There is no index or glossary, so students would be forced to rely on the sequential organization of the book to find specific information.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"This textbook is representative of a typical introductory chemistry textbook. There are only minor errors and oversimplifications in the text.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"The content relies on longstanding, tried-and-true examples from the field. It will not lose its longevity, but students (and instructors) may find it difficult to connect to the relevance of chemistry to modern issues.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The text has clear explanations written in simple terms. It should be accessible to high school and early college-level students. The explanations are not always the most efficient possible, but neither are those of most chemistry textbooks!","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book entirely self-consistent.","modularity_rating":1,"modularity_review":"The text is very sequential in nature, as chemistry is in general. It would be difficult for an instructor to use the chapters out of the order in which they are presented.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The logical progression through the book is typical of introductory chemistry textbooks.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"The textbook is very sequential, and the formatting is very straightforward and easy to navigate. However, it does very little to grab the reader's attention.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The book has been edited for grammar and spelling. There were only a limited number of grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":2,"cultural_review":"The textbook was designed around the premise that \"Chemistry is Everywhere\", but I don't feel that the case was made very well throughout. There is no culturally offensive content, but there were fewer connections to everyday life than I would have expected.","overall_rating":6,"overall_review":"This book is a good start for an instructor who desires to adapt and develop her or his own supplementary material and examples to flesh out an introductory college-level course. It would readily replace the vast majority of textbooks sold by for-profit publishers in this market, and the effort required by the instructor to adapt the materials would well be worth the effort in terms of cost savings for her or his students.","created_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1283,"first_name":"Mary","last_name":"Coville","position":"Adjunct Instructor","institution_name":"Lane Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"I think this book does a great job of covering almost every topic that you would expect to be taught in an introductory/preparatory chemistry class.  It's missing any discussion of reaction rates though.\n\nThere is no glossary or index and that is a big drawback.  Presumably, you would need to use the find feature of whatever viewing software you are using. This might be tough to do if you are a student reading the book on your phone.\n\nAlso, there is no good illustration of the periodic table.  In the appendix, there is a nice one, but it is split in half over two pages. I've looked at all versions (HTML, PDF and docx) of the text, but there seems to be no way to view the two halves together as a whole.  There is a link provided to a nice periodic table, however.\n\nAnother big drawback is that this book is missing the equivalent of the inside of the front and back covers typically found in a print version of a chemistry text.  Besides the periodic table, you are likely to find a list of elements with their symbols, atomic numbers and atomic masses; a list of common monoatomic and polyatomic ions; a list of common acids and bases; a list of metric prefixes; a list of useful constants and conversion factors.  It would be nice to collect these lists in an appendix so that you don't have to keep flipping through the book to find the information.\n\nI also found the math background that was provided a bit inconsistent.  Showing how to do conversions was well presented.  However, in the section on the pH scale, it is assumed that the student is familiar with and understands what a logarithm is.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I found the book to be almost error free.  There were a few typos, but they didn't seem to be serious.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Some of the terminology seems a little bit dated like \"limiting reagent\" instead of \"limiting reactant,\" but otherwise the content is up-to-date.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This book is quite clearly written.  \n\nMy only objection to the writing style is that the author assumes the student is comfortable with math which is often not true.  He makes statements like \"It should be a trivial task now to extend the calculations to..\" when discussing stoichiometry calculations or \"The calculations are not difficult to do..\" when covering chemical equilibrium and then launching into the quadratic equation.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I did not notice any inconsistencies.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Every chapter is broken down into subsections.  Each subsection ends with \"Key Takeaways\" which summarizes the main points of the subsection and Exercises with the answers to the odd numbered ones provided.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"I agree that the topics in the text are presented in a logical, clear fashion. The only change I would make is to present Chemical Equilibrium before Acids and Bases instead of after.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Reading the HTML version of the text, it was easy to go from subsection to subsection or from chapter to chapter.  You can easily get back to the table of contents at any time and either choose a specific subsection to go to, or if you don't know exactly which subsection you want, you could choose the whole chapter.\n\nYou could also click on the mention of a figure in the text and you would be taken to that figure.  This was usually not necessary as the the figure would be already on the page.\n\nThe PDF and docx versions are a mess, at least on my computer, a five-year-old Mac. In the early chapters, none of the equations display properly.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"One of the overarching themes of the book is that \"chemistry is everywhere,\" so many examples are used that apply to real life.  There are medical references, but I would have liked to have seen more, as many students taking this class are pursuing an allied medical profession.  I also would have liked more environmental chemistry examples.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1552,"first_name":"Xuan ","last_name":"Wang","position":"Visiting Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Colorado State University-Pueblo","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text book covered most of the areas and subject for an introductory chemistry course and provide a great life-related examples on each topic. Topics on “Hund’s rule and electron diagram ” can be added to Chapter 8. Topics on “dipole moment and triple bond ” in Chapter 9. Topics on “cycloalkanes” might be considered to be included in Chapter 16. ","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"Majority of the content are correct. Here are some errors. 1) Some of those figures/Tables are refereed as \"ball-chXX\" or \"ball-chXX_sXX\" in the text. They should be corrected as Table XXX or Figure XX to prevent any confusion. 2) Chapter 12 Acid and Base, the text uses two single headed arrow in the hydrolysis of acetic acid. It should be one double head arrow. 3) Chapter 13. some of those charges for ions needed to be superscripted and the ionization of acetic acid and water need to subscript in their chemical formula. 4) Chapter 7 Example 10. The question listed the three reactions one after another. Those could be separated to avoid any confusion. No Figure 7.1 is given. 5) Chapter 2 page 50 337/217=1.552995391705069. 6) Chapter 8. page 401. There are some random stuff like \" thes block\" seems nothing to do with the content itself. 7) Chapter 15 page 725, Table 15.1 wrong alpha particle representation. 8) Starting from page 783 Chapter 16, the author omit the hydrogen to name the branched hydrocarbons. It will be better to include those hydrogens, since alkane is saturated hydrocarbons, not just carbon chains.  9) page 63. The process to convert 2.77 kg to mg did not include the correct conversion factor. Also one multi-step conversion is not given here. 10) Page 782. In the column of substituent formula, there should be a hypen after the alkyl group.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"All the content is up-to-date. I like the way the author lay out each chapter, starting with interesting facts about chemistry, then subjects with examples and exercise, key takeaways, Chemistry is everywhere. End of chapter review, and comprehensive exercises. The text is written in the way easy to understand, which can be easily implemented.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The text is written in the language at the students' level with learning objectives. Here are some suggestions the author might consider. 1) Some of those learning of objectives could be more measurable (refer to Bloom's Taxonomy). 2) The key strategies (e.g. a table of all SI units in Chapter 2) The key strategies (e.g. List of rule of significant figures for calculation in Chapter 2, general formula to name compound for Chapter 3, and table of functional group and structures for Chapter 16 ) could be summarized separately. 3) In the solution of some example question (especially calculations), it will be helpful if the strategy could be provided. For example, list what information the students could get from question itself, and how they supposed to get to the answer. In calculation problem, students can get easily lost in where they put the values in an equation.  It will benefit to sharpen students' thinking process. ","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Overall, the text is written in a consist manner and easy to follow. One minor thing is that the author bonded those key terms. However, not every key terms is bonded.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The content for each chapter is appropriately divided into sections. The only thing I notice is that one or two figures are two page after the original place where it is mentioned. ","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The topics are well-organized and clear to follow. Again, a strategy provided before the solution of some example question definitely help students think. ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"1)\tsome of those element representation in Chapter 15 are blurry and need to be replaced with a clear image. 2) some captions for figures are running into the text, which could easily confuse student. Format with better contrast (may be more space between the two) should be considered. ","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"only one typo on Page 811. “ Leaving a carboxylate anion.”","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text and examples or stories are inclusive. ","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"I really enjoy reading those facts about chemistry is everywhere in our life. Each chapter starts with chemistry facts and end with interesting stories (range from manufacture, forensic chemistry, food science, engineer, physics, and water chemistry) to show why it is important to learn chemistry. It is exciting. The author also provide some tips for problem solving. ","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1599,"first_name":"Amanda","last_name":"Hakemian","position":"Chemistry Instructor","institution_name":"Normandale Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text touches on most of the areas of chemistry that would be covered in a typical preparatory/introductory chemistry course. In most cases, these topics are covered in appropriate depth. A glaring exception is the periodic table – much of the vocabulary chemists use to talk about the periodic table (such as periods, groups/families, main group, transition metals, alkali metals, etc.) is completely missing from this text.\nThe text does not include an index or a glossary – an index in particular would be very helpful.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"In most cases the chemistry, which is by the nature of the text at a basic level, is accurate. There were a few places, however, where the author appears to be trying to simplify things for his introductory audience and this leads to imprecise language that I believe could be confusing to students. A few examples follow:\n- In section 3.1, when first introducing atomic theory, the word “orbit” is used to describe the motion of electrons around the nucleus. Based on the Bohr model, this is a popular image of the atom - one which many students have been exposed to before taking chemistry. However, the quantum-mechanical atomic model (covered in section 8.2) tells us this is incorrect. As students often have difficult time letting go of the image of electrons in orbit around the nucleus, it would be better to use a different descriptor here rather than reinforcing an incorrect image.\n- When introducing the octet rule in section 9.2, it is stated that “(f)or whatever reason, having eight electrons in a valence shell is a particularly energetically stable arrangement of electrons.” This hand-waving isn’t necessary to keep the discussion at an introductory level. Instead, it could be pointed out to students that eight electrons correspond to full orbitals in both the s and p sublevels, which corresponds with an electron configuration matching that of a noble gas.\n- The opening essay for chapter 12 (Acids and Bases) includes a specious argument that bases are more “potentially dangerous” than acids, based on the difference in mass of the hydroxide and hydrogen ions. This argument is illustrated by comparing the hazards of household cleaners with the fact that many food contain acids. Comparing the concentrated bases found in some cleaners with the low concentrations of weak acids in foods sets the students up for lots of conceptual misunderstandings.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The science content of the text is up-to-date, and given that it is at an introductory level, won’t be changing anytime soon. The examples are written in such a way that though they are current, they are not trendy and should not seem quickly dated.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"Ball writes in a clear, straightforward style, and he does a good job of defining vocabulary as it comes up. I believe students would find the text accessible, if dry.\nA place where clarity could be improved is the figures. Many times, information is present in as text or as a table, when something more visual would have significantly more impact. For example, the charges of common ions are presented as a list. If this information were presented overlaid on the periodic table, it would be easy for students to notice that certain groups of elements share the same ionic charge.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Chapters are organized in a consistent manner, and I did not notice any inconsistencies in terminology.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The chapters of the text are divided into sections that would easily allow organization into short readings assignments. It would also be possible to only cover portions of a chapter, or to cover chapters out of order.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The material is organized in a “chemistry first” order, rather than an “atoms first” approach. There are certainly pros and cons to both approaches, and an instructor who wanted to cover material in an “atoms first” order could present the topics in that order.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"Online text: somewhat functional, and basic. Many links did not work, including links into/out of the “Appendix: Periodic Table of the Elements” (this is particularly unfortunate since it is common to want to quickly open a periodic table).\nPDF: A linked table of contents, and hyperlinks within the PDF, would both go a long way to the usability of the PDF.\nBoth editions contained references to figures that were not included. Additionally, the text would be greatly improved by the inclusion of an index.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"There were a handful of grammar minor errors, such as an its/it’s substitution.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Though this is not generally applicable to this type of textbook, I can say there was nothing “insensitive or offensive” in the text.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"There are enough small issues with this text that I do not think I would adopt it for a preparatory/introductory chemistry course. However, I could see myself using sections or chapters as reading assignments for a liberal-arts chemistry course – perhaps with minor modification, which is allowed by the CC license.","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":2844,"first_name":"Poupak","last_name":"Khazaeli-Parsa","position":"College Instructor","institution_name":"College of Marin","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text book covers more than necessary topics for an introductory chemistry as a prerequisite for General chemistry. The PDF version doesn’t include the table of contents.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Content is accurate although there are some errors. For example, in 9.7 End-of-Chapter Material, the questions and answers are not matching.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Introductory chemistry hasn’t changed for years, although the real-life examples are up-to-date and can easily be changed. ","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"Most of the topics have been clearly explained, there are some that might need to be explained better. For example in bond polarity table,  0.4 difference between electronegativities might be considered for either “slightly polar covalent” or “definitely polar covalent” bond. There are also questions about expanded octet Lewis structures, (question 9 in  9.7 End-of-Chapter Material), that can’t be answered by the information provided in the text book","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text book is following the same pattern in all chapters. Each chapter include learning objective, key takeaway, examples and exercises with answers. ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The titles and subtitles in each chapter divided the text book in to small reading sections. Bookmarks in PDF version is not showing the titles. PDF abilities hasn’t been used to facilitate access to the chapters.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"In most of the text book topics are presenting in reasonable order. Although not always. For example it makes more sense if polarity of the bonds and polarity of the molecules come after molecular shape. Also appendixes are missing and the last page periodic table, is cut to two pages.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The simple page design makes the text book easy to read. Although more illustrations can make the topic more attractive. In general, the text book doesn’t have enough pictures. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Not noticeable grammatical error.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Not culturally in sensitive or offensive in any way.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2019-04-26T02:34:53.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-04-26T02:34:53.000-05:00"},{"id":3278,"first_name":" Adam","last_name":" Wenz","position":"Associate Professor of Chemistry","institution_name":"Flathead Valley Community College \u0026 TRAILS","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The coverage in most areas is appropriate for the level of student who would be using this text. \r\n\r\nA couple of things could be added:\r\n- The table of polyatomic ions in chapter 3 should add permanganate, hypochlorite, and chlorite.  Those are also fairly common ions that most other texts include.\r\n\r\n- The halogens are described on the periodic table, but the locations of the alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, noble gases, and rare earth metals should also be included.  This is the first text I have seen that does not include them.\r\n\r\nSome areas potentially cover more info than is needed for the intended audience:\r\n- Quantum numbers are often not covered in books at this level – though I would accept that it is merely a matter of preference.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Page 182 – the example that refers to the Grand Canyon being formed because the rocks were dissolved is inaccurate.  Wouldn’t the suspended material (silt, sand, larger rocks) have a much greater contribution to the canyon’s formation than anything related to the solubility of the rocks in water?  The canyon formed because the Colorado River downcut through the rocks as the Colorado Plateau was being uplifted, from a geologic perspective.\r\n\r\nOther than the aforementioned example above, I did not see any other issues with accuracy.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Fortunately, most of the topics in a book like this are not going to change anytime soon.  The one exception would be the information given on the periodic tables in the book.  The version being used could be made current, as it is missing the most recently named elements (since roughly 2010).","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Topics are described clearly, and there are many references to figures and tables in order to better convey certain information.  The text is written at a level appropriate for the intended audience.  Photos and figures used in the text are generally well-designed and not blurry.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Chapters are set up in a very consistent framework, starting with an introduction before leading into the topics being covered.  Wording and terminology are quite consistent throughout the text.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"The structure is a bit choppy in the sense that the information is frequently interrupted by exercises.  This is distracting to me as a reader, but it may also be a matter of preference.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Organization of the chapters is similar to other textbooks of this type.  The instructor can cover the chapters in whichever order is desired.\r\n\r\nI would suggest placing the answers to in-text questions to someplace other than immediately after the questions themselves.  This does not seem conducive to student learning to have the answers on the same page as the questions.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"There is no index, nor is there a table of contents.  There is a lot of information in this book, which is good, but finding it is difficult at best. \r\n\r\nThe periodic table provided in Ch. 17 is highly distorted and very difficult to read.  It also needs to be updated with elements that have been named in the last 10 years.  The coloring on this table is good though, and helps to show different parts of the periodic table.\r\n\r\nThere are quite a few instances of when the text tries to refer to a specific figure or table, it instead shows a placeholder (the exercises on pages 504 and 505 are a good example of this).\r\n\r\nFonts are inconsistent throughout the text, and will change size or type multiple times on the same page.\r\n\r\nSuperscripts used for showing exponents or ionic charges are not consistently formatted.  Sometimes they are correct, and other times they are not.\r\n\r\nMany equations used to show how to do calculations look very blurry and could certainly be reformatted to look readable.  Some formulas suffer from bad formatting (i.e. temperature conversions in chapter 2), so they end up giving a completely incorrect formula.\r\n\r\nTables (especially the one showing enthalpy values) need significant reformatting in order to be readable.\r\n\r\nIn short, if someone were to go through and systematically rewrite all formulas, tables, and equations, it would really improve the readability of the textbook.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not run across any errors in grammar.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not see any issues here.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Please note that this review is of the PDF version of this textbook.  This could be a decent textbook for a one-semester course that introduces first-year, non-science majors to chemistry.  It would not be appropriate for a higher level general chemistry course or one that is multiple semesters in length.  If the issues I mentioned in the other parts of this review were addressed, I think this text would serve the intended audience well.","created_at":"2019-11-11T22:35:47.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-11-11T22:35:47.000-06:00"},{"id":3464,"first_name":"Mary","last_name":"Coville","position":"Adjunct Instructor","institution_name":"Lane Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"All the topics that you would expect to teach in an introductory chemistry course are covered appropriately except kinetics/reaction rates.  However, there is no index or glossary.  There’s also no good periodic table.  ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I found no major errors.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Chemistry at this level doesn’t change much over the decades. Some of the language is a little bit dated, for example using limiting reagent instead of limiting reactant.  Also, the word “stoichiometry” often doesn’t appear in introductory texts anymore.\r\n\r\nIn the “Chemistry is Everywhere” boxes, it would be nice to see some examples from this century instead of describing events that took place in the 80’s or 90’s.\r\n\r\nIn chapter 3, there is a list of 56 “common” elements to be memorized including ones like tantalum and scandium.  I think the list needs to be somewhat shorter, or some rationale should be presented as to why each element in the list is important.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I find this book to be very readable and written in simple language appropriate for beginning level students and English-language learners.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"In the acids and bases chapter, the author flips between using H+ and H3O+.  It's a small inconsistency, but can be annoying to introductory level students.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each section of each chapter begins with learning objectives, has examples in the text, and ends with exercises.  ","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"In chapter 3, there is a list of monoatomic ions which the student is instructed to memorize.  In chapter 9, you learn that atoms will form specific ions to satisfy the octet rule.  At no point is the reader shown how to use the periodic table to determine the charge on an ion formed from a representative element.\r\n\r\nThe book could use an appendix with a good up-to-date periodic table, a list of elements and symbols, list of ions, etc.  ","interface_rating":1,"interface_review":"The PDF version gets a 1 as equations don’t display properly and many figures don’t show up.  The online version gets a 3.  The equations are fine, but many figures are not visible.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The examples seem chosen to be neutral – relating a historical event, like the explosion of the Hindenburg or describing a factual situation, like the varying thickness of old glass panes.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"If it weren't for the problems with equations and figures not displaying correctly, I would use this book.","created_at":"2020-01-05T09:30:57.000-06:00","updated_at":"2020-01-05T09:30:57.000-06:00"},{"id":3512,"first_name":"Beth","last_name":"Manhat","position":"Chemistry Instructor","institution_name":"Linn-Benton Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"I am looking for an introductory chemistry book for foundations material (prep chem) and was only interested in specific Chapters of this book and my review focuses on those chapters. The first few chapters would cover a majority of the topics needed in a prep chem class. It also has images, examples, and explanations as needed for most students. The rest of the text does include most topics covered in General Chemsitry.\r\n\r\nThere are some answers for in-text exercises, but not all of them. The book does not have table of contents, index, glossary, or appendix. For a prep chem class, not all of these may be needed if the necessary information is included within the chapters, however, a table of contents would be needed for my use as an OER. ","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The book's chapters I reviewed appeared to have accurate chemistry information. ","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The topics for a prep chem class are valid. It also included some good examples with answers and examples for students to practice; this is not always the case for OERs. \r\n","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"For the most part, the book was clear for terms of word choice (for my relevant chapters). ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book appeared consistent. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book was broken up into sub-units for easier processing. The books also had many examples highlighted in color-coded boxes for easier recognition. ","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The logic of material within the chapter was, in general, clear and logical. The ordering of the chapters was conceptual then math, which I had not seen before, but was appropriate. ","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Without a table of contents, it took more time  to scroll in order to identify relevancy for this OER. It would also be helpful to have Chapters or sections in the headings/footer while scrolling. Some of the images and proof of concepts were blurry and these may not be accessible for all students. Some of the tables extended onto more than 1 page, with the question on 1 and the answer on the other. This can make it difficult for some students to follow. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I didn't notice any grammar errors or inconsistencies. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"No cultural insensitivity or offensiveness noted.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2020-01-15T11:02:49.000-06:00","updated_at":"2020-01-15T11:02:49.000-06:00"},{"id":34525,"first_name":"Chandana","last_name":"Meegoda","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Northeastern Illinois University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This is a comprehensive introductory chemistry textbook intended to provide a fundamental understanding of chemistry. It covers many topics, including: the basic principles of chemistry, atomic and molecular structure, chemical reactions, chemical bonding, acid base chemistry, nuclear chemistry, organic chemistry, and applications of chemistry. It is well-organized and provides clear explanations to help students grasp the subject matter. It is thorough and reliable, preparing students to have a strong foundation in the fundamentals of chemistry.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"This book has been written by an experienced educator and has gone through many reviews by other experts in the field. The topics covered in this book are based on well-established scientific principles, and the examples and explanations provided in the book are very accurate. As with any scientific book, it is possible there are occasional errors or omissions in this book. Regardless, the reader should feel comfortable that the information provided is generally accurate and trustworthy.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This book is relevant for students who are taking chemistry as an introductory course or a general education course. The topics in this book address the basic principles of chemistry, which are essential for building a good foundation of the subject. The book also presents many real-world examples of chemistry, which would demonstrate the relevance of subject matter. Many real-world examples such as food chemistry, environmental chemistry and pharmaceutical chemistry are introduced to the reader to make the subject matter more engaging and relatable.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The introductory chemistry by David Ball is clearly a well-written book. The book is easy to follow, and the explanations and examples given are appropriate even for students with little to no prior knowledge of chemistry. The contents in this book are organized in a logical and coherent structure, making it simple to navigate and find specific topics. The chapters are divided into manageable sections, and important topics are highlighted and reinforced with sample exercises. Diagrams, charts, and illustrations provided assist students in conceptualizing and clarifying difficult concepts.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book is written in a clear logical structure and the material presented is consistent and coherent. Although the book covers a wide range of topics in introductory chemistry, the text maintains a consistent focus on the fundamental principles of the subject. In general, the text is well-integrated and logically connected. Chapter summaries, review questions and exercises are helpful in maintaining consistency. This allows students to apply what they have learned in a consistent and effective manner.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book has been divided into modules that can be easily followed and studied independently from one another. The instructor can customize these modules by selecting specific chapters or sections to focus on depending on the course requirement. The modular approach allows students to focus on one specific topic without being overwhelmed by the subject. Breaking down difficult concepts into more manageable modules is extremely useful for instructors and students alike.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book is structured well, with each chapter building upon the foundational principles established in previous chapters. Chapters are clearly labeled and organized and are divided into smaller manageable sections. The information presented is well connected to the broader concepts covered in the chapter. Many helpful features, such as chapter summaries, review questions, and exercises further support its organization.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The interface of the textbook depends on the specific format being used. All features can be accessed with the online version of the textbook and certain features are not accessible with the pdf version.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The book is high in quality, with sentences that are well-constructed and easy to understand. The use of technical terms is appropriate and well defined. The book has been edited and reviewed to ensure that the grammar and syntax are accurate and consistent throughout. A consistent writing style is maintained throughout the book, effectively conveying the fundamental principles of chemistry.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The focus of the book is on the fundamental principles of chemistry rather than on cultural or social issues related to chemistry. However, historical context in which certain discoveries were made, or the ways in which chemistry has impacted society are discussed.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Introductory chemistry by David Ball is a well-written textbook for students who are new to the field of chemistry or for students who are seeking a good foundation on the fundamentals of chemistry. This textbook will be a very valuable source for both students and instructors.","created_at":"2023-04-21T20:08:37.000-05:00","updated_at":"2023-04-21T20:08:37.000-05:00"},{"id":35292,"first_name":"Damilola","last_name":"Akintayo","position":"Lecturer","institution_name":"Metropolitan State University of Denver","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"\"Introductory Chemistry\" provides a well-rounded foundation for introductory chemistry, addressing topics from the basics of matter, atomic theory, and bonding to more advanced subjects like equilibrium, nuclear chemistry, and a brief introduction to organic chemistry. The clear progression and logical flow ensure that fundamental principles are established early, allowing students to build on them throughout the course.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The textbook is accurate and reflects the standards of introductory chemistry education. Each topic is presented with scientific precision, and examples are clearly explained. The inclusion of real-world applications further demonstrates the textbook's reliability and alignment with foundational chemistry principles.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This textbook remains relevant to current chemistry education needs by focusing on core concepts. Real-life examples in \"Chemistry Is Everywhere\" sections bring practical applications of chemistry into focus, enhancing the subject's relatability and fostering long-term engagement for students​.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is accessible and easy to follow, with straightforward language and examples that cater to a diverse audience, including those with minimal prior knowledge. Definitions, key points, and exercises at the end of sections reinforce comprehension.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The material is consistently organized, with each chapter clearly divided into sections with learning objectives and exercises, ensuring the smooth progression from simpler to more complex concepts. This consistency aids both students and instructors in navigating the material efficiently​.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each chapter stands independently, enabling instructors to customize lesson plans by focusing on specific topics without disrupting the overall flow of the course. This modularity is advantageous for flexible curriculum design and allows students to grasp topics at their own pace.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The textbook's structure is intuitive and systematic, starting with foundational concepts and progressing to complex topics. Each chapter builds logically on the previous one, promoting cumulative learning​.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The digital version of the textbook is easy to navigate, though minor formatting inconsistencies may appear depending on the viewing device. These issues, however, do not impact the readability or usability of the content.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text is grammatically sound, with clear, concise sentences and correct usage of technical terms. The overall readability is high, reflecting careful editing​.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"While the text predominantly focuses on the scientific aspects of chemistry, it does touch on historical and real-world applications that may connect with various cultural contexts, making it generally inclusive and relevant for a diverse audience​.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"\"Introductory Chemistry\" is a well-organized and accessible textbook suitable for introductory chemistry students. Its emphasis on practical applications and logical structure makes it an invaluable resource for both instructors and students.","created_at":"2024-10-28T12:57:22.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-10-28T12:57:22.000-05:00"},{"id":35436,"first_name":"Stefan","last_name":"Tsonchev","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Northeastern Illinois University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book provides a thorough discussion of chemistry for students who have never studied the subject. It covers the fundamental principles of science, and chemistry in particular, the importance of making measurements, atomic and molecular structure, chemical equations and chemical equilibrium. The book emphasizes the major chemical reaction categories, such as neutralization of acids and bases, and oxidation-reduction reactions. It introduces electronic structure and chemical bonds in a well organized manner, as well as condensed matter systems, such as solids and liquids, including solutions. It contains introductory chapters on nuclear chemistry, organic chemistry and polymers. Overall, the book provides a starting point to anyone who is interested in learning more about science and chemistry.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The book is overall accurate, with some issues that need to be addressed by the teacher using the book. As it is typical for an introductory text, there are areas where it is difficult to introduce certain definitions and concepts at the the introductory level. One inaccuracy that should not be in the book is the confusion about the ancient Greek idea about the atom, and the modern atomic theory. Using the Greek term \"atomos\" to name the atoms in modern science was a misnomer, creating confusion, and the ancient Greeks' idea about an indivisible particle has nothing to do with what we cal atoms today. This needs to be emphasized and explained clearly.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This book is most relevant to students who are taking chemistry in order to satisfy a General Education requirement. In that context, the book is rather useful in providing examples from everyday life, thus demonstrating how science is used everywhere, and how it affects everything we do, from nutrition and health issues to industry. In that regard, due to the rapid advancements in areas like nanoscience and medicine, the book will have to be updated and revised from time to time, if it is to continue to be among the major introductory chemistry texts used in colleges and universities nationwide.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The text in this book is written in a clear and organized manner. Each topic is discussed thoroughly, while the students are given examples to illustrate the point being made. For instance, in Chapter 2 there is a very good discussion illustrating how numbers in science are meaningless without the physical units associated with them. A lot of good examples are provided there, teaching the students how to convert units as well. However, the book would benefit from adding more pictures and illustrations to emphasize certain points and concepts. Chapter 6 on gases would benefit a lot from a few more pictures. Also, in Chapter 5, a picture illustrating the concept of the mole would be quite helpful.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The book is clearly organized in a self-consistent manner. After the fundamental concepts are introduced, they are applied to the main areas of chemistry. In this regard, the book follows the standard established for such introductory science courses, to define and establish the basics of the theory first, and then illustrate and apply them in several different areas comprising the essence of the subject. Some minor issues may be pointed out, like in Figure 4.3 it must be pointed out that the ions are sodium and chloride, and then the appropriate orientation of the water molecules relative to the solvated ions must be shown, which is currently not the case.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Overall, the book is well separated into individual modules. This allows the instructors to choose the order in which they teach the course. The order presented in the book is itself a good choice, thus making it easier for most instructors who do not wish to organize their lectures on their own. A few improvements could be made, nonetheless. For instance, there is no need to define acids and bases in Chapter 3, as the author has chosen to do. Rather, they can be defined in their own Chapter 12, keeping the topic on its own. Also, the topic of oxidation and reduction reactions deserves its own chapter, as most textbooks tend to present it. The Periodic table of elements also deserves a separate chapter instead of being put in an appendix. I would also put the topic of Polymers into a separate chapter, in view of their increasing importance and applications.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The book is organized well, it is consistent, and students should be able to follow the ideas and the topics without any problems and assuming no prior knowledge of chemistry and natural science. For instance, Chapter 8 provides a very well organized presentation of the electronic structure of atoms. Yet, some minor adjustments and changes would make the organization of the book even better. For example, in Chapter 16, Organic Chemistry, I would rather introduce all functional groups in a table early in the chapter, and then proceed with examples illustrating the properties due to each functional group, instead of starting with randomly chosen examples.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface is clear and well chosen when it comes to the order in which the topics are organized. I do believe the book will greatly benefit from adding more pictures, tables and illustrations.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I have found no issues with the grammar and terminology of the book. The ideas are presented in a clear and logical manner. It seems the book has been proofread and edited to the point where it could be used by anyone who is interested in chemistry and science in general but has no background in those areas.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This book is an excellent introduction to chemistry for people outside of the field. It provides plenty of examples showing the relevance of chemistry and science in general to society and in our everyday life. As such, the book is a valuable educational tool for a broad audience not only in colleges and universities but to anyone who is curious to learn more about themselves and the world.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I strongly recommend this book to instructors teaching introductory chemistry and to students who are interested to learn chemistry in the context of General education, as required by colleges and universities. It is also a pleasant reading for anyone who wants to start learning about science.","created_at":"2025-04-09T00:44:14.000-05:00","updated_at":"2025-04-09T00:44:14.000-05:00"},{"id":35470,"first_name":"Shawn","last_name":"Korman","position":"Faculty Chair","institution_name":"Rio Salado College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook does appropriately cover the topics needed for an Introductory Chemistry text.  However, I was not able to find a glossary which might make it difficult for students to use efficiently.  I would have liked to have seen a lot more graphics though as this book is heavy in the area of text.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"During my review of this book, I did not find an errors or misinformation.  The content was well explained and appropriate for this level of chemistry.  The examples were well written and the in-lesson examples had explanations to go with them which is vital to student understanding.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Most chemistry texts would meet this need but yes, this text used up to date information including appropriate periodic tables with the latest elements.  Due to the format though, the image was cut in half which might be misleading to students.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I found that to be very true for this textbook.  The level was on point with what you would want introductory students to be focusing on.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text was consistent in its terminology and felt familiar as you started moving from chapter to chapter.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I felt this was one of the strongest aspects of this textbook.  A student could easily see where good \"break points\" would be.  The use of example problems also helps them see where the breaks are.  I would have like to have seen explanations with the keys for the end-of-chapter questions though.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"It is clear and easy to understand.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"As mentioned above, there was an issue with the periodic table image but that was intentional.  I just do not like the feel of that format.  The links I clicked on all worked.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"None found.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"Through the use of more images (mentioned above), the author could integrate more inclusivity in the text.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"It was a nicely laid out textbook with great content.  Just needs some more images to really connect the learning for the students.","created_at":"2025-05-07T18:32:19.000-05:00","updated_at":"2025-05-07T18:32:19.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/introductory-chemistry","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:01:53.000-06:00"},{"id":40,"title":"The Basics of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2011,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":"","accessibility_features":[],"description":"The Basics of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry by David W. Ball, John W. Hill, and Rhonda J. Scott is for the one-semester General, Organic and Biological Chemistry course. The authors designed this textbook from the ground up to meet the needs of a one-semester course. It is 20 chapters in length and approximately 350-400 pages; just the right breadth and depth for instructors to teach and students to grasp. In addition, The Basics of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry is written not by one chemist, but THREE chemistry professors with specific, complimentary research and teaching areas. David W. Ball's specialty is physical chemistry, John W. Hill's is organic chemistry, and finally, Rhonda J. Scott's background is in enzyme and peptide chemistry. These three authors have the expertise to identify and present only the most important material for students to learn in the GOB Chemistry course. These experienced authors have ensured their text has ample in-text examples, and ”Test Yourself“ questions following the examples so students can immediately check their comprehension. The end-of-chapter exercises will be paired, with one answered in the back of the text so homework can easily be assigned and self-checked. The Basics of General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry by David W. Ball, John W. Hill, and Rhonda J. Scott is the right text for you and your students if you are looking for a GOB textbook with just the right amount of coverage without overdoing the concepts and overwhelming your students.","contributors":[{"id":2577,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":"Dr","first_name":"David","middle_name":"W","last_name":"Ball","location":"Cleveland State University","background_text":"Dr. David W. Ball is a professor of chemistry at Cleveland State University in Ohio. He earned his PhD from Rice University in Houston, Texas. His specialty is physical chemistry, which he teaches at the undergraduate and graduate levels. About 50% of his teaching is in general chemistry: chemistry for nonscience majors, GOB, and general chemistry for science and engineering majors. In addition to this text, he is the author of a math review book for general chemistry students, a physical chemistry textbook with accompanying student and instructor solutions manuals, and two books on spectroscopy (published by SPIE Press). He is coauthor of a general chemistry textbook (with Dan Reger and Scott Goode), whose third edition was published in January 2009. His publication list has over 180 items, roughly evenly distributed between research papers and articles of educational interest."},{"id":2578,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":"Dr","first_name":"John","middle_name":"W","last_name":"Hill","location":"University of Wisconsin","background_text":"Dr. John W. Hill is professor emeritus from the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. He earned his PhD from the University of Arkansas. As an organic chemist, he has more than 50 publications in refereed journals, most of which have an educational bent. He has authored or coauthored several introductory level chemistry textbooks, all of which have gone into multiple editions. He has also presented over 60 papers at national conferences, many relating to science education. He has received several awards for outstanding teaching and has long been active in the American Chemical Society—both locally and nationally."},{"id":2579,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":"Dr","first_name":"Rhonda","middle_name":"J","last_name":"Scott","location":"Southern Adventist University","background_text":"Dr. Rhonda J. Scott is a professor of chemistry at Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee. She earned her PhD from the University of California at Riverside and has a background in enzyme and peptide chemistry. Previous to Southern Adventist, she taught at Loma Linda University and the University of Wisconsin–River Falls. In the past 10 years, she has made several presentations at national American Chemical Society meetings and other workshops and conferences. She has also been very active in the development of teaching materials, having reviewed or contributed to other textbooks and test banks."}],"subjects":[{"id":38,"name":"Chemistry","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QD31.3","visible_textbooks_count":31,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/chemistry"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":524,"url":"http://saylordotorg.github.io/text_the-basics-of-general-organic-and-biological-chemistry/","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:40.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:40.000-05:00","name":"Saylor Foundation"}],"formats":[{"id":923,"type":"PDF","url":"https://2012books.lardbucket.org/pdfs/introduction-to-chemistry-general-organic-and-biological.pdf","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":924,"type":"Online","url":"http://saylordotorg.github.io/text_the-basics-of-general-organic-and-biological-chemistry/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4","textbook_reviews_count":27,"reviews":[{"id":251,"first_name":"Brian","last_name":"Kalet","position":"Academic Success Coordinator","institution_name":"Colorado State University","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text is intended for a one semester general, organic, biochemistry course and as such would not be appropriate for a standalone general chemistry course, organic chemistry course or biochemistry course.  There is no index or glossary.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The text is generally accurate.  However, some typos do exist.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The content is generally up to date and updates should be easy to incorporate.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is very accessible and technical terms are defined appropriately.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Ionic species representation needs to be consistent.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The text is easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections, however, having an interactive table of contents would be helpful.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The material flows in a logical sequence.  However, it is difficult to jump directly to a specific chapter or figure.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"Being able to jump to a specific chapter or figure would be beneficial to students.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"Some typos exist.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"The biological examples are useful.  Figures should be numbered so they can be referenced in class.","created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":263,"first_name":"Paul","last_name":"Laybourn","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Colorado State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Overall, this textbook covers all the appropriate topics to the depth necessary for a one semester course on general, organic and biological chemistry.  This textbook includes units of measurement, calculations and the mathematics background necessary top promote quantitative thinking without burying the student in problem sets.  The only omission is Gibbs free energy.  No index, bookmarks or glossary are provided.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"No factual or conceptual errors in this test were noted and the topics and concepts were all presented in an unbiased manner.  There are a few spaces missing between some the words.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Basic general, organic and biological chemistry are not topics that are rapidly being modified or updates with new findings each year so this textbook will remain relevant for many years.  Each chapter and section begins with learning objectives and ends with example problems and exercises and the key takeaway point.  Each chapter begins with descriptions of how the chapter topic relates to health and societal issues, most of which are not likely to become irrelevant in the future.  The topics are well subdivided so updating any revised sections should be easily done.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The text descriptions of chemical concepts clearly written and set at the appropriate level for the intended audience.  All key scientific terms are defined in place and all the writing is direct and clear with a minimum of extraneous verbiage.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This text is written and organized logically and consistently.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"As mentioned previously, the textbook topics are divided between the chapters and subdivided with each chapter.  It will quite easy for instructors to pick an choose topics and subtopics the wish to assign for their course.  Changing the order of topic assignment should present no problems.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The textbook topics and chapters begin with a definition of science, chemistry in the context of all scientific disciplines and core chemical concepts and skills.  The text then progresses through the essential general chemistry, organic chemistry and biochemical topics with a logical distribution between chapters and in an order that build progressively on previous topics.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The textbook provides no other means than scrolling through the pdf to navigate through the chapters.  Clear, consistent color coding and heading are provided throughout.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The text is free of grammatical error.  There are a few spaces that are missing, perhaps being lost in the generation of the pdf.","cultural_rating":2,"cultural_review":"No culturally insensitive content was included.  However, the textbook could be improved through more inclusive examples, applications and cultural relevance.  For example, health disparities between U.S. ethnic groups and between countries.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"This textbook is intended for a one semester survey course, perhaps for pre-nursing students, etc.  In addition, I believe portions of this textbook could be assigned for background and review of core general and organic chemistry topics for students in more advanced biochemistry courses.","created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":591,"first_name":"Beth","last_name":"Manhat","position":"Adjunct Professor","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This open course textbook introduces the fundamental of general chemistry (measurements, atomic structure, compounds, energy, reactions, etc), introduces structure and reactions of organic chemistry, and ends with rather substantial chapters on biochemistry.  My interest is with the general chemistry for a prep class. This book contains all the necessary pieces, good figures, and exercises for the purpose of a fundamental chemistry class. I wish the book had a table of contents with pages to navigate the pdf more effectively","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The general chemistry information appears accurate and fundamental.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Introductory chemistry has been fundamentally unchanged. This book present conventional material in a way that can ensure it application.  The types of problems are expected for the level of the writing for this book.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The figures in the early chapters (1-5) make the material more straight forward for understanding. The book had bolded words for clarity, and use adequate tone and description for this level.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text uses the appropriate terms and tone to describe fundamental structure, bonding, and steps for quantitative relationships. I also found the step description easy to follow.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Again the use of a table of contents with page numbers would be helpful here. It is difficult to know how far to \"scroll\" while working blind on chapter lengths and pages.  However, the authors break up the existing text well with figures, captions, and problems to solve.  There are heading fr sections, color coding for problems, and obvious organization to the reader.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The flow and organization of the book is logical. The authors begin with basic general chemistry, increasing complexity through compounds, reactions, energy, and acid base solutions, before reaching organic, and biochemistry.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I found a few images to be blurry, but well used. The colored boxes for problems were helpful, but often much larger than the text of the questions. I found this to be somewhat distracting.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find grammatical, spelling, or significant formatting errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not detect cultural exclusion or offense.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I appreciate the fundamental and straight-to-the-point angle of this book for any GOB class. I would greatly prefer a table of contents for easier navigation.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":747,"first_name":"Kenneth","last_name":"Friedrich","position":"Instructor of Chemistry","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"As the title suggests this book covers the basics of GOB chemistry.  It includes all the appropriate material for a one semester GOB course.  The book brings in organic chemistry topics earlier than many books allowing students to see the links between the various branches of chemistry.  Roughly half the book is devoted to general chemistry and there is a large focus on metabolism at the end.  A table of contents and easy method to move around in the PDF would be preferable.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"In general the information in the book is accurate.  There are a few typos and minor font issues as with any text.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The scientific information in the book is not dramatically changing.  The contents should hold up for many years.  The book does a good job of helping students understand the relevance of chemistry in their lives.  Each chapter has sections that tell students about various careers in science and how the information relates to human health.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The book is well written and gets right to the important information without being wordy.  It is written with beginning students in mind.  It could benefit from more particle level diagrams in the general chemistry chapters to help students with the visualization of various concepts.  However, I wish some of the diagrams and flow charts made for this text were in more texts.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book is very consistent in its presentation of topics.  It uses the same language throughout to help students link various topics in chemistry.  Each chapter points out important terminology with bolded words.  Learning objectives, examples, skill-building exercises, concept review exercises, key takeaways and exercises are all clearly labeled and presented in the same order in each chapter.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is broken down into small bite-sized chunks of material with many practice exercises.  I think students would benefit from this approach.   Learning objectives, examples, skill-building exercises, concept review exercises, key takeaways and exercises are all clearly labeled and presented in the same order in each chapter.  The lack of an easy way to navigate to each of the chapter sections makes it difficult to move around in the book.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book is organized in a typical fashion for GOB chemistry books.   General chemistry topics are first followed by organic chemistry topics and finally biochemistry topics.  The topics in each section are covered in a logical progression.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"The lack of a table of contents and an easy way to navigate to each of the chapter sections makes it difficult to move around in the book.  Some sections are divided by page breaks.  All chapters and sections within them are clearly labeled and color coded.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"In general there are no grammatical errors.  There are a few typos as with any text.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive.  ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Currently our college has a year long course for our GOB series 3 quarters). If we had a two quarter GOB I would very seriously consider adopting this book. ","created_at":"2016-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1099,"first_name":"David","last_name":"Canoy","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Chemeketa Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Assuming this book is for an entry level class of students preparing to take a human anatomy and physiology course, it is very thorough in the area of chemistry and acceptably thorough in cell biology.  There is a complete glossary at the end of each relevant chapter and a complete index at the end of the book.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The accuracy is excellent and up to date.  I found no errors or bias.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This book would be very useful for an instructor who wishes to introduce students to the basics of chemistry and cell biology in preparation for enrolling in a more advanced human physiology course.  The topics are general enough that they are not likely to become out of date.  The inclusion of historical information and descriptions of professional fields related to the topics adds to the relevance.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The logical sequence of information in this book keeps it clear for the reader.  The availability of the glossary at the end of each chapter also keeps the terminology accessible and understandable.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The consistency for the most part is very good.  There is a break in how chapter questions are organized between the sections on chemistry in contrast to those about biology.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"Two large chapters with many subheadings are chapter 3 (general and organic chemistry combined) and chapter 7 (combining nutrition, digestion, energy, reaction rates, photosynthesis and enzymes).  Within the subtopics some instructors will probably want to eliminate some details (i.e. calculating pOH, discussion of s,p,d,f orbitals or free energy).","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"This is a very well organized book and the topics are well connected.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"This book is free of any poorly constructed images.  The color and detail is excellent.  The copy I examined did have a structural problem at the end of chapter 7 where the summary and review questions were repeated.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No errors found","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Contributions by more women and minorities could add to the historical notes in this text.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"It is always tempting to want to add more to texts we use in our classes.  In this case I would have liked to see more details about cellular structure (ER and Golgi Apparatus).  I would also add a section to Unit 3 on patterns of human genetics/inheritance.","created_at":"2017-04-11T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-04-11T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1427,"first_name":"Sean","last_name":"Breslin","position":"Professor of Chemistry","institution_name":"Umpqua Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text lives up to its stated purpose.  It covers basic parts of general, organic, and biological chemistry but without much depth.  It avoids frilly language and is written in a style with its audience in mind.  The authors' choice of health applications were well thought out and appropriate.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Other than a few minor typos, I couldn't find any glaring errors.  Many scanned figures are blurry but still readable and correct.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The authors will likely need to update a few of the very rapidly developing \"health applications\" to keep it relevant.  Overall, however, much of the fundamental theory is well developed and should stand the test of time.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The text's prose is very accessible to the beginning chemistry student.  All terms are well-defined and are easily searchable with the control-F function.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Each chapter follows a consistent pattern and each chapter builds well on the previous section.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I'm primarily using this text in the third term of a three term intro to chemistry sequence.  Our third term concentrates on organic and biochemical applications.  It is very easy to assign readings that skip around the text.  The mode of presenting material makes this quite easy.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The text is well organized and consistent.","interface_rating":1,"interface_review":"The only really disappointing part of the text is its interface.  The lack of a \"clickable\" table of contents (or any table of contents as in my pdf version) made it laborious to skip from section to section and seems like it would be a pretty simple fix.  It would be nice to add more outside hyperlinks, especially for links to better figures than those included.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"Minor typos, but not frequent.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"This, like many texts, could benefit from highlighting the contributions of the scientists themselves.  I've found that including the humanity of the researchers often makes complex material more approachable to students.  As opposed to being distracting and a \"diversion\", it often helps the students engage better with the material.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"Overall, I'm thrilled to have found this OER.  It's relatively difficult to find a text this basic and to the point with respect to organic and biochemistry.  Most intro gen chem texts don't delve deeply enough into the biological side and organic/biochemical books are too in depth for the course I instruct.  I'll definitely be adopting this text.  Thank you, authors.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1533,"first_name":"Jeffrey","last_name":"Vargason","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"George Fox University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"GOB (General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry) is traditionally taught as either a one-semester or a two-semester format.  Based on the preface, this particular book was specifically written for a one-semester course.  This book does a good job covering the subject of GOB; however, the subjects presented are covered at a sufficient depth for either a one-semester or two-semester course.  There was no table of contents, index, or glossary (clickable or otherwise) in the PDF that I downloaded from the Open Textbook Library and reviewed.  This created a lot of work when navigating within the textbook.  There is a section at the end of each chapter devoted to summarizing the chapter including the keywords.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Overall, the content is fairly accurate.  There are a few errors in figure designations in the text.  For example, there is a reference to Figure 1.2 that details the steps of the scientific method in section 1.2 under “Elements and Compounds”.  Either this was an intentional placeholder for the addition of a different figure that describes “Elements or Compounds” rather than the scientific method or this is an error in the placement of this reference.  In addition, in the PDF that I downloaded and reviewed, there is a reference in section 1.5 to a hyperlink rather than text stating “Figure 1.7 Measuring an Object to the Correct Number of Digits”.  In addition to section 1.5, this type of reference to a hyperlink rather than a title is also found in sections 1.6, 4.6, 9.1, 10.1, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5, 13.2, 13.5, 18.1, 18.2, 18.3, 18.4, 18.5, 18.6, 18.7, and 18.8.  Finally, in Figure 8.4 there is a filled-wedge connecting H and F in hydrogen fluoride.  This may be confusing for students especially since the figure is used to describe polar covalent bonds rather than geometry.  The wedges are used in the subsequent figure (8.5) to represent geometry.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The core chemistry content in GOB at this particular level should be relevant for a substantial period of time.  There are a few instances where there is some obsolescence.  For example, in section 4.6 in the “To Your Health” section there is a reference to the Food Pyramid or MyPyramid.  This was replaced by MyPlate in 2011, so this content is about 6 years old at the time of this review.  However, it would be relatively easy to update this particular section and/or figure.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"The text was accessible and provided adequate context to help with understanding the chemical terminology.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This textbook had a consistent set of terminology and framework with just a few exceptions that I could find.  In chapter 12, there is a reference preceding Figure 12.2 that requests the reader to recall that the VSEPR theory correctly predicts a tetrahedral shape for the methane molecule from section 4.5.  Section 4.5 doesn’t talk about or show the structure or geometry of methane.  If the reference were changed from methane to carbon tetrachloride or if methane were added into section 4.5, this would provide internal consistency.  The naming of chapter 14 (organic compounds of oxygen) and chapter 15 (organic acids and bases and derivatives) is somewhat problematic in attempting to group related compounds.  Carboxylic acids would seem to fit into either chapter, but are contained in the organics acids and bases categories for obvious reasons (i.e. oxygen containing compounds that are acids).   Thiols aren’t compounds of oxygen though they are somewhat related as noted in the text and aren’t traditionally placed within the category of organic acids and bases at the level of a one-semester GOB textbook.  Esters would seem to fit best in the title for chapter 14, but are traditionally placed in the chapter that contains carboxylic acids since they are related by chemical reactivity (i.e. esterification).   It would seem that there could be a more consistent division of content either by using different chapter names for thee existing chapters or by adding an additional organic chemistry chapter.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text is very modular which is a huge benefit of this text.  There is ample division of chapters into sections that can be individually used, abbreviated, or discarded based on the course.  While this text is meant for a one-semester course, it would be difficult to cover all of the included content in 15-weeks and achieve student proficiency in each of the sections. Of course, care must be taken not to remove keywords and topics that are referenced in a future chapter if sections are discarded.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics are ordered in nearly the same way as printed GOB textbooks. Some instructors prefer the introduction to organic chemistry found at the end of chapter 4 (section 4.6) in this textbook to be shifted to the beginning of chapter 12.  The authors did address this placement in their preface and it does show some integration of organic into general chemistry even though that was not their focus.  It would seem that this section would need to be reviewed when the students reach chapter 12 which is not a bad thing, but there is a lot of content in the book to cover in the traditional 15-week semester.  The other sections that could fit within either a general or organic/biological chemistry chapter are sections 5.6 (redox in organic and biochemistry) and 7.5 (energy of biochemical reactions).  If section 4.6 were moved to chapter 12, then 5.6 and 7.5 would likely need to be moved into an organic or biological chemistry chapter as well.  In either case, sections 4.6, 5.6, and 7.5 in their present locations don’t present a logical disruption to the flow of the book.  One additional note, the use of wedges is first used within a figure in section 4.5 and then again in section 8.4 and 8.5, but the topic of wedges isn’t explained or described until section 12.2.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The vast majority of the figures and tables were free of distortion and were high quality.  I only noticed a few instances where the layout of figures or tables spans two pages.  The most notable and perhaps distracting instance occurs when a table is not only split between two pages, but one of the rows of content within the table is split between two pages.  In all of the instances that I noticed, the table headings are present on both pages of a split table, which certainly helps mitigate some of the distraction.  I don’t think these pagination issues would be an issue in an ePUB, but the only format currently available from the Open Textbook Library is a PDF.  The lack of other ebook formats is perhaps one of the biggest problems with this particular text.  This type of splitting of content within a row across pages in the PDF is seen in Tables 3.4, 18.4, 18.5, and 18.6.  This doesn’t seem to be about maintaining a large enough font size because the text in Figures 3.7 and 19.13 is very small.  In Table 12.4, the “Condensed Structural Formula” heading is so cramped within its column that the heading is wrapped into eleven rows with a maximum of three letters from the heading in any one row.  In addition, the condensed structural formulas are also wrapped within their respective rows potentially causing confusion for students.  This same type of wrapping of text of single word can be seen in Table 18.2.  In Table 20.1, both the text and structures are all low-resolution bitmapped images.  This particular table would definitely benefit from an update.  Many of the metabolism specific flow charts (Figure 20.4, 20.12, 20.14, and 20.16) would also benefit from a vector graphic based treatment since the text is hard to read when bitmapped.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There were a few typos found in the text and figures.  For example, pyruvate is spelled incorrectly in Figure 20.4.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not notice any culturally insensitive or offensive text.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2017-08-15T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-08-15T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1767,"first_name":"Andrew","last_name":"Tangonan","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Ohio University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"With the growing popularity of a one-semester GOB courses in a lot of academic institutions, this introductory book meets all the necessary requirements intended for that course. The information is presented and organized very well. However, this book has some room for improved navigation within the text.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"I find the contents of this book accurate and unbiased.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This book should stay relevant for a good number of years; the core content is presented in a very straightforward manner and I don’t see it becoming obsolete any time soon. The chapters and the way it was organized and presented should be very accessible to future updates if necessary.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is written with significant consideration for its potential readers. As an introductory book the topics are clearly presented at a level that is easy to follow throughout the chapter. The learning outcomes are presented early on with a good end of chapter follow-ups. ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text and terminologies are consistent throughout the book. Each chapter follows the same format that should help the reader learn the content as the authors intended.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"This book has 20 chapters designed as a one-semester GOB; that is a lot of topics to discuss with good depth. However, this book has a very good flow (chapters) that you can easily select and tailor topics you wish to highlight or skip. The well-organized sub-chapters with their specific learning outcomes make reorganization even easier.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics are presented well and the content is comparable to most GOB books currently available. They are logical and continuously build from the previous chapter. However, the readability can be improved by fixing the spacing of figures and tables (e.g. a number of figure titles are separated from the actual figure by a page).","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The pdf copy I evaluated only offers “scrolling” as a means of navigating the book. I would be helpful for most readers if some links were included to a referred text, figure, appendix, or even a table of contents, which this book lacks. A table of contents with active links and link-back would also improve navigation in general.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"There are no obvious grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not find anything in the book the might be considered culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This book warrants consideration if you are looking for a free textbook for a one semester GOB course.","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1930,"first_name":"David","last_name":"Merkler","position":"Professor","institution_name":"University of South Florida","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text is appropriate comprehensive, covering all the important concepts for the students enrolled in a GOB course.  In addition, the text includes topics of biomedical relevance in an attempt to keep the students interested in the topics covered in a GOB course.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Accuracy is fine.  No glaring errors were detected - not uncommon for a GOB textbook since GOB courses cover basic topics in general chemistry, organic chemistry, and biochemistry that have been around for long time.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"Relevance and longevity for a GOB textbook are hard to gauge since much of the textbook covers very basic concepts that are not likely to change or \"modernize\".  In this text, chapters 1-10 and 12-15 are going to be largely the same in 20 years and were largely the same 20 years ago.  Now, chapters 11 and chapters 16-20 could be updated (upon occasion) resulting from new discoveries in biomedical science.  This reviewer would guess that the chapters covering carbohydrates (chapter 16), nucleic acids (chapter 19), and energy metabolism (chapter 20) might (emphasize might) see important changes in the next 20 years.  Having said that, the basic concepts in these chapters will not change much over a 5-ish year period and any changes would be significant.  Longevity for a GOB textbook is more related to issues like the long term survival of GOB courses (some universities are phasing out a GOB courses) and expectations of the students and faculty from textbooks.  In particular, students seem to expect textbooks to be increasing \"user friendly\" as defined by the students and this expectation will change more rapidly than the materials covered in the chapters.  This text could become \"unpopular\" for stylistic reasons far more quickly than anything related to the scientific concepts covered in the individual chapters.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Well written and quite clear.  The authors have tried very hard to keep in mind the student audience for a GOB course.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Consistency is quite good.  Again, the authors have kept the student audience in mind and kept terminology consistent.  As anyone who has taught a GOB course knows, it is very easy to confuse this cohort of students with terminology.  The authors of this text have done an excellent job, as well as possible, to eliminate this source of confusion with consistent terminology.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Outstanding for this text.  The authors have done a very nice job of dividing the chapters into smaller modules to ease the students through this material.  One challenge for a GOB course is the breadth of material covered and one way to handle this problem is modules.  The authors have done a good job dividing the chapters into appropriate modules.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Organization is fine, except for the chapter on nuclear chemistry (chapter 11).  To be honest, this is a difficult chapter to place \"right\" in a GOB course and making chapter 11 the nuclear chemistry chapter is fine.  If I were an author, I probably would have placed the chapter right before the carbohydrate chapter, after the students have finished their \"path\" through organic chemistry.  I would try to use the nuclear chemistry chapter to remind the students of some key concepts out of the earlier general chemistry chapters and used the nuclear chemistry chapter to try and get the students excited about the biochemical chapters - the use of 14C (and maybe 3H and 32P) in metabolic studies and the use of various isotopes for biomedical imaging.  Also, biochemists use deuterium and 13c a lot in modern biomedical research.  Many GOB students assume that all isotopes are radioactive and an instructor can remind the students that all isotopes are not radioactive by discussing 2H, 13C, or 18O in some biochemical context.  Table 11.5 is an attempt to link isotopes to biomedical uses - why I would have placed the nuclear chemistry chapter right before the initiation of the biochemical section of the text.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I deteced no significant interface problems in going through the chapters.  ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I detected no grammatical errors in the text, but, to be honest, I did not read every single page with sufficient care to guarantee that the book is completely free of grammatical errors.  ","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Cultural relevance is about as good as can be expected for a GOB text.  The earlier chapters covering the basics of general and organic chemistry are the same throughout the world and, thus, are hard to place in \"cultural\" context.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"If I taught a GOB course, I would give this text serious consideration for use - especially given the fact that my students would be able to use this text without cost (or a minimal cost, if they chose to have a printed copy).","created_at":"2018-03-27T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-03-27T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1945,"first_name":"Jill","last_name":"Shirokawa","position":"Visiting Assistant Professor","institution_name":"University of Cincinnati Clermont College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This textbook includes all of the essential content needed for a one-semester General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry course.  Each of the twenty chapters is divided into concept sections containing learning objectives, examples, skill-building exercises, concept review exercises, and answers. In addition, each chapter includes appealing features such as the Opening Essay, To Your Health, and Looking Closer that help students make connections with the chemical concepts presented. Although the subject matter is well presented, items such as a table of contents, glossary, and index are absent in this textbook.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The material in the text is accurate, however, some typos exist. Periodically, throughout the text, a reference is made to a figure, but a non-working hyperlink is provided instead. ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The chemistry content within the textbook should remain appropriate for a long period of time. The information in the chapter Opening Essays help the students see the relevance of the chemical concepts. Just a few items may need updating. For example, the Opening Essay for chapter 16 contains diabetes statistics that are outdated and the MyPyramid food guidance system in chapter 4 has been replaced by the MyPlate food guidance system.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The chemical concepts are clearly written and are at an appropriate level for GOB students. ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The framework of the sections within each chapter remains consistent throughout the textbook.  Each section contains learning objective(s), skill building exercises, concept reviews, end of section exercises, and answers. In addition, each chapter consistently contains features such as the Opening Essay, To Your Health, and Looking Closer, which makes the chapter more appealing for students.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity of the textbook is excellent. The chapters can be easily rearranged to enable a different presentation order of the material if necessary.  Every chapter is divided into concept sections with every section containing learning objective(s), exercises, and answers.  Having the answers attached to each section is more convenient than consistently referring to the end of the chapter or the end of the textbook.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The overall organization of the chapters and the sections within the textbook is very good. There is a logical flow from the foundational material through to the more complex material.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"Due to the PDF format, the biggest interface issue is the poor maneuverability around the textbook. The need to scroll and the lack of table contents makes it difficult to navigate within the textbook.  A linked access to the table of contents would be helpful.  I found the inclusion of non-working hyperlinks as references to be a bit disruptive to the flow of material within a sentence. In addition, a few images are too small and many images are blurry (although readable).   ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical errors within the text.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I did not find the text to be culturally insensitive or offensive in any way. However, the text lacked photos which could serve as a means to include a variety of races, ethnicities, backgrounds, and different genders.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"In general, I found the textbook to be an enjoyable read and I feel that it is written at a very appropriate level for GOB students.  I liked that the learning objectives are boldly presented at the beginning of each section. Each section is well written and interesting (due to the inclusion of health and consumer information).  My suggestions for improvement are:  to use more diagrams and figures; to include photos to make the text more visually appealing; and to use more bold subheadings to highlight and draw attention to concepts. ","created_at":"2018-03-27T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-03-27T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2110,"first_name":"Stan","last_name":"Svojanovsky","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Missouri Western State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book is very comprehensive and covers the basics of GOB Chemistry for one or two semesters GOB course. The material is feasible for students without and prerequisite knowledge of the subject but students who are already familiar with the basic parts of GOB Chemistry can also benefit from this textbook. The authors added multiple high quality activities (such as audio-video resources, checklists, MCQs) that make the material more interesting and reinforce the learning, comprehension and understanding via critical thinking. The text also provides many examples with step-by-step solutions in order to answer 'HOW?' and 'WHY?' question and gain a solid understanding of the subject matter. The book is divided into inorganic, organic and biochemistry parts with some aspects of analytical and physical chemistry as well. ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The text is accurate. However, some of the hotlinks to additional material do not work and need to be updated.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The material is written in a long-lasting way, i.e. the main scientific information will not change very fast. Some links need to be updated but it should be relatively easy with the online textbook format. Relevance of the material with biomedical research and human health is a nice addition to the text.  ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The textbook is well written, the material is clear and well explained. Applications of multiple graphs and diagrams add to clarify the concepts. The great advantage of this material is the writing style using the basic vocabulary and informal style. Also 'End-of-Chapter Material' is written in a 'Study Guide' style.  ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The textbook is very consistent in uniform writing style, presentation of the material and interface as well. Each chapter is presented in the same order (i.e. Opening Essay, Learning Objectives, Examples, skill-building Exercises with the solution, concept review Exercises, Key Takeaway). Also, all important vocabulary is presented in bolded style.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The textbook layout is modular with each chapter divided into smaller but complete sub-chapters, clearly separated by topics and activities. All subtitles are uniform through the text and clearly labeled. The length and depth of each subsection is consistent, creating a relative easy online reading, however the navigation to each section might be more difficult for some students to move around in the text. ","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The textbook is organized in a typical format with initial more general topics, followed by organic and then biochemistry relevant topics. The final chapter provides the connections between previous parts as the book overview.  ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The layout and a PDF text format is accessible via multiple browsers and operating systems. But based on the font size some of the references posted on the bottom of the page are located differently since some parts are divided by page-beaks. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There are virtually no grammatical errors in the text.  I found only a few typos that could be easily corrected. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive at all. However, it is focused on US students using typical US culture that might be foreign to students outside US.  ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This book is an excellent addition to existing Open Education Resources (OER) with a high-quality supplements for instructors, such as Instructor Manual, PPT Lecture Notes, Solution Manual, and TestBank Import for any LMS. I highly recommend it. ","created_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2473,"first_name":"Lisa","last_name":"Sharpe Elles","position":"Assistant Teaching Professor","institution_name":"University of Kansas","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This textbook is a great one-semester overview of general, organic, and biochemistry for students needing an introduction to chemistry, such as pre-nursing or exercise science students. There is enough information for students to get a good, basic foundation to chemistry in a short period of time without getting bogged down in too many details. There is no stand alone index or glossary but within the text there are definitions of bolded and underlined words if you hover over them with the mouse.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"There are no errors other than occasional missed spaces throughout the pdf version. A minor annoyance is that the colors of the nucleus and electrons switch between chapter 2 and 4, which could be confusing to students that pay attention to details.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"For the most part, this book is relevant and up-to-date. This chemistry content in this textbook is straightforward and presented in a very practical order that can be adapted (added to) easily when updates become necessary. However, some of the connections to health and chapter introductions will need updates over time to keep up with changes in the health professions. The organic naming section still uses the older nomenclature however, this is common among all equivalent print GOB textbooks. One out-of-date item is the food pyramid in the last section of chapter 4. This link should be changed to the new guidelines. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is very practical, clear, and concise, and definitely written with the specific audience in mind. Difficult concepts and topics are broken down in a way that makes sense without losing the relevant connections for understanding chemistry. ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Terminology and  is consistent throughout. Each chapter begins with an introduction to the content and ends with a summary of material to review. Each section begins with clear learning objectives and ends with examples, key takeaways, and practice questions with some answers.  ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Within this textbook the chapter content is divided nicely into sections that are the appropriate length and easy to read. Within each section, there are links to other content in the book. This allows for sections to stand alone, making reorganization into any order easy.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The organization of content is appropriate and fitting for a one-semester GOB textbook. The flow of content works well and there are no unnecessary figures interrupting the text. Nuclear chemistry felt a little out of place but it is a chapter that doesn't quite fit in anywhere logically although it fits a little better within the introduction to the structure of atoms. It would be nice to see more connections to VSEPR and lewis structures in the organic chemistry chapter. It is a good place to review content learned earlier. In addition, there should be a periodic table presented much earlier on and not just in the appendix. It would be really easy to link to any website that has an updated table that students can interact with and learn from.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The pdf version had a lot of spacing issues and distorted figures but this did not seem to be an issue in the online version. Additionally, the format for superscripts on ion symbols was odd in some places, which is a little distracting but should not be confusing. \r\nIt would be nice to be able to click on figures and zoom in to them separately from the text. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There were no grammatical errors noticed. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This book is not offensive or culturally insensitive. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This textbook is definitely designed with the audience in mind, which is much appreciated. Many of the notes and brief descriptions perfectly and clearly break down concepts in a way that is easy for beginning chemistry students to figure out and learn from. In addition, the summary sections at the end of each chapter is very useful and gives students a place to summarize chapter content but also somewhere to start reviewing for exams. ","created_at":"2018-12-15T13:41:51.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-12-15T13:41:51.000-06:00"},{"id":2474,"first_name":"Joachim","last_name":"Bowles","position":"Part-time Instructor - Chemistry","institution_name":"Lane Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Has more depth than necessary for my survey course when it comes to general chemistry and adequately covers organic and biochemistry topics.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"No errors noticed.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"While the understanding of the minute details of biochemistry are often changing, this book does a good job of keeping more of an overview on these topics to maintain relevance.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The overall tone is accessible, but it would be nice if there were more sections/examples that demonstrated the topics being applied to real world problems.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Formatting and tone remain consistent throughout the book.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Topics are broken into logical chapters, which in turn have numbered sections. Some of these chapter sections can run long, so having a method to break them up further could be useful.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":" Builds from gen chem topics to organic and finally to biochem.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Distortion on images for chemical equations and molecular structures. Its not book breaking, but some of these are quite fuzzy.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors noticed.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Overall applications/examples lacking, which carries over to inclusivity as well.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Overall the book presents the topics I need for my course, but the presentation is somewhat bare bones as there could be more of an emphasis on applications (and maybe some historical context for topics like atomic structure). Also, visually some improvements could be made as the figures are often blurry and there's a periodic table at the end that is oddly formatted across two pages.","created_at":"2018-12-17T16:34:26.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-12-17T16:34:26.000-06:00"},{"id":2867,"first_name":"Kinesha","last_name":"Harris","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Southern University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook provides adequate coverage of the topics that would be discussed in a one or two-semester introductory chemistry course for health science or other non-science majors.  It presents topics with an appropriate level of discussion and provides real-world links to the topics discussed to make the material relevant to students.  There is no glossary or index; however, there are bold-face terms throughout the text, which show definitions as screen tips.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content reviewed in the textbook is accurate, error-free and unbiased.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The textbook contains up to date information and provides examples and additional information that cover scientific advances from the last decade.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is written in plain language, with content specific language as necessary.  New technical or scientific terms are defined within the text as presented.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The textbook is consistent in layout and levels of content from chapter to chapter.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The content is divided into sections within each chapter, which facilitates reading and comprehending the material.  Students can be assigned individual sections or groups of sections to read rather than the entire chapter at once.  There are pre- and post-checks for each section and the sections reference appropriate material in other sections and chapters.  However, the material easily can be reorganized if necessary.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics in the textbook are arranged in a logical manner, albeit slightly deviated from the common presentation of general chemistry topics, but pleasantly so.  I believe the chosen organization groups all of the related materials and orders them in such a way as to allow the students to get a full understanding of the basic concepts and how they apply across the various types of matter.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"There is an unusually high occurrence of broken or missing links to figures and other sections or chapters.  There are missing figures and incorrectly placed figure labels.  Additionally, the screen tips for the bold-face terms throughout the text show up at the top of the screen (beginning of chapter), instead of within the bounds of the paragraph where the term is located, and are usually out of screen view if you are anywhere beyond the first screen worth of text and graphics.  These issues do not, however, take away from the presentation of the material as far as student understanding.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not notice any grammatical errors in the reviewed material.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"There are no issues of cultural insensitivity or offensiveness with the textbook.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"The textbook provides a good overview of general, organic and biological chemistry.  It is not in-depth, but it provides enough information for an introduction to each of these areas of chemistry.  I think the arrangement of the topics is beneficial and would be interested to know if students respond better to this presentation of material.  The chapters could use a larger selection of problems in the End of Chapter Additional Exercises section and there are some interface issues; however, overall, I think this is a good book for general, organic and biochemistry courses.","created_at":"2019-04-29T23:40:27.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-04-29T23:40:27.000-05:00"},{"id":2876,"first_name":"Gregory","last_name":"Cornell","position":"Adjunct Instructor","institution_name":"Southern University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This GOB text delivers in providing just what the title denotes.  In this era of having to cram two semesters of material into a one semester course, the text adequately provides basic level content.  The text lacks an index and glossary.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The text appears to be mostly accurate with minimal detection of errors.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"In the last 13 years, I have had to utilize several GOB texts, as well as textbook written for non-science majors.  I would definitely attest to its relevance.  Some instructors might like to see more information provided in key areas, but overall, it follows the norm in up to date content.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"I find this GOB text to be clear with concise step by step examples for students to follow.  ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This text shows consistency throughout in its progression of terms and concepts. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text is presented clearly and concise in \"bite-size chunks\".  Students are often intimidated by the subject name as well as the content.  These compartmentalized smaller reading sections help students to master concepts before moving on to others too fast.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization of the topics in this text were mostly standard.  \r\n\r\n-","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"There were no distortion of images or confusing displays during the review of this text.  The navigation capabilities are limited to scrolling only. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There were only a few grammatical errors detected during my review.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"There were no cultural sensitivity issues detected during my review of this text, based on the lack of cultural material provided.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2019-04-30T19:13:16.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-04-30T19:13:16.000-05:00"},{"id":2924,"first_name":"Pratikkumar","last_name":"Rathod","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"LAGCC","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This GOB book is well-written for non-majors who required to learn basic chemistry in a semester. The topics in the book are adequately described without going into much details. The text provides good numbers of exercises relating to real-world problems which I think is beneficial to the students to understand the relevance of the topics. The introduction of opening essays in the beginning of chapters is a great way to connect the relevance of the information in the chapters with real problems. There is no index or glossary.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The content and the information provided in the book are accurate. However, I find quite a few space errors in the text, especially on page #141 (chapter summary section of Chapter-2). Besides answers of the exercise on the page #207 (problems- 5, 7, 9, 11) does not match with questions.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The chemistry content in this book should remain relevant for long period of time. It includes up to date information.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is written in an accessible way by keeping non-majors chemistry students in the mind. All terms are well-defined and explained in simple (yet scientific) language.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Each chapter in the book does follow a consistent pattern including Learning objectives, examples, skill-building exercises, concept review exercises and key takeaways. The text, font and language used throughout the book is uniform.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The sections and information provided in the book can easily be divided (into subsections or reading assignment) depending on course requirement. ","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The chapters in the book are written in well-organized and consistent manner. The flow of chapters in the book is logical.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"The PDF version of the book offers poor interface. The lack of clickable links for tables and figures is the biggest negative. The resolution of formulas in the text as well as in the problems can be better. ","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The book has quite a few typos and space errors but not a major issue.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not find anything that might be considered as culturally offensive in the book.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2019-05-17T16:04:06.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-05-17T16:04:06.000-05:00"},{"id":3096,"first_name":"Andrew","last_name":"Bonham","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Metropolitan State University of Denver","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This textbook addresses all the major topics that I would expect to see in a General, Organic, and biological Chemistry textbook.  It could benefit from added material in the following areas: chemical reaction rates, organic molecule chirality, and nutrition.  The topic coverage compares favorably to other common textbooks used for these courses.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content is very accurate, with very few errors in its treatment of the subject.  More specifically, the content review exercises included with each section are salient and accurate, sometimes giving important context to the material that preceded them.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"Many chemical concepts are timeless, but particularly in biochemistry, the pace of advancement is very high.  Some of the material related to biochemistry is already dated and should be updated with more modern techniques and examples.  To be clear, nothing is inaccurate-- it’s simply not the ‘state of the art’ anymore, and it’s better to expose students to more up-to-date information.  Particularly given that this textbook will be used in pre healthcare-focused careers, it’s important to supplement the text with examples of techniques that students are likely to encounter in their future careers.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This textbook does an excellent job of using short, direct language to express important concepts, avoiding jargon and speaking at the appropriate level for its audience.  This is one of the great strengths of this textbook.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"It is clear that this textbook originally had one author; it is very consistent and clear in its terminology and tone throughout.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This textbook is extremely modular and self-contained; each section stands on its own with internal introductions, concept reviews, exercises, and summaries.  You could take any chapter and use it independently or interweave it with other resources.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"This textbook follows a very common organizational pattern for General, Organic, and Biological Chemistry textbooks, making it easy to adapt for instructors used to other resources.  Within each chapter, topics are presented in a logical manner and build appropriately in complexity.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The web interface of the book is clear, well-organized, and accessible.  The PDF version has topics span pages without clear breaks for different topics at times, and could use effort at better interactive hyperlinking.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The text has some noticeable typos and formatting errors, but very few hinder comprehension.  Core concepts are clearly presented, and the English style and tone is appropriate.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not observe any topics or discussions in the book that would be considered culturally offensive.  For instance, its discussion of genetic diseases was very respectful.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This textbook is comprehensive and correct, but barebones.  A concerted effort to add 3 to 5 additional exercises and challenge problems to each section of the book would be worthwhile and dramatically increase its impact.","created_at":"2019-07-16T10:31:01.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-07-16T10:31:01.000-05:00"},{"id":3325,"first_name":" Adam","last_name":" Wenz","position":"Associate Professor of Chemistry","institution_name":"Flathead Valley Community College \u0026 TRAILS","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The coverage of general chemistry topics in this text is very good considering the level of course for which this is intended.  However, I feel that there are a couple of areas that could use improvement:\r\n\r\nThe discussion of nuclear chemistry in Chapter 11 does not cover electron capture, or positron emission.  Not all texts of this type cover this information, but I feel it would be useful to do so.\r\n\r\nChemical equilibrium is minimally discussed, with no mention of Le Chatelier’s principle.  There is no mention of chemical kinetics.  I would prefer a basic chemistry textbook to at least cover these topics in a qualitative fashion, if nothing more.\r\n\r\nCoverage of organic chemistry and biochemistry topics is very good, and is similar in scope to other GOB textbooks.  I don’t have any suggestions for improvement on these topics.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"On page 866, there is a discussion of D- vs. L- forms of carbohydrates; the structure of L-(-)-glyceraldehyde appears to have an error.\r\n\r\nFew, if any, other errors were noted.  Most other errors are likely artifacts from conversion to pdf format, as they involved mainly formatting issues in equations.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The content of a chemistry text at this level is unlikely to see drastic changes over time, with the exception of newer techniques and technologies seen in biochemistry.  As such, I feel this book would not need updates very often.\r\n\r\nPerhaps the periodic table given at the end of the text could be updated to be current.  Based upon the information given, it appears to date from the late 2000’s.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is written very well.  Topics are presented in a clear fashion.  The text is written at a level appropriate for the intended audience.  Flowcharts, photos, and figures are well-designed in general.  Some tables (e.g. the amino acids table) could use reformatting for better clarity of the information contained therein.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Chapters are written and organized in a very consistent manner.  Terminology is up to date and used consistently throughout the text. ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is broken up into sections, followed by a series of practice exercises.  Some readers may find this distracting and choppy, but it is a matter of preference.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The chapters are organized in the order typically found in GOB type textbooks, which is just fine.\r\n\r\nIn-text exercises and end-of-chapter questions have the answers given immediately afterwards.  I suggest moving the answers to another portion of the book (perhaps an appendix).  This would improve student learning, in my opinion.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The pdf version of this book does not include a table of contents, nor does it include an index.  This makes navigation to a particular topic more difficult unless you happen to know which chapter contains the desired material beforehand.\r\n\r\nWhen the book was converted from online to pdf format, the embedded links within the text remain blue in color, suggesting that the links are still active.  However, those links are all inactive.  This could be remedied in a number of ways.\r\n\r\nOther links are embedded in the text (such as those on page 479), and they are active.  However, the links might need to be updated, as the material on those webpages does not fit with the context of where they are in the book itself.\r\n\r\nFigures and tables, in general, seem to have retained their proper formatting during the conversion to pdf.  They seem to be well thought out and convey their information well.\r\n\r\nMathematical formulas (such as those showing conversion factors) are not always consistently formatted…they appear as though they have been copied from one place to another, and appear blurry as a result.  This may be an artifact of the conversion to pdf format.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not run across any errors in grammar.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not see any issues here.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Please note that this review is of the PDF version of this textbook.  The online version of this text may not have as many formatting issues.  Even though this text is listed as being intended for a one-semester GOB course, I feel it could also be modified for use in a two-semester GOB sequence.  The first semester could cover the general chemistry topics, followed by the second semester being half organic chemistry and half biochemistry.  This book should serve the intended audience well.","created_at":"2019-11-27T15:29:20.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-11-27T15:29:20.000-06:00"},{"id":3478,"first_name":"Chandra","last_name":"Kunapareddy Ph.D.","position":"Assistant Professor of Chemistry","institution_name":"Blue Mountain Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"As the authors stated in the preface of this book, this book is ideal for the survey of the GOB chemistry full semester course. However considering I teach at an institution that teaches in quarters semester instead of a full semester, I need to cut down on a couple of chapters and topics from this book to make it appropriate for my students. I do want to use this book for single quarters to teach general, organic and biological chemistry in separate quarters. I find that the general chemistry component is very comprehensive to teach in the one-quarter semester. However, the book went lighter in content for organic and biological chemistry. Which makes me need to look for supplemental content to make up for the needed content for the quarter semester for each of organic and biological section. I find that this book uses much fewer images than a regular textbook. It would be great if this book can add more images throughout the book to keep a student engaged. ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I used this book for the introductory general chemistry one quarter and covered chapters from 1 to 11. I didn't find any inaccuracies with the text in these first 11 chapters. I also adopted this book for the survey of GOB chemistry class with selected topics and I find no issues so far.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This book does a good job of covering necessary basic topics to introduce chemistry for non-majors students. However, many of my students are non-chemistry majors and they always look for justification to learn any new chemistry concept. The book will look much more relevant for students if it includes a few more health-related applications for the major concepts. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This follows a pattern similar to any GOB textbook available in the market. So, it does have good clarity of chapters' progressions and the content discussed under each chapter. ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book is consistent in its style of presenting information in each chapter. Each chapter starts with an opening essay, followed by sub-sections that discusses that covers parts of the chapters in a progressive manner. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I like how this simplifies each topic by consistently presenting learning objectives, concept review exercises, answers, key takeaways, more examples, and answers before moving on to another topic in the same chapter.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"No problems here. As I previously mentioned in the modularity section, the book is very organized and very easy to find the information especially if you use an online textbook. For my online chemistry class, I copy and paste the link of the specific chapters on the canvas shell page for my students to directly access it online.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I commend the author's effort to put together this book available in OpenStax mode. However, this book could use some formating help to make it more attractive for aspiring users. For example, it is uncommon for a textbook to left indent through the book instead of adjusting the sides. The book at times has less clarity element symbol. For example, for example, 5 on page 107 of the textbook has given mass and atomic number information of the elements Cl, I and other elements. The authors try to paste an image instead of using MS word to present this information, which leads to blurry images of the elements. It is still readable but it feels low clarity. I have observed these types of similar issues when the textbook presents problem-solving equations using conversion factors.  ","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"There are no obvious grammatical errors. The students in my class liked the way the book is written as it is very easy for them to read.  For a professor who used publisher books in the previous years, this book might seem a little informal in writing. However, it doesn't bother me much, because as I won't require to read this as thoroughly as students since I am already familiar with the content over the years. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"No issues here.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I commend the effort put in by the author to make this book available for free. Thank you on behalf of all the students who are using this book.","created_at":"2020-01-06T22:49:27.000-06:00","updated_at":"2020-01-06T22:49:27.000-06:00"},{"id":3597,"first_name":"Soumya","last_name":"Bhattacharya","position":"Assistant professor","institution_name":"University of Providence","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book is quite comprehensive. Given that this course can be either 2 semesters (16 week each) or 1 semester (8 weeks each module General + Organic \u0026 Biochemistry), the book is detailed enough in materials presented to be adapted for an abridged, more focused direction.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The informations are accurate and concise for the course the book is intended for.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The health science references were well placed. Given that the majority of the readers of this kind of textbook will be allied health science majors, the examples and extrapolations are quite relevant.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The language is simple and lucid. The technical terms are both defined and explained with adequate examples.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"-","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"-","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The organization of the chapters are pretty standard. For this kind of a textbook, atoms first approach suits better and that is how exactly the book is laid out. ","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"The formatting requires a lot of work. The figure headings and the actual figures must be in the same page. The subheadings or the headings with their accompanying texts should have been tried to be kept in one page, wherever possible. This book should have been under the scanner of a compositor for much better visual appeal. Use or certain colors (like orange) was a disaster. It actually distracted the reader and made it harder to focus. The organization will tremendously enhance the learning and teaching experiences.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"-","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"-","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2020-02-28T10:36:46.000-06:00","updated_at":"2020-02-28T10:36:46.000-06:00"},{"id":4007,"first_name":"Danna","last_name":"Sharp","position":"Lecturer","institution_name":"Shenandoah University","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This is a standard text for a course intended as an introduction to chemistry, organic, and biochemistry for non-majors. I do feel it could be improved by additional figures and images to explain concepts. It definitely lacked in this. \r\n\r\nA few things I noticed:\r\n-the text does not teach students how to draw covalently bonded lewis structures (it does teach ionic)\r\n-drug kinetics are not mentioned in the organic/biochem section\r\n-quantum description of atoms does not explain the electron jump in the d orbitals\r\n-no arrow pushing is used in the organic section and students are required to memorize reactants and products instead\r\n\r\nHowever, all of these things may be fine depending on the course. Other than the omission of lewis structures, I found this text adequate but high on the memorization requirements in the organic and biochem sections.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The book was accurate. Most of the issues I felt came from issues of omission. This happened by not going into more depth on explanations of topics to help improve student comprehension instead of focusing on memorization based learning. \r\n\r\nThis again may be fine depending on your course.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"I liked the examples relating chemistry to the real world at the beginning of each chapter often having a medical focus.  As many students who take courses like this are in medical related fields, I find it very helpful.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"This book reads like a dense workbook. It has very good definitions of terms and lots of practice problems with solutions, however, it lacks images and figures to help describe concepts and ideas. So if your students need a lot of practice problems, and your class is supplemented with a lecture with lots of images to help the students visualize concepts, this would be an ideal text. It is also intended for non-majors.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Book was very consistent and easy to locate content. A lot of problems are included in the text and nearly all had solutions. So it provides a lot of practice for students.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text was very easy to read. It was also very concise which I appreciated. Very good definitions!","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"I felt this text was very well organized. Everything was where it was supposed to be and the material covered is standard for what is expected in a non-majors course.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The text had no interface issues I noticed.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No Grammatical Errors that I saw. Sometimes it would gloss over or skip more complex explanations of topics.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text was not culturally insensitive in any way.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"In summary, this is a standard text for a course intended as an introduction to chemistry, organic, and biochemistry for non-majors. I do feel it could be improved by additional figures and images to explain concepts. It definitely lacked in this. \r\n\r\nI would also appreciate a lessened focus on memorization in the organic and biochemistry portions (personal preference). Nearly all practice questions and topics were based on memorization. The reason as to why certain chemical and biochemical reactions happen was not included. There was a good focus on applications in the organic and biochemistry sections however. \r\n\r\nIn my opinion, the best parts of the text were how concise and clear the definitions were and how all of the problems had solutions for the students to check their work with.","created_at":"2020-06-18T21:01:44.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-06-18T21:01:44.000-05:00"},{"id":4343,"first_name":"Mary","last_name":"Coville","position":"Adjunct Instructor","institution_name":"Lane Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"There is no glossary or index and the text could really use one.  An enormous amount of material is covered, and if a student needs to review something from earlier or look up a definition, the chapter sub-headings aren’t sufficient.  The book could also use a more extensive appendix that includes all the tables that normally appear inside the front and back covers of a physical textbook – table of polyatomic ions, list of common ions, conversion factors, etc.  Most subjects are covered appropriately but more coverage could be given to chemical equilibrium.  Also, condensation and hydrolysis reactions could be more effectively emphasized.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I found no glaring errors.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The book was written before the periodic table was filled in.  Also, I would like to see an update in the next year or so that includes a description of SARS-COV-2 in the section on viruses.  There is currently a description of HIV and the drugs used to treat it in the virus section, and that probably needs to be updated.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is written in simple language appropriate for beginning college students including English language learners.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I found no problems with consistency.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"I did not like that the intro to organic compounds, including describing functional groups, occurs in chapter 4: covalent bonding.  Then in chapter 12, where organic chemistry really begins in earnest, the authors refer back to chapter 4.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Other than putting the intro to organic compounds in chapter 4, the organization is good.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"Some figures were missing in the online version.  My browser prevented me from accessing the PDF version.\r\nI liked that there was a choice of reading the entire chapter continuously or proceeding through it section by section.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive, but there is little cultural diversity in the examples.  The main text focuses on the science.  Inset “career focus” boxes use gender neutral pronouns, although for “genetics counselor” a photograph is included where the counselor is a white woman and her client appears to be a woman of color.  There are only a few depictions of people and they are of dead white scientists: Linus Pauling, John Dalton, William Morton (dentist to first use diethyl ether as a general anesthetic).","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2020-08-26T13:42:09.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-08-26T13:42:09.000-05:00"},{"id":4573,"first_name":"Marissa","last_name":"Shepherd","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Rogue Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"I felt like this book is a basic outline of a GOB course, but felt lacking in many areas. This might be appropriate if you were covering the entire book in one quarter, but not suitable for a full year GOB series. Generally the gen chem section was good, but was shockingly sparse in gas laws.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Seems accurate, but could use more examples especially of more difficult concepts.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"I did like the intro stories in the beginning of each chapter which also helps relate the material, but it needs more pictures to be engaging.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The writing is clear, but a lack of formatting and pictures makes the textbook feel like a huge wall of text which will be difficult for students.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Very consistent with itself.","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"Unfortunately, this portion hurts the textbook the most. The pictures are extremely small compared to the text and very few and far between. This leaves the feeling of a huge wall of text. Formulas and chemical expressions are given in the same font as the main body which exacerbates the issue.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"Generally follows the expected \"GOB\" series course material. There are a few sections that are lumped together and it is lacking in the biochemistry section.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Very small images especially in the biochem section detract from the experience and make it difficult to comprehend the material.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Grammar is good","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Good references!","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"I hope this book will be developed more. I have been searching for a good open source GOB replacement textbook, but this has been shockingly difficult to find. More engaging and better thought out visuals will help the book. \r\nIt also needs more references in the back, standard tables.","created_at":"2021-01-13T15:44:17.000-06:00","updated_at":"2021-01-13T15:44:17.000-06:00"},{"id":33669,"first_name":"Nissa","last_name":"Garcia Ivers","position":"Adjunct Chemistry Professor","institution_name":"Southwestern Oregon Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book is great for an introductory chemistry class - it covers all the necessary learning outcomes for my particular course. I would like to point out that perhaps for the Converting Units chapter, perhaps more examples showing explicitly how units cancel would be much more helpful for instructors.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have not so far seen any errors in this text.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The text is matter of fact, so it will withstand the test of time.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The book is clear and concise, however, I think that it can benefit using more visual aids/illustrations for more visual learners. The addition of visual aids can contribute to its clarity.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book is consistent in language and style, as well as the format. It is consistent in the presence of end of chapter material, which I particularly like since it summarizes each chapter nicely.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"It would help if this textbook was customizable, however, this is easily addressed by assigning specific chapter readings and pages to students.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"I like the sequence of the book - the order is how I normally would teach an intro to chemistry class from chapters 1-6, after which I would go to chapters 9-10.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The navigation of the online book is ok, but I wish that the table of contents would be on the side, and it can stay on display as I click through chapters. I wish there were more illustrations and more visual examples, which would really improve on this book , and show more work for the problem solving aspect, such as the stoichiometry part  and calculating concentrations and converting units, in addition to mentioning the steps, which it already does.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I have not found any grammatical errors","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is matter of fact, so I didn't see any cultural issues with this book","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2022-01-28T15:26:23.000-06:00","updated_at":"2022-01-28T15:26:23.000-06:00"},{"id":33943,"first_name":"Alan","last_name":"Rowe","position":"Adjunct Professor of Chemistry","institution_name":"Tidewater Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Very comprehensive---  Currently pre-Nursing studetns are only required to take the first part of the 2 semester GOB course so only 1/2 of ths text would be used in that course.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Very nice treatment of chemical concepts at an approprite level","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Text is relevant , but It would really benefit from real world examples  of the chemical concepts covered, especially those related to healthh care","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Good clarity-  concise but not overly so","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Cosistent form chapter to chapter","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Most chemistry text for GOB are similar--  this one follows that pattern","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The material is organized in the manner that I would like to present the information-- one concept follows the next almost seamlessly","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"no problems here","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Seems to read very well using grammatical structure easy for the student to follow","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"no indication of any cultural references at all","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"The exercises with answers are helpful as well as those without the answers (in the chapter and at the end of chapater problems). Both could be assigned to the student, one for them to check and the ones without answers to see if the student really understands.  The main weakness of the text seems to be not showing the specific work (units crossed out, etc) for numerical problems (unit conversions, stoichiometry problems, etc)  Students really need those specific steps to help them build confidence towards attempting them themselves.","created_at":"2022-07-01T11:33:04.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-07-01T11:33:04.000-05:00"},{"id":34436,"first_name":"SATHIAMOORTHY","last_name":"BALASUBRAMANIAN","position":"Chemistry FACULTY","institution_name":"Rochester Community \u0026 Technical College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text book is adequately comprehensive and covers all chapters of a GOB chemistry course. The content is well organized and explained clearly. Students need to review the practice questions for better grasp of concepts.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Mostly error free and accurate","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This text book is highly relevant for GOB course students who need to take this course for Nursing, dental hygiene and other programs.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Very clear and precise and written in a manner which is easily understood at student's level.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Consistent for all chapters.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is divided into various sections based on \"Learning Objective\". Under each section, I like the skill building exercise and practice questions. This way the student can attain mastery in each topic by going through the skill building exercise and solving the practice questions.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Well organized meeting the learning objectives of this course in each chapter.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"No issues. Easily able to toggle between various chapters, no distortion of diagrams or images.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Didn't come across significant grammatical errors","cultural_rating":1,"cultural_review":"Not applicable","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I will recommend this for students who need a text book to master topics of GOB. All the chapters which are part of GOB course curriculum are covered in a an easy to understand manner. The application of concepts can be learnt by doing the practice questions under each learning objective. Highly recommended!","created_at":"2023-03-06T21:45:48.000-06:00","updated_at":"2023-03-06T21:45:48.000-06:00"},{"id":35324,"first_name":"Casey","last_name":"Clements","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Tidewater Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook covers most of the topics of a first semester GOB course, but it is lacking reaction rates and barely covers chemical equilibrium.  Other than those topics it covers the needed concepts with sufficient depth.  \nEach chapter contains some practice questions with answers, and each chapter ends with a summary and additional practice questions with answers.\nThere is no index or glossary, which in such a large textbook would be helpful.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I did not encounter any obvious errors in the accuracy of the material presented.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This book presents the foundations of GOB chemistry, which will continue to remain relevant over time.  The periodic table in chapter 2 and the appendix needs to be updated, but most other content is up to date.  \nI enjoyed the “Looking Closer” and “To Your Health” sections which present the students with real world applications, but some of the examples might lose relevancy over time.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The content is presented clearly. There are some worked examples of math-based problems.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"I would have preferred that shared pairs in Lewis structures were consistently represented as a line instead of sometimes as a line and sometimes as two dots.  Even within the same molecule they used two different ways to represent the shared pairs which is confusing for students.\nIn some examples, such as when discussing VSEPR Theory, the book omits the lone pairs on the outer atoms without mentioning that they are omitted.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The book often feels very text-heavy, it would be nice if there were more images and diagrams.  The material is well labeled and sections can easily be assigned as needed.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Overall, each chapter seems well organized.  Each section includes text, practice questions, and answers.  Each chapter ends with a summary and additional practice problems and answers. \nThe section about organic chemistry in chapter 4 might be better placed in chapter 12, but otherwise the topics are presented in a logical fashion.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I did not encounter any issues with the interface of the online version.  In the pdf version there were some dimensional analysis problems and chemical reactions that went off the page, and a few Lewis Structures that were too small to read.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not encounter any obvious grammatical errors in the textbook.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I did not notice any insensitive or offensive content, but it would be nice if the book contained more diverse examples.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Overall, this textbook is a good choice for a one semester GOB chemistry course.  I would need to supplement the book with more information about chemical equilibrium and reaction rates, but the rest of the required material is covered.","created_at":"2024-12-02T13:20:29.000-06:00","updated_at":"2024-12-02T13:20:29.000-06:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-basics-of-general-organic-and-biological-chemistry","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:12:39.000-06:00"},{"id":59,"title":"Light and Matter","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2010,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-ShareAlike","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"This is an introductory text intended for a one-year introductory course of the type typically taken by biology majors, or for AP Physics B. Algebra and trig are used, and there are optional calculus-based sections.","contributors":[{"id":3769,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Benjamin","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Crowell","location":"Fullerton College","background_text":"Ben Crowell teaches physics at Fullerton College, a community college in southern California. PhD in physics from Yale."}],"subjects":[{"id":39,"name":"Physics","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QC21.3","visible_textbooks_count":47,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/physics"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":373,"url":"http://lightandmatter.com/books.html","year":2020,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:39.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-01-20T18:35:05.000-06:00","name":"Benjamin Crowell"}],"formats":[{"id":637,"type":"Online","url":"https://archive.org/details/lm_20220102","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":638,"type":"PDF","url":"https://archive.org/details/lm_20220102","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":639,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"http://www.lulu.com/spotlight/benjamin_crowell","price":{"cents":1300,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":1851,"type":"LaTeX","url":"https://github.com/bcrowell/lm","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"3","textbook_reviews_count":2,"reviews":[{"id":135,"first_name":"Ulrich","last_name":"Zurcher","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Cleveland State University","comprehensiveness_rating":2,"comprehensiveness_review":"While the book “nominally” covers all the topic of an introductory physics course [either algebra- or calculus-based], the topics are not covered at a level appropriate for a standard college-level course. For example, in the chapters on forces, the text does not solve typical problems covered in these courses, such as the sliding of a block on an incline plane with friction. A textbook should include a step-by-step explanation how these problems are solved.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"The text is fairly accurate, with only few mistakes. For example, on page 149, two hands are connected by a string. The text writes: “Two people’s hands exert forces on each other.”  This is technically not correct since the two hands are not in contact with other: it’s not acceptable that a textbook would make such a mistake.","relevance_rating":1,"relevance_review":"The text is an idiosyncratic  text. It has its charm, but is ill-suited for a highly “regulated” introductory course. These courses cover a long-list of required topics and prepare students for standardized tests [such as MCAT].  It would be very difficult to adopt the text and amend it such that it would a standard course outline.","clarity_rating":1,"clarity_review":"The text introduces too many concepts in the same chapter. In chapter 2 that deals with translational kinematics in one spatial dimension, it introduces: rotation, deformation, center of mass, rolling motion, projectile motion, and the principle of inertia. I cannot see that how anyone just learning the “language of physics” cannot distinguish between these different concepts. \r\n\r\nThe authors lament that students are frequently not able to distinguish between force and energy. This reviewer shares this sentiment; it is then puzzling why the authors do not address this difficulty by step-by0step explanation of illustrative examples. \r\n\r\nOverall, the book is far too long; students do not read long books. Short book are much more likely to be read. Short texts also have the benefit of authors forcing to be very concise in their writing.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The book is internally consistent.","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"Physical concepts are used in different chapters. This will make it difficult to split the text into different parts.","organization_rating":1,"organization_review":"The organization of the text is very unusual. Air resistance is discussed in the chapter on forces. It should instead be in the chapter on fluids where density is introduced. This organization is detrimental to student learning. This is a single example of a much deeper problem of the organization of this text.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"There are no problems with the interface.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The grammar is fine.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"The book is not insensitive in any form. It is difficult to address racial disparities in a physics text.","overall_rating":5,"overall_review":"This text is ill-suited for an introductory physics course or as a self-study text for students.","created_at":"2015-01-12T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2015-01-12T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1281,"first_name":"Esperanza","last_name":"Zenon","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"River Parishes Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This textbook does include many of the standard topics appropriate for an introductory physics course. Unfortunately, it doesn't cover these topics on a level that supports the attainment of mastery for the user. There are examples worked in this text, but these examples aren't the standard physics problems that students are expected to solve. Also, there aren't enough end-of-chapter questions and problems for sufficient student practice.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content in this textbook is error-free and unbiased.","relevance_rating":2,"relevance_review":"The arrangement of material in this textbook does show the connectedness between topics, but this interweaving of content makes it difficult to cover the information in the \"typical\" sequencing found in most introductory physics courses.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"The author is to be commended for trying to present this material in its historical context. Unfortunately, this leads to an overly complicated plethora of information that can't be easily digested by the student. The content needs to be separated and streamlined in order to make it usable.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The content represented in this textbook is internally consistent.","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"Many of the concepts presented in this textbook are woven together in a way that makes them difficult to separate into subunits or smaller reading sections.","organization_rating":1,"organization_review":"The author's attempt to present this material in a  more  \"story-like\" fashion falls woefully short of the structure and rigor needed in an introductory physics course.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"There are no issues are concerns regarding this textbook's interface.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There are no issues are concerns regarding the grammar used in this textbook.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"There are no cultural or racial insensitivities found in this textbook.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"This textbook lacks the rigor and structure needed for an undergraduate introductory physics course or an AP Physics B course.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/light-and-matter","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:08:56.000-06:00"},{"id":61,"title":"College Physics","edition_statement":"2e","volume":null,"copyright_year":2022,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":"","accessibility_features":[],"description":"College Physics 2e introduces topics conceptually and progresses through clear explanations in the context of career-oriented, practical applications, and meets the scope and sequence of an algebra-based physics course. The narrative of physics and scientific discovery has been even further expanded to focus on including more diverse contributors to the field. Building on the success of the first edition the authors have increased focus on interdisciplinary connections, including enhancements to biological and medical applications. The problem solving approach has been revised to further unify conceptual, analytical, and calculation skills within the learning process, the authors have integrated a wide array of strategies and supports throughout the text for students. View the first edition of College Physics at OpenStax.","contributors":[{"id":2754,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":"Dr.","first_name":"Paul","middle_name":"Peter","last_name":"Urone","location":"Sacramento, California","background_text":"Dr. Paul Peter Urone, Senior Contributing Authors, California State University Sacramento"},{"id":5032,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":"Dr.","first_name":"Roger","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Hinrichs","location":"Oswego County, New York","background_text":"Dr. Roger Hinrichs, Senior Contributing Author, State University of New York, College at Oswego"},{"id":6864,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":"Dr.","first_name":"Kim","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Dirks","location":"New Zealand","background_text":"Dr. Kim Dirks, Contributing Author, University of Auckland"}],"subjects":[{"id":39,"name":"Physics","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QC21.3","visible_textbooks_count":47,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/physics"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":93,"url":"https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:37.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-01-23T11:29:36.000-06:00","name":"OpenStax"}],"formats":[{"id":125,"type":"Online","url":"https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":126,"type":"PDF","url":"https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":1789,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"https://www.amazon.com/College-Physics-OpenStax-Official-hardcover-dp-171147083X/dp/171147083X/ref=dp_ob_title_bk","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":1790,"type":"eBook","url":"https://openstax.org/details/books/college-physics-2e","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":49,"reviews":[{"id":55,"first_name":"Elena","last_name":"Bassiachvili","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Langara College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"a. Glossary is provided at the end of each chapter, but I feel the definitions are not detailed enough and are too specialized without referencing the particular cases where it is applicable. For example, the rms equations work for sinusoidal functions (which is what the book deals with) but, that limitation is not clearly stated to the student. Some glossary terms are a bit too succinct and as a result are oversimplified. For example: \"model: simplified description that contains only those elements necessary to describe the physics of a physical situation\" b. Some glossary terms are repeated with a different definition \"grounded: when a conductor is connected to the Earth, allowing charge to freely flow to and from Earth's unlimited reservoir grounded: connected to the ground with a conductor, so that charge flows freely to and from the Earth to the grounded object\" p. 652 c. The index is fairly detailed, easy to click on the page in the pdf. d. The range of topics covered is quite vast and is enough for a first-year introduction. However, the amount of detail provided for some of the basic concepts is in some cases too little.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I would need to go through the text with a fine-toothed comb to be able to say this with all certainty, but it seems that overall the material is accurate, error-free and unbiased.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"I believe so, of course there are (as always) the photos with computers that look dated, but should not be difficult to fix. Many images are general enough to withstand the test of time. The material is modular enough that things could be added/removed/modified as needed.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"a. I find that the explanations of the basics for many topics are too limited. More time is devoted to the (admittedly more interesting!) subtopics or ideas that follow the basics. I think that the explanations of the basics are lacking, especially in the later chapters, and the students may need to use additional references. However, the text is more interesting than others because of the inclusion of the extras. b. On the same theme, most examples are great ‘application' type, however, many students may not be familiar with the terminology used for a particular device (such as a combustion engine or headphones/mic) and I feel insufficient explanation of each item is given. Also, some examples are a bit confusing, Fig. 16.18., Fig. 23.36 c. Much of the data is presented in a tabular format, an associated graphical representation would be useful. ex. table 14.4 d. The authors clearly tried to make connections with real-life examples and I think that is very helpful to get the students' intuition to connect to the challenging concepts.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Seems that way, I could find no glaring inconsistencies. The one thing that is a bit odd is some terms are defined twice with 2 different definitions. For example: Definitions at end of chapter repeats Ch. 11: \"diastolic pressure: the minimum blood pres","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"a. Each chapter is sectioned, labeled and indexed well. Has own self-contained glossary and review at the end. Obviously, some chapters must be done after others, especially the specialized chapters, but this is not an issue. Other than that, there is not undue reliance on previously presented material. In fact, some material is repeated in several locations in the text as needed. b. In general, the text is quite large and would definitely need to be split up in some way. Chapters would have to be omitted or the text would have to be split into 2 parts. It seems that it lends itself well to that.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The tone of the text is definitely accessible to students, and is an easy read. However, the flow of ideas (in some cases) may be difficult for inexperienced students to follow. The thoughts are not compartmentalized, they are more of a lecture-style explanation rather than solid, clear-cut description of the material. I think this will work well for the more engaged students but may be difficult for the weaker students. This may potentially be an issue. Personally, I would have re-organized some of the chapter contents and grouped things together a bit differently (especially the circuits, EM chapters), but I think that is more of a personal preference rather than a criticism.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"a. Images: There is quite a bit of jpeg aberration with images that are not photographs (which really should not be saved as jpegs in the first place). This appears on images such as graphs, vector diagrams, tables, etc. that were placed in as images, and this is really quite distracting. This would be an easy fix for the book authors, just saving the original images in a format which is more appropriate for that image type (such as bmp or gif) would remove the issue entirely. (ex. image on p.100 and many, many others) Aside from that, some pixilation is also evident in some photos, but not terrible. Most figures themselves are clear and of good size, but some are a bit cluttered and small, ex. 18.24. b. In general, some images have a feeling of being placed a bit haphazardly, maybe rounding the corners or putting a frame around them would have made them look more in-place. Other images look well integrated. c. Equations: Inconsistent sizing of things like brackets, superscripts look out of place, bars over symbols are too far just general formatting issues. Probably occurred when the document was converted to pdf. Some numbers look larger than the surrounding text. d. Navigation: The links that I tested worked (from index, to chapter section, to the PhET simulations).","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"None that I noticed.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Images try to be inclusive of various ethnicities. I saw no offensive terminology.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"a. The use of the links to java games (PhET Interactive Simulations) is a great idea, though the games themselves are not particularly good or well-defined (it is not clear what the user is supposed to do to play the game). b. I've never been a huge fan of the prime (') notation for anything other than the derivative. Text uses it for the quantity \"some time later\"; in Ch. 8. c. Some questions are of the \"Professional application\" nature, I think that is really nice to spark the students' interest and show application of the material in the real world. d. Many biomedical applications and examples in this text. I do find this material interesting, but it is a definite extra that is very prevalent in the chapter questions as well as supporting chapters. I'm a fan of applications, but I wish the topics were a bit more varied. e. I like the presence of conceptual questions at the end of the chapters, gives the students a chance to test their \"general feel\"; of the concepts before plugging in numbers into equations. f. In terms of relevance to Canada: there are quite a few photographs of US navy, SOPS, NASA, security agents. Many examples of places in the United States, the book is definitely US-centric.\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":56,"first_name":"Julie","last_name":"Alexander","position":"Physics Faculty","institution_name":"Camosun College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"While reviewing this textbook we compared it to two other widely used first year algebra based physics textbooks, Physics by Giancoli and College Physics by Knight, Jones and Field. we have taught many courses using both these standard textbooks. The openstax College Physics text covers all of the topics that the other two texts cover. It is perhaps even more comprehensive than either Giancoli or Knight. For example when introducing electric charge it discusses quarks. The openstax text has 1269 pages in a font that is smaller than either Giancoli or Knight and the text goes right to the edges of the pages. It is unlikely that a typical student in an algebra based introductory course would be able to work their way through the textual part of the book. Giancoli (1004 pages) and Knight (1067 pages) use only 2/3 the width of the page for text and the large margin for pictures or examples. This makes these texts much easier to read than the openstax text. If a student chooses to print the openstax book on regular paper, double sided, it is 8cm thick whereas Giancoli is only 3.5cm and Knight 4cm, including the hard covers. At the end of each chapter the openstax text has a useful glossary of terms encountered in the chapter and a chapter summary that is similar to both Giancoli and Knight. The openstax index is 5 ½ pages long compared to 15 pages in Giancoli and 13 pages in Knight. It has far fewer topics in the index and is missing subcategories under topics such as acceleration, angular momentum and electric circuits. Oddly it has a larger font for the index than the rest of the text so it has more than three times fewer topics in the index than either Giancoli or Knight. The problems at the end of each chapter of the openstax text are its strongest feature. They are similar to those in both Knight and Giancoli. There are an adequate number of them and they have adequate variety and varying difficulty. However, unlike Giancoli and Knight the openstax problems are not labeled according to difficulty, a feature that we as instructors like when assigning problems. An additional feature in the openstax text, that neither Giancoli nor Knight have, is problems labeled Integrated Concepts and problems labeled Construct your own problem.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"There were some examples of notation that were not adequately explained, for example the use of F12 on page 639 without explaining that it means the force on particle 1 due to particle 2. Also on page 633 it says \"she receives an excess of positive charge\" which seems to imply that positive charge moves onto her hair, which is not the case. On page 640 the statement \"the force that surrounds an object\" is not correct. There are an adequate number of examples in the text with nice color pictures. We believe they are in general accurate and correct, although we didn't go through each one. The type of examples used are the same type as in Giancoli and Knight and we don't think they are biased in any way. There is an instructor solution manual that comes with the text, an excellent feature here is that both the problem and solution are given. This makes choosing homework problems or problems to do in class much more convenient for the instructor. The online homework system WebAssign is available for this OpenStax text. It costs the students a nominal fee per term but we think it is in general an inexpensive alternate system to Mastering Physics which is included with Giancoli and Knight. Unlike Mastering Physics that has every single problem in Giancoli and Knight, Web Assign has only about one third of the problems in the back of each chapter. Both Web Assign and Mastering Physics have links to the text in many of the problems. However, where Mastering Physics has links to the appropriate pages for students to read before attempting a problem, Web Assign links to the beginning of the appropriate chapter. Mastering Physics is a much more comprehensive online homework system than Web Assign; it has tutorials, conceptual questions, and a test bank. The links to the PhET Interactive Simulations in the openstax text are also available on Mastering Physics for both Giancoli and Knight.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Most of the content in a physics text is over 200 years old so being up to date isn't an issue. However, this text also includes many modern applications of physics such as medical applications of nuclear physics and particle physics. It also has a chapter called Frontiers of Physics that is up to date. In this regard it is equally as good as Giancoli and Knight and the risk of it becoming obsolete is negligible.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"We found that the openstax text is quite wordy in its explanation of concepts. For example it takes about 10 lines to explain the concept of position whereas Giancoli uses one clear and concise sentence and Knight uses a simple example to explain the concept. The definition of position in the glossary of the openstax text at the end of the chapter is too vague. We think students in general have a very difficult time reading physics textbooks and if the explanations are too long they get lost. We expect this will be the case for most students immediately in the early chapters of this text.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The chapters in the text are organized in a consistent fashion throughout the book. The notation is also consistent.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"It would be easy to pick individual chapters of this book to put together into 2 separate one semester courses just like any standard textbook.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The topics in this text are organized in the same order as both Giancoli and Knight. The Open Stax text has 34 chapters whereas Giancoli has 33 and Knight has 30.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"The font in the openstax text is Arial and is smaller than the Times New Roman used in both Giancoli and Knight. It is also more closely spaced and goes to the edge of the pages. It is more difficult to read in print than either Giancoli or Knight but on a computer the student could zoom in to whatever resolution they choose.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"We didn't notice any grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"We agree with this statement however since the text originates in the United States it refers to places and things in the US and not Canada. This is true of both Giancoli and Knight.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"Instructors and physics departments should be very careful about choosing this textbook simply because it is free. The best existing textbooks are much better than the Open Stax textbook notwithstanding the cost implications. Overall we think that this text is overly comprehensive for a first year algebra based physics course. It explains many things that are best left for an instructor to discuss in class but should not require students to read. It would be a good reference for new teachers preparing lecture notes. We think that typical students would feel overwhelmed when trying to read this text. However, it would be appropriate as a resource for problems or specific explanations.\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":57,"first_name":"Tyron","last_name":"Tsui","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Langara College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text included and appropriately covered all topics necessary for a first-year algebra-based physics class. An index is provided in the PDF version of the text, but a link to the index in the web version of the text was not found. There are glossaries at the end of each chapter. Compared with a large glossary at the end of the text, it was easier for students to review the new terms, but trickier for them to find a term defined in a previous chapter.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Agree.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Chapters begin by introducing and developing physical concepts and end with sections covering modern applications of those topics. Keeping the applications updated seems like it would be straightforward.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"Each topic is introduced with a contextual or motivational section. Next, the concepts are developed and terms are well defined. The structure and text was generally straightforward.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"As mentioned, chapters/topics begin and are developed with the same framework.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Agree.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Agree.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"No issues that would distract the reader, but the font and style used for numbers, scientific notation and units change depending on where the value is shown and what the units actually are. Maybe it's the equation/math type program they used? The equations and some symbols disappear when the PDF is printed on certain printers or when the original PDF is modified (lines highlighted or reprinted to 2 or 4 pages on a sheet). The bars over average variables sit high.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Agree.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Agree.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Most other physics textbooks provide a rating for each end-of-chapter question (I, II, III) as a rough estimate of the question's difficulty. I've found the system to be useful for myself and for students working on unassigned problems. The current PDF of this text (col11406_1_8_13.pdf) does not have such a system. Most forces in the text are given the symbol F with a subscript to differentiate, but weight, normal force and tension are W, N and T. Note: At the suggestion of BCcampus staff, this review has been prepared jointly by Takashi Sato and Tyron Tsui (alphabetical order). Tsui nominally examined Chapters 1 - 17 and Sato nominally examined Chapters 18 - 34. Further, Dr. Tsui has the experience of having adopted this book for his class (Summer 2013 semester).\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":58,"first_name":"Takashi","last_name":"Sato","position":"Physics \u0026 astronomy faculty","institution_name":"Kwantlen Polytechnic University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book has the feel of a typical algebra based first year physics book, suitable for algebra-based first year physics courses anywhere. This book has reportedly been produced as part of a well-funded project (including support from the Hewlett Foundation, Gates Foundation, etc.) and, despite it being made available for free, does not appear lacking in quality. A general practice in physics education at the first year level is to split courses (and corresponding textbooks) into two streams: algebra-based and calculus-based. This book is not intended for use with calculus-based courses.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"On the whole there is no issue with content accuracy or bias. The one exception I detected is in Ch. 26 where the Square Kilometre Array is discussed in a way that does not appear technically correct to this radio astronomer.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This book pays good attention to highlighting the application of physical principles in contemporary society, often by description of technological devices. Although the physical principles do not become outdated, the specific devices referred to will need updates and maintenance.. This is generally what is done with all physics textbooks at this level.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"No significant issues detected.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"No significant issues detected.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"No significant issues detected.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Yes.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I used mainly the PDF version (hardcopy and on screen) for this review - no issues experienced.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No significant issue detected.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"No significant issue detected.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"(1) my preface: This review has been conducted jointly by Takashi Sato and Tyron Tsui (alphabetical order). Tsui nominally examined Chapters 1 - 17 and Sato nominally examined Chapters 18 - 34. Further, Dr. Tsui has the experience of having adopted this book for his class (Summer 2013 semester) and has shared his experiences with me. I believe we are in good agreement with each other's comments and I have benefited from the discussion. However, rather than merging our comments into one submission, we are each making our own submission. (2) The authors do not use the symbol \"e\" for the fundamental charge, 1.6 x 10-19 C, which is the standard notation . They use \"q_e\" instead. This choice of symbology is very unusual, perhaps unique, in textbooks for this audience. Because the two forms of notation are completely equivalent, it can be ascribed to a stylistic choice and this reviewer has no strong preference. However, I question whether it is prudent to graduate our students without knowing what \"e\" means. (3) This textbook incorporates the use of PhET simulations throughout. Simulations produced by the PhET project at the University of Colorado Boulder is the current golden standard and fans of PhET will surely embrace its prominence in this book. (4) Prompted by Clint Lalonde's question regarding the suitability of using parts of this same book for multiple courses, I looked at the chapters on special relativity and quantum physics to see if it might be suitable for a second year course in modern physics. The chapter on quantum physics serves only as an introduction and thus unsuitable for a modern physics course. The chapter on special relativity is more promising, and the algebra-based nature of this book is indeed sufficient for special relativity. However, it is only one chapter and I would imagine most modern physics courses will require more depth on this topic. Of course, while we physics teachers may forget to state the obvious, the algebra-based first year course I refer to in the opening is often a two-semester sequence (i.e. two courses. (4) The publishers provide supplements, much like any other modern textbook. In addition to an instructor solution manual and powerpoint slides, electronic supplements such as WebAssign and Sapling are also available. More specifically, I have learned that OpenStax has worked with Sapling Learning to produce an online homework tool tailored for this book. I have seen it demonstrated and for this particular book, unlike other books Sapling works with, the e-text has been integrated into the Sapling product. Students pay $40 instead of the usual $30 for this convenience. (5) I would like to reiterate Tyron Tsui's comment about the lack of ratings of end-of-chpater problems.\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":59,"first_name":"Neil","last_name":"Alberding","position":"Senior Lecturer","institution_name":"Simon Fraser University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Comprehensive and include much more than could be covered in two one-semester introductory courses. The Index and glossary are find. The pdf version needs a Table of Contents for navigation.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"Here are a few points in the order that I saw them. (Stars indicate importance.) *1. (1.3) The rules for significant figures should not be taken as inviolable. Suggest that they be applied with common sense. For intermediate calculations keep more significant figures than necessary to avoid propagating roundoff error. A few too many sig figs is better than too few. An example of an exception is 10.2 x 0.99. The rules would imply that only two figures be kept in the result which is plainly nonsense; the answer should be written as 10.1 not 10. (0.99 has three \"honorary\" sig figs.) *2. (2.2) \"A vector is any quantity with both magnitude and direction\". Not true. A vector has magnitude and direction, but some quantities with magnitude and direction are not vectors, e.g., rotations. *3. (2.4)Trying to rigorously define \"deceleration\" is not necessary and is confusing. Just say that when using technical terminology in physics, acceleration covers speeding up and slowing down and we will not be using deceleration in a technical way. (The section even starts with an image on the topic so students will think it's an important concept that must be memorized.) **4. (2.4 and 2.5) The concept finding displacement from the v vs t curve by the area under the curve is not discussed. True, this is an integral calculus concept, but I have never found students to be troubled by it. This concept is necessary to derive the kinematic equations. For example, the statement vavg = (vi + vf)/2 is not obviously true. Note that a common student misconception is that the average velocity is an average of some velocities and taking this statement as obvious panders to that misconception. *5. (2.7) Although most textbooks do it and it's not wrong, I don't like introducing the concept of \"the acceleration due to gravity\" in the kinematics section before discussing mass and force. The only reason it's done is to give a wider repertoire of constant acceleration problems. I prefer introducing \"g\" as the \"gravitational field strength\" which, when multiplied by the object's mass (see discussion later) predicts the force of gravity on it. Only in the absence of air resistance or other forces is the object's acceleration equal to g. **6. (4.2) The concept of how to measure mass, operationally, is crucial at this point. The author beats around the bush but never says the important words. He says, \"Operationally, the masses of objects are determined by comparison with the standard kilogram.\" but HOW this comparison is done isn't said. There needs to be some mention of comparing the accelerations of two masses (one possibly being the standard) when the are subjected to the same force and that the ratios of the masses are inverse to the accelerations. (A later mention that the weights can be compared as a means of measuring mass leads to the idea that mass could have two ways of being measured and then, later, when the Cavendish experiment is discussed the notion that gravitational attraction doesn't depend on an object's composition might make some sense.) *7. In figures such as 2.4, the points on the parabola are connected by straight line segments. They should not be. 8. Ch 9: Positioning of arrows over the figures of male bodies on the free bod diagrams. may cause some amusement among adolescent readers. ***9. Simple pendulum discussion needs revising: \"We see from Figure 16.14 that the net force on the bob is tangent to the arc and equals Fnet. (The weight has components along the string and tangent to the arc.) Tension in the string exactly cancels the component parallel to the string. This leaves a net restoring force back toward the equilibrium position at θ=0.\" This is wrong. During the swing of the pendulum the acceleration direction varies. It goes from being tangential to the arc at the extremity to pointing toward the pivot point as it swings through the equilibrium. See this figure http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Oscillating_pendulum.gif . The acceleration vector is pointing in the direction of the net force. **10. (25.6) There needs to be a discussion of angular magnification in this section and how it applies to the simple magnifier held a focal length from its object. In that case a magnified image is clearly seen with good eyes, but the lateral magnification, as described in this section, makes no sense because it is infinite. **11 (26.4) The magnification of the microscope suffers from the same lacuna as that of the simple magnifier, but worse. The important point is that the angle subtended by the object observed through the microscope is larger than it would be if viewed by the naked eye at the eye's near point. The calculation of a lateral magnification in a case where real images exist somewhere in space at an arbitrary position that is closer than infinity tells us nothing about the apparent magnification seen by the eye, which is the angular magnification. 12. CH 27: the combined contributions of the double slit and single slit patterns to the pattern of the double slit interference is not discussed, but is hinted at in the problem 11. This should probably be discussed in the text before one could expect a student to do the problem. 13. Ch31: The picture depicting synchrotron radiation actually has little if anything to do with this chapter? 14. Figures 7.32 seems way off. (GDP/capita vs energy usage) Must be out of date. GDP numbers seem consistent with year 2000 numbers. In 2007 the GDP/capita should be as follows: US $46350 vs Japan $34100. (World Bank statistics found by Google search.)) This list is probably shorter than a similar one of the good things about this book. But these items (especially the starred ones) are important enough to warrant some concern that other issues would be apparent when a closer look at this book would occur when teaching a course from it. There are many worked example that will be appreciated by the students. Some of the problems are interesting and unusual.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"It's ok. I have mentioned some data on GDP/Capita that seem outdated. The material covered generally is not changing that qickly.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Yes","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Yes. I have mentioned some issues in a previous box.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Good. The textbook should be broken into smaller files to easily use in tablets or smaller netbooks.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"Yes. The main issue I have is at the beginning where some topics in kinematics are omitted (area under v vs t curve) that do not allow the kinematics to be rigorously derived The issue of operationally defining mass and how to measure it is also discussed in a previous box..","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"No. Here are my previously prepared omments on this issue: it is worthwhile addressing the accessibility and usability of this textbook. The initial link I was given was to a pdf file many hundreds of MB in size. Currently in one of my courses I am using a textbook whose highquality pdf is about 1/10 that size. After downloading I noticed that it was impossible to copy any text from the display. Perhaps this is an antiplagiarism measure or copyright protection. Downloading from the link shown in the front of the pdf, I got a copy that did not have this feature. Furthermore, there was a lowresolution version pdf as well as epub versions. The lowresolution was indeed a manageable size and the quality was acceptable. It should be noted that most of the figures are line drawings. Line drawings can be imbedded in a pdf using a vector graphics encoding (such as eps) that retain the full resolution of the images at a fraction of the size of a bitmap. Indeed, all images in the pdf were jpeged bitmaps which made them big and full of compression artefacts in the smaller pdf file. The readability of the pdf version of the book approaches zero. The text is very small, sans serif and each line is much longer than what is needed for comfortable reading. When reading a paragraph, the eye often finds itself at the beginning of the line just read or completely lost. Furthermore, there is no sidebar table of contents for easy navigation. The thumbnail view shows barely recognizable page images that give no help in navigating around in the huge book. So I tried the epub. It is much larger than the lowres pdf, undoubtedly because of the images. The epub version was not able to be read by iBooks on the iPad. (I'm not referring to the special paid edition.) The only ebook reader that would load it was Calibre. (A fine piece of software). Using my 2010 MacBook Pro it took about 3 min to display the first time. The epub formatting was very legible and pleasant to read. The images were clear and well placed. Pages could be navigated rapidly within a chapter. There was a sidebar table of contents allowing quick navigation from one place to another. Transitioning from chapter to chapter caused a delay of a few seconds, but it was not annoying. The equations were legible, although the bitmap images of them looked a little crude. (Is mathJax coming to epub sometime?) One issue was that after navigating around in the book the images start to disappear. Unlike pdf, epub is supposed to allow svg vectorgraphic images, but is seldom done. The best solution for the epub would be to break the book into several parts according to the normal division of firstyear physics courses. On to the contents. As I say, it's unfortunate that most students will not read the purple prose of the authors, or try to follow the logic of the exposition. Nevertheless, I think it's worthwhile to present an intellectually respectable narrative. Unfortunately most \"College Physics\" books are written for an audience that often is not attracted to taxing their brain over the intricacies of the subject. An easily digested gloss may be rated higher than a text that tells the full story. There are some textbooks that achieve a happy medium between simplifying too much and explaining in a rigorous way. But the average College Physics, algebrabased textbook tends to simplify too much.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Not as far as I could tell.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I am ok with this aspect of the book.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"Here are the rest of my prepared omments: It's unfortunate, but most of us who teach physics soon realize that students don't read the textbook. Perhaps they use it as a last resort for finding hints on solving homework problems. No matter how well written, laid out, feature-filled the effort gone into preparing even the best textbook is wasted. The textbook by Urone et al. is a College Physics text. That means it is intended for an audience whose main interests usually lie elsewhere than the physical sciences or engineering. A textbook is usually recommended or assigned by the instructor with little input from the student; therefore, it is good to have an option that is inexpensive and portable. On this count, Urone et al. surpasses most other commercially marketed textbooks. On the other hand, its content does not. The list of issues is probably shorter than a similar one of the good things about this book. But these items (especially the starred ones) are important enough to warrant some concern that other issues would be apparent when a closer look at this book would occur when teaching a course from it. There are many worked example that will be appreciated by the students. Some of the problems are interesting and unusual. I do approve of suggesting the interactive activities with the PHETs and even more appreciate actual takehome experiment suggestions. Perhaps more guidance to the student could be given in carrying out their investigations by providing a worksheet or more detailed instructions. The examples and problems of biological nature are also commendable. One does wonder whether the authors have the expertise in all the various aspects of biophysics necessary to properly vet them.\r\nThis review originated in the BC Open Textbook Collection and is licensed under CC BY-ND.","created_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2013-10-09T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":175,"first_name":"Kriton","last_name":"Papavasiliou","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Virginia Tech","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"It is hard to find topics that should be included in an introductory text such as this one that have been left out. All the standard topics are there as well as additional material not found in most introductory physics books. I especially like the brief biographical notes and references to application in fields such as chemistry and biology.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"No major errors or author bias are apparent with a quick first reading. ","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Most introductory physics courses do not cover topics that require up to date information on the progress of physics. Still this book includes topics such as nuclear and particle physics along with topics such as dark matter, general relativity and nonlinear dynamics. One can hope that students may find them interesting and explore them outside of their usual course work.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Excellent! Patiently worked examples with ample explanation of each step. Simple figures that remain to the point and do not try to be unnecessarily fancy distracting the students' attention from the problem.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"There seems to be coherence between any two chapters. I could not detect any problems with consistency.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Again no problems here. The sections are of proper length and although there is a good amount of explanation and examples, it does not get irrelevant and tedious.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"This is probably the only objection I have with this book. First I believe some more treatment of vectors is necessary. Perhaps even an entire chapter on vectors would be a good idea. I also do not like the fact that the topic of gravity does not have its own chapter. Oscillations and simple harmonic motion should, in my opinion, also be moved a bit earlier in the book. These statements simply refer to my personal preference and I do not want to pretend that this is the absolutely best way to organize the material.\r\n","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I saw no problems of this nature. I commented earlier on the simplicity of the presentation and the figures, the lack of which I believe is a major flaw of most introductory physics books today.\r\n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors as far as I could tell. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This being a physics book makes this question rather irrelevant. Still I found no problematic points.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Generally a very good book with simple figures, a multitude of worked examples with all the steps shown, good check points for the students to consider, and a good variety of well chosen problems at the end of each chapter. The selection of topics is excellent. I would prefer a slightly different organization of the material, especially for the first half of the book, with more emphasis on vectors.","created_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":355,"first_name":"Rod","last_name":"Lee","position":"Physics and Astronomy Instructor","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text covers all of what we cover in our General Physics sequence (i.e. PHY 201-202-203).  There are additional chapters that we don't necessarily cover like \"Physics of Hearing\" and \"Vision and Optical Instruments\", although much of this content appears elsewhere in our courses.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have not found any incorrect information in the text.  In fact, there are some really useful tables of constants that I'd like to see in other physics texts.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The physics we teach our students doesn't really change that much.  I don't see that as a major concern.  If updates are needed, I believe they can be easily inserted.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I found the text to be more clear than the textbook we use.  I did get a printed copy of the book ($48.50 vs $200+ for Cutnell/Johnson - our current text).  The printed copy is very dense with text - may be hard to read for some.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"There are many real world examples given in the text to help students see how physics is applicable to real-life.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I found the text to be easy to navigate.  There is consistency from chapter to chapter in the formatting of material.  This makes the text easier for students to navigate.  The text does a good job of referring to material already covered.  Such references are hyperlinked which makes the text easy to pull earlier material and then return to the current chapter.  This is much quicker than a traditional, physical text.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The material is logically presented.  The sequence of material is mechanics, electromagnetics, optics, and modern physics.  This is generally the same approach most physical texts use.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I have not encountered any of these issues.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I have yet to find any grammar errors - and I am a stickler on this issue!","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"This issue does not seem to arise in this text.  Like most physics texts, this one draws on western examples, but in addition, it has more diversity than many textbooks.  I'm giving this category a '3' only because we all have our subconscious biases and I don't think anyone can clearly see all insensitive or offensive language.  ","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I hope that our college will move in the direction of using this text.  It would save students a ton of money and the text has more instructor and student ancillary materials than any physical text I've seen in my 17 years of teaching!","created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":486,"first_name":"Lawrence","last_name":"Davis","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Umpqua Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book is designed for the 200-level algebra based introductory physics course, which is typically taken by students in the biological sciences and health science majors. The book covers the full range of topics typically covered in such a course (CH 1-26) and goes beyond (CH 26+). The book also provides biology/human health related example problems and exercises that aid in engaging students who are not planning on studying the physical sciences.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have only used the book for chapters 1-26 and I don't regularly assign problems from the book (I use an online HW system) so I can't comment on that content. Everything else appears to be accurate.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The bulk of the content covered by this book hasn't changed in decades, maybe even in centuries, but the way that we as instructors present that content is changing. The book presents this content is a way that is as modern as possible for a book, including references to online simulations and some example problems and exercise that are related to biology and human health. The e-book format should make updates relatively easy.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is written using common language that is accessible to the students, however it can be verbose at times, but no more so than any other standard textbook. Large chunks of text at the start of a chapter will typically be ignored, or at best glanced through by students, but there just isn't much that that can be done about that. Breaking up those large text chunks may make them more appealing to students. Students have not complained that the textbook is \"hard to read\" any more than with other textbooks I have used.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"In my experience this is the case, I have had no complaints from students.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The book chapter align will with weekly modules and contain an appropriate amount of content to cover in a HW assignments due on a weekly basis. The order of the content aligns with that of the most commonly used standard texts for this course.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The book chapter align will with weekly modules and contain an appropriate amount of content to cover in a HW assignments due on a weekly basis. The order of the content aligns with that of the most commonly used standard texts for this course.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Not all of the images are high quality, some images and fonts exhibit slight pixelation and resolution issues. However, the issues are not severe. I have talked with students about this and they claim that the issues do not affect the ability of the images and diagrams to convey the intended content and the students would definitely accept some pixelation in exchange for the hundreds of dollars in savings over a standard textbook.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"A comma here and there (probably personal preference), nothing major found so far, but I haven't read the text cover to cover.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Photos show a range of ethnicities, problems use a mix of male, female genders for subjects.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Students seem receptive to the book, most likely because it is free. Motivating students to read the text in physics courses is a constant challenge, it appears this book does no better or worse than standard texts at motivating students, but it does so at no cost, and it has links to simulations and other content that students may be more receptive toward.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":511,"first_name":"James","last_name":"Rittenbach","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Rogue Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"At over 1400 pages, this is the most complete algebra-based physics textbooks I’ve ever seen.  As many of the students in the algebra-based physics sequence are pre-med or otherwise biologically oriented, the many biological/medical examples do a wonderful job of showing the relevance of the physics being discussed to a student’s given field.\n\nThis text also has great appendices, especially for radioactivity.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"One of the many advantages of an open-source text that can be downloaded is that it’s easier to fix errata sooner than traditional texts.  While there were a few errors a couple of years when it first came out, it’s better than most traditional texts at this point.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The nature of an introductory physics text is that most of the topics have been figured out for a couple of centuries and even the “modern physics” of relativity and quantum mechanics have been around for over a 100 years at this point.  While certain application examples could be updated in the near future, any good physics text written since World War I is still a good resource. \n\nSo, this text does have longevity but any physics text does.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Not only is the text written clearly but as an electronic text, it is able to link out to various online physics simulations directly.  This is incredibly valuable.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The treatment of vectors is developed in such a way that the one-dimensional treatment is inconsistent with the two-dimensional treatment but that it probably intended to gradually develop the complexity.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity of this text is wonderful.  I’ve used the modules to make an introductory physics text based on another edit of the modules.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The structure matches up with most physics texts which is OK.  There are some merits for covering conservation of energy before kinematics but that’s not traditionally done.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface is well done.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammar error since the errata edits.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"There is a nice mix of gender and ethnicities in the examples.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"One of my biggest issues with this text is the treatment of vectors.  In the section on acceleration (Chapter 2.4), there is a Misconception Alert on deceleration vs. negative acceleration.  This is creating a problem that doesn’t need to be there.  In “saving” the student from learning the difference between vectors, magnitude of vectors, vector components and scalars, a host of problems are created.  In an example there is an answer of  “a = -8.33 m/s^2”.  This is horrible.  This is an x-component within the context of the problem and as such should be written as “a_x = -8.33 m/s^2” as it is neither a magnitude of the acceleration vector (its negative) nor a scalar (although it looks like one, it’s really a component).  The text does latter start using components (the very next chapter is 2D kinematics) so student don’t even get to use this “easy” way for long.  It just means that a student’s introduction to vectors is such that it messes them up for treating them correctly.  Vectors are important tools in physics and students’ issues with them are a major part of the struggles they have.  Luckily, as a modular open source text I can edit it to my liking.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":557,"first_name":"Michael","last_name":"Murray","position":"Professor","institution_name":"University of Kansas","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Our interest in the book is for our algebra based physics sequence. Our students in these courses are mainly in the medical and biological areas.  We are trying to focus these courses on the human body as a mechanical, electrical and thermodynamic system and are using the MCAT test as a guide. The book is certainly comprehensive enough for our needs. \n\nWhile Newton's 3rd law is discussed it is such a hard idea for students that I think it deserves much more space in the text. The same could be set about electrical potential.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The book does not seem to be biased. I have one pet piev in that the Introduction ignores the development of physics between Plato/Aristotle and Galileo/Newton. For example the concept of conservation of momentum was worked out before before Newton and the idea that the world could be understood through experimentation gained ground in the high middle ages.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"It is very difficult to use photos and examples  that our students will immediately relate to since they are very tuned to technology and this changes fast. However this is not so important and I think that the students could see the relevance of the underlying physical principles to the human body.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"Generally the book is clear. I don't like some of the language, eg on Page 741\n\"One of the rules for static electric fields and conductors is that the electric field must be perpendicular to the surface of any\nconductor. This implies that a conductor is an equipotential surface in static situations.\"\n\nThis tends to de-emphasize the physical reason and may heighten students' tendency to just \"know which equation to use here.\"\n\nI would have preferred to say\n\"For a conductor the charges will arrange themselves such that they all have the same electrical potential. This happens very fast and once they have done this the electric field must be perpendicular to the surface of the condocutor.\"","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"The most important thing to be consistent about in this material is the notation for vectors. The book uses bold face to represent vectors. My concern is that this is not enough for students and it would be better to show the arrow over the symbol.  The book also sometimes drop the boldface without saying \"Now let us consider the magnitude of the Coulomb force\"","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book follows the class divisions of introductory physics. The subdivisions are small enough to be assigned as readings for each day.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The book follows the \"Kinematics First\" approach which I think is more appropriate for medical/biology students than the \"Energy First\" approach. I would have preferred gravitation to be its own separate chapter since the is quite an intellectual leap from driving around a bend to the motion of the planets.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"Generally the images are fine. I found some of the optics images a little hard to follow because the lines showing the actual rays and the perceived straight lines that our vision constructs were so close.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The books grammar is as good as mine.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The only cultural point I noted was in the Introduction where physics is presented as completely dormant through the middle ages. This misses the gradual development of technology and the growing realization that the world could be understood through experimentation, rather than just through logic.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"It certainly contains much that is useful for our medical and biology students. Some of the hardest concepts will need additional material and extra class time but this is not a fatal problem.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":767,"first_name":"Alan","last_name":"Covell","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"University of North Caronlina at Greensboro","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"OpenStax's college physics includes all topics, with standard examples, that would normally be found in an introductory college physics text. I have not found anything lacking.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"OpenStax has done a very good job in reviewing their material, and as such I have found no errors within the text as I have used it.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Another good point about the OpenStax text is that it can be updated by the community at large. This means submissions for updates are reviewed and then included if they add to the text. College Physics includes relatively recent examples of content just like any other introductory text.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"OpenStax's College Physics reads quite well. It is perhaps not as well written as some of the more costly texts, but it is far better than the worst I've seen. Everything is clearly defined and laid out.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I have yet to find inconsistencies within the text.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text does flow well and is easily organized. The chapter layouts are intuitive and can easily be reworked for any purpose. An added bonus with the OpenStax text is that the online version is free, along with other tools that make the text even more accessible and user friendly.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"As well organized as any text in the market.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The quality of the text is top notch, and with the added online interfaces and tools, the OpenStax text is even better than commercial texts.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I have not found any grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I know of no issue concerning this.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I would recommend this text for all instructors of introductory physics as it represents a huge savings for most students without sacrificing quality.","created_at":"2016-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":864,"first_name":"Lawrence","last_name":"Rees","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Brigham Young University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book covers all the subjects traditionally included in an algebra-based college physics course. It includes bio-med applications, as is expected for this course, including dedicated chapters to there are dedicated chapters to fluid dynamics and nuclear physics in bio-med applications in fluid dynamics and nuclear physics. It also includes a chapter on the frontiers of physics, which is a nice addition. The text is just over 1400 pages long, but in terms of word count, it appears to be commensurate with typical texts. \n\nThere are chapter glossaries, a table of contents, and an index. I found the index spotty. It lists “conservation of momentum principle” and “elastic collisions,” but not “momentum” or “collisions,”  for example.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"In reading over a number of chapters that often give students difficulty, I found that the text is generally accurate. There are a few errors. In one case, the historical background was inaccurate (but commonly repeated). More seriously, one argument led to a correct conclusion, but was non sequitur (in other words, it was a lie that looks true on the surface). There are very few typographical problems, and nothing in that realm of any consequence. On the whole the book is accurate, and the inaccuracies are not critical.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Most of the subject matter has changed little in the last 50 years (or even 200 years in many cases). It’s not likely to change much in the near future, and the places where it has a higher likelihood of changing are mostly limited to a small number of chapters. The part that will change most rapidly are the applications.\n \n","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"General, the book is clearly written. I examined parts of the text where students struggle most and found a few places where I felt that the explanations were terse, though accurate. One introductory section (wave optics) seemed more likely to confuse students than to be a motivational introduction. I would be inclined to add a few definitions and more detailed explanations if I were to adopt the text. I felt that this was the text’s most significant problem. Numerically. I gave the text a 4 on clarity, but in reality it’s more like 3.7.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I found the structure of the text consistent throughout. Some topics were treated somewhat better than others, but on the whole it was all adequate and mostly quite good.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"Modularity is important to me because I often like to cover topics in a little different order than is traditional. For example, I prefer to discuss conservation of momentum before Newton’s laws. As with most texts, this text makes it difficult to do that as the chapter on conservation of momentum makes extensive reference to force. I feel that the modularity of this text is typical for the genre, which means it is not especially good.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization and structure are good. Examples are set off nicely. There are helps for working problems that are easily located as are the chapter glossaries. The logical flow is clear.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface is fine. Some of the illustrations look like they were came from somewhat low-resolution jpeg files. (I downloaded the high-resolution version.) The lettering isn’t crisp and there are “jpeg shadows” in the white background. It’s not confusing, but looks a little less professional than if higher quality images were produced from the source applications.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I’m picky about grammar and only noticed one grammatical/typographical error in all I read.\n\n","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"There is certainly nothing that could be considered offensive to any group of people. I didn’t really notice whether the names in the examples seemed culturally diverse. There aren’t a lot of personal names used even in the examples and the problems. There is gender diversity.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I reviewed this book with an eye to adopting it for my second-semester algebra-based calculus course. I like the idea of open source texts and was hoping that I would find a text as good as the ones that are produced by major publishing houses. Frankly, I was a little disappointed. I feel I’d have to do more explanation and clarifying in class to compensate for things in the text that are a little vague. That being said, I recognize the difficulty of producing a text like this without the financial and technical support of a publisher. In the end, I think the text is acceptable. The beauty of the Creative Commons License is that I could do a modest amount of work to change it into something that I really like.\n \n","created_at":"2016-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":885,"first_name":"Daniel","last_name":"Sheehy","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Louisiana State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"\nThe textbook is very comprehensive, covering all topics in a typical two-semester algebra-based introductory physics coruse. Each chapter concludes with a glossary that is also comprehensive, covering terms defined in that chapter.  In addition,  an appendix provides a glossary of mathematical symbols and a multi-page index is provided at the end of the text.  \n\nOne topic of interest that is missing is Gauss's law in electrostatics.  A full description of this law is far too \nadvanced for a class at this level, and even if included many instructors might skip over it anyway.  However, it is\nuseful in that it introduces the idea of flux (in the context of the flux on an electric field).  \n","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"\n\nThe content appears to be fully accurate and error-free.  \n","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"\nThe material covered in an introductory physics class is, to a large extent, old enough that it doesn't change much from year to year.\nHowever, there are a few specific modern topics that I was glad to see this book discuss (and which may be missing from older texts).  For example, global warming is discussed several times, as are recent discoveries such as the existence of neutrino masses.  The mystery of dark matter is mentioned, but not dark energy.  \n\nI didn't find  many anachronistic things, meaning examples or concepts that would be foreign to modern students.  The only clear\nexample I found is in terms of references to television antennas, which are becoming less common.  \n","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"\nThe text is extremely clear but also verbose, almost too a fault.  Introductory physics students need to learn to solve problems, and the copious historical background provided may be interesting to many students but can also distract from the main point.  \nFor example, in Chapter 2 (essentially the first chapter that involves problem solving, after the introductory chapter 1),\nit is several pages before the reader is finally presented with a summary of the four main equations of one-dimensional \nkinematics.   I understand that it is very difficult to balance the idea of building ideas logically (which the\nbook excels at) with the necessity of having a clear explanation of the most important equations and concepts.  \n","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"\nThe book strived to be very clear in how problems are solved, providing detailed descriptions of each step (particularly early \non in the book).  However, I did find a few ambiguities.  For example, on page 56, one of the early problems on kinematics,\nthe problem figure refers to v_F (the final velocity), while the text below the figure refers to v (the same quantity).  \nThe example problem on page 58 involves the sentence \"In this case, then, the time is t=t in seconds\" -- to me, this construction\nis confusing and it is better to simply say the result of the quadratic equation is t=10.0s.  Incidentally, in my opinion\nthe method presented in 2.13 is not the best way to solve this problem (since it requires using the quadratic formula) and it \nis much easier to find the final velocity from the distance travelled and the acceleration, and then find the time elapsed.\nAlthough the authors perhaps wanted to provide an example using the quadratic formula, in my opinion this was unneccesary.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"\nPhysics is intrinsically cumulative, so it is hard to say how modular a physics textbook can be.  One thing I was surprised to see was \nthat the formation of images due to curved mirrors is presented after the discussion of refraction and lenses; I typically think of the case of convex and concave mirrors as more naturally coming first as a warmup for the later more advanced topic of lenses.  However I think this order is probably fine.  \n","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"\n\nI found that the book proceeded through the most important topics in a very straightforward manner.  \n","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"\n\nI didn't see any issues with the book's interface with two exceptions: The book pdf has links to PhET simulations which provide a link to external content.   When I clicked on these links they downloaded a file that did not work on my apple computer when I clicked on them.  Perhaps with a bit more effort I could have figured out how to use them.  Secondly, some of the figures were not as clear as they could have been.  In particular, on page 745 in chapter 19 the electric field lines and equipotential lines are (almost) the same color, and it is hard to distinquish them.  ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"\n\nI did not notice any grammatical errors.  \n","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I didn't note any culturally insensitive or offensive sections of the book.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":941,"first_name":"Julia","last_name":"Olsen","position":"Faculty, Program Director","institution_name":"University of Arizona","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"My interest in the text is for use as a physics content resource for specialized courses and workshops for STEM teachers.  As such, it includes all topics - and more - that I'd expect from a single introductory college text at a level accessible to non-physics majors.  I especially note the applications to biomedical and other fields which receive special attention in the text. \n\nAs a STEM educator, I do have strong issues with the perpetuation of the \"Scientific Method\" as defined in Chapter 1 (page 10) which epitomizes the cookbook approach to science which we are trying to modify in science courses.  Science is an iterative process and should be reflected as such: http://undsci.berkeley.edu/article/howscienceworks_02 provides a more realistic framework which we encourage STEM teachers to incorporate in K12 education through our work with teacher development and graduate level coursework for STEM teachers. \n\n","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"As I read through most of the chapters, I did not notice any errors in accuracy.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"I am approaching evaluation of this text from the standpoint of STEM educator rather than as physics faculty. There isn't (and should not be) any issues in physics content, especially since it is open source and can be quickly updated as needed. Physics doesn't change a lot, but the skills we require our students to learn, do, along with the contexts in which the content is applied. What also changes is how we want students to engage with the content.\n\nAs a STEM educator, a books pedagogy is highly relevant in my practice: this text does include a format which is consistent with the emphasis (see American Association of Physics Teachers) on active learning - this text includes focus on concept integrations, open ended problems, and student inquiry.  This feature is especially in the examples (through the discussion presented), application sections,  problems sets (conceptual questions are presented before calculations),  and PhET sims. The take home experiments are also very good.\n\nPedagogically speaking, I also see a number of issues, one of which is that the \"check your understanding\" callouts in the pdf version provide the student no serious reason for reflection -  the \"correct\" answer is immediately below the prompt/question in the version but not in the web version, which has a \"show solution\" button. \n\nThe chapter outlines are also somewhat limited in the outcomes presented - for instructors familiar with Bloom's taxonomy (http://web2.uconn.edu/assessment/images/Bloom_UpperDivisionCourses.jpg), you will quickly note that the majority of section outcomes are low level: define, identify, and describe are highly used terms which are very basic knowledge and comprehension tasks that do not promote higher level thinking.\n\nTo conclude on a positive note, the PhET sims occur before the content is presented, which is an excellent strategy to increase student learning, and the misconception alerts and take-home investigations are also well appreciated as pedagogically sound strategies.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The book is  clearly written in standard English.  Terms are defined briefly at the end of each chapter after introduction and a broader definition within the text.  Context is provided in every chapter for many topics. Illustrations and charts. Examples are presented and explained. \n\nBesides the PhET Sims I would like to see at least some of the static illustrations and images linked to video for added clarity - the Tacoma Narrows Bridge oscillation is one notable example. but there are a number of others.  \n\nAppraising at the book as an instructor who frequently integrates students with various disabilities into my courses, I would like to at least see the web version be fully accessible for the 10% of college students who have a disability.  ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text follows a consistent pattern in it's presentation.  I did not notice any inconsistencies between or within chapters. The framework is predictable and easy to follow. Topic and subtopic headings are clearly defined, as are example sections, PhET explorations and other callouts, and the various problem sets. \n","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The length of this book could be rather daunting, but it is not because this text is highly modular. This is an important feature I plan to take full advantage of in my planned courses/workshops where specific chapters or topics will be used as instruction for content underlying specific real-world topics.  The web version appears to enhance the modularity aspect much more than the pdf version.\n","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics in the text are presented in a clear, predictable fashion throughout each chapter.   Any topic that need more elaboration can be supplemented by the instructor.  Examples are clearly designated. The connections to PhET are helpful and clarify concepts within each chapter/topic/subtopic. ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I compared both the pdf and the browser version. Overall, I find the interface to be usable in either version with some caveats. \n\nThe images and charts seem to all be as they should be.  However I must note that on my Mac, some lines in the pdf are irregularly spaced.    Text to speech is supported. My text-to-speech reader followed the pdf fairly well. \n\nThe font is easy to read but providing choices in font may benefit some users, also choice of font and background color for increased accessibility. http://oregonstate.edu/accessibility/web provides a usable overview of what should be included and why.\n\nOne issue (also mentioned above in #3) is that the \"check your understanding\" callouts in the pdf version provide the student no serious reason for reflection -  the \"correct\" answer is immediately below the prompt/question in the version but not in the web version, which has a \"show solution\" button.  I see no good reason for this discrepancy. \n\n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find any grammatical errors. ","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I do not notice any obvious cultural insensitivities or offensive representations. It seems to prefer US references rather than incorporating world contributions to physics or as examples of physics.  I also did not notice significant representation of persons with disabilities.  There is gender diversity, but it does seem to favor males.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I really appreciate the idea of an open source text that is so readily accessible for students.  It is easy to read in a browser or in pdf download.   I have applied for an instructor account which should provide many more resources to complement this text. ","created_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":980,"first_name":"Tatsu","last_name":"Takeuchi","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Virginia Tech","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook is indeed comprehensive and covers all the topics that are discussed in a traditional algebra based introductory physics course.  However, at more than 1400 pages long, I wonder if the textbook could have been made more amenable to reading from cover to cover had the topics been carefully selected and presented in a more coherent fashion.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"Many statements in the textbook are what I would characterize as \"inaccurate.\"  Various definitions are simply introduced via unexplained equations with the justification being simply \"it seems reasonable.\"  Misprints and misspellings also make some of the statements \"inaccurate\" and confusing.  For instance, on page 175 just after Eq. (5.2) it says \"The symbol \\le means less than or equal to, implying that static friction can have a minimum and a maximum value of \\mu_S N.\"  The \"a minimum and\" part of the sentence should have been edited out. ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The main content of the book is introductory physics which has been well established by the early 20th century.  It is the basis of all modern physics so it will take some time for the content to become obsolete.  The text also includes many modern applications of the physics discussed, and those portions may need to be updated every now and then.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"In my opinion, the text is very difficult to read, not because of jargon or technical terminology, but due to the sometimes very contrived attempts to derive relevant relations while avoiding as much math as possible, and the presentation of too much circumstantial information.","consistency_rating":2,"consistency_review":"I as particularly annoyed by the inconsistent treatments of quantities that need to be defined as an integral of other quantities, such as displacement which is an integral of velocity over time, work which is an integral of force over distance, impulse which is an integral of force over time, etc.  In some cases, the integral is presented using graphical methods, while in others the relevant graph is never shown and the result of the integration just presented with a lot of hand-waving.\nThe detail and depth that the text goes into also varies from topic to topic.  ","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"When trying to teach physics, it is never a good idea to try to modularize the topics since the entire point of physics is to make connections between various phenomena.  This book, unfortunately, seems to have tried very hard to modularize various topics.  As a result, many definitions are just introduced in an ad hoc manner at the beginning of each section with little emphasis on the motivation or connections to the various other topics already discussed in the book.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The book does not seem to have any particular structure on how the topics are organized.  It simply follows the traditional order of topics used by every other textbook and does not try to tell any compelling story.","interface_rating":1,"interface_review":"The most annoying thing about this book is how the equations are formatted.  Very poor typesetting.  Why did the author not use LaTeX?   The font used in the equations seems to be Times New Roman which makes the lower case v look like a greek nu. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Except for some typos and misspellings, I did not spot any grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"I would say that being a physics textbook, this book is culturally neutral.","overall_rating":6,"overall_review":"Some of the figures are inaccurate.  For instance, the parabolas in Figs. 3.49 and 3.50 do not look like parabolas.","created_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1025,"first_name":"Jeanette","last_name":"Eggert","position":"Professor of Math and Physics","institution_name":"Concordia University, Portland, Oregon","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The OpenStax textbook coverage of content for a one-year algebra-based physics course exceeds standard textbooks that I have recently used. Because I have many biology majors in my physics course that are headed into medical or physical therapy careers, I always use books that include reasonable coverage of atomic and nuclear physics to support their understanding of imaging processes. This text has even more detail in those areas than other texts that I have been using.\n\nIn addition to the textbook, I have been evaluating other instructor resources provided by OpenStax. I will provide feedback about two that I have explored. I am very pleased with the Concept Trailers. These short videos are well done and can easily augment class presentations and may be viewed by students outside of class as well. PowerPoint slides are provided. They are primarily images from the textbook, and that is exactly what I like to have available as I plan presentations and sample problems. Furthermore, I am very pleased that I can edit these slides. \nIn addition to the free resources listed above, OpenStax has various partner resources listed on the website. I am interested in utilizing web-based homework systems. I am currently evaluating WebAssign and Expert TA. Both systems provide access to all the problems in the OpenStax Physics textbook.\n","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content accuracy is satisfactory for the chapters that I have read.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"I am very pleased with the clear, classic diagrams. Some medical examples may become dated. The atomic and nuclear physics portions are most prone to needing updating.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The clarity of the text is satisfactory.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Internal consistency seems satisfactory. For the sections that I have carefully read, and for other sections that I have casually considered, I am pleased with the “standard” notation utilized.\n\nOne feature that I really like is Appendix D: Glossary of Key Symbols and Notation. For example, the list shows that the Greek letter alpha can represent angular acceleration, alpha decay, or temperature coefficients of resistivity. I think students will find this list of variables very helpful. It is also a quick way for me to check on the notation as I am adapting to this textbook.\n","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I like the idea that I can create a customized version, but plan to use the materials “as is” for the implementation. Even with prior textbooks, I would “omit” certain sections due to time limitations. \n\nI am considering using portions of the OpenStax Physics text for my general education conceptual physics course. I may create a customized version for that course.\n","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization structure is satisfactory. I am pleased that images are provided in PowerPoint slides that are customizable.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I am very pleased that the textbook is available as a Web version, a downloadable pdf version, and in print. The print copy is very heavy! I do not plan to carry it around much, but will use it as a “desk copy.” So far I have been reading both the web version and the pdf version. On the web version, the glossary and problems are at the end of each section. On the pdf version and the print version the glossary and problems are at the end of each chapter. Since the problems in the web version are not numbered, it will be easier to work from the pdf version to provide references for the students as we complete sample problems. I am thankful for all three versions and will survey my students for feedback about these options as well. \n\nIt is my hope that I can reference the textbook often enough so that the student will use it often as their “go-to” reference instead of just googling whatever they are trying to learn.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not note any grammatical errors in the sections that I have read.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I did not notice any offensive language or illustrations.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I am planning to adopt the OpenStax College Physics textbook for our two-semester algebra-based physics courses. I am also considering using selections of this text for our 100-level general education conceptual physics course.","created_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2017-02-08T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1081,"first_name":"William","last_name":"Mekeel","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Riverland College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"At 34 chapters and 1400 words, this introductory textbook covers a myriad of topics. While obviously not a text intended to read cover-to-cover, the depth and breadth of content allows an instructor to choose the topics most appropriate for their course outline. The index and glossary are appropriate and error free.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"To-date, I have not noticed any errors (aside from a rare typo) and find the content to be diverse and unbiased.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The content should maintain it's relevance for years to come...I find this to be true of most introductory physics texts I have reviewed.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The examples and explanations of basic concepts can become wordy at time but overall, the language is approachable for students.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This text maintains a consistent structure throughout.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"For my hybrid courses, I often divide the sections up to match video explanations and have found this to be consistently easy.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organization and structure match what I have come to expect from other introductory textbooks. The structure is coherent, the examples are effective, and the links to outside materials are useful.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I have not encountered any issues with compatibility- especially considering the various formats available. This being said, I have personally used the text and supporting materials on Apple devices.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find any grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Aside from it's preference towards American audiences, the text appears to be culturally non-biased.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I plan to continue using this text in the near future and hope to see it more widely adopted by neighboring institutions. I am impressed with both the textbook and supplemental content available through Openstax.","created_at":"2017-04-11T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-04-11T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1177,"first_name":"Medini","last_name":"Padmanabhan","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Rhode Island College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book has an exhaustive list of all introductory physics topics. It has pretty much everything i need (and then some!) to teach a 2-semester course for non-science majors.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Of the 12/34 chapters I have used, I have not found any conceptual or mathematical error.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This is an introductory physics book. The content here is not expected to change rapidly at all. This book is a great alternative to the multitude of expensive textbooks which keep repeating pretty much the same content.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"It took me some time to get used to the style in which this book is written. But this could simply be a manifestation of the fact that as a student I used hardbound texts. My students seemed comfortable reading it online. However, many of them performed badly in the course. I don't think it is the textbook's fault, but I will reserve my judgement till I have tried this book in future semesters.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"I have used only 1/3rd of the book (mechanics) and the terminology and notation was consistent.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"I have used only 1/3rd of the book (mechanics) and it is pretty modular. Of course in physics, concepts build off of each other. A certain amount of dependency is unavoidable.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The order in which physics topics are introduced seem to be consistent among most of the texts available in the market. This text pretty much follows the same order. Some rearrangement might be needed to suit a specific course/audience.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I personally like printed copies of physics texts because I can focus on the text and not get distracted by the side navigation bar. Also, I find it difficult to scroll up and down while working out problems and exercises. However, all these issues can be solved by printing this out as a pdf. So, I wouldn't hold this against this book.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"n/a","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"n/a","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Next time I adopt this book, I would make a \"sub textbook\" by collating and printing only the pages I need. The major mistake I made was to assign online readings: the students got confused and side tracked by extraneous concepts which were not relevant to what I was trying to say in the class. \nWith this modification, I believe that OpenStax Physics can be a great book to teach algebra based science to non-majors.","created_at":"2017-04-11T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-04-11T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1203,"first_name":"Henry","last_name":"Smith","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"River Parishes Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The contents of this book are complete, and it is done in an orderly manner.  The chapter titles are easily matched to the contents of the chapters.  At the back of the book there is a glossary, but no index except for the electronic index.  Finding material presented in one section, then used in problems later can be handled with the search feature which is called index.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content is accurate.  The book is well thought out and care has been taken in working the examples.  \n\nThere is no bias in the material.  The book does not use names in the problems, since the problems are based on objects, such as electrons.  Therefore, the book is cultural and gender neutral.  This is typical of a physics book.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Most of physics is constant over time, so being up to date is not an issue.  The physics of fifty years ago is still valid.  As time goes on we are continuing to add to the base of knowledge, and these current advances are usually placed in the later chapters.  This book is rich in up to date material in those later chapters.\nAs to soon being obsolete, that is not likely.  As more is learned from physics, some, but not much, can be added at this level.  And such additions can be done easily, often by adding a late chapter or two, or adding to an existing chapter.  Since the later material is not gotten to in most classes, whether additions are made in the future or not will not impact the usability of the book.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book in extremely clear.  The book is written with material of a section focusing on a single topic, or a few related topics, and the work is easily understood without clouding the material with too many new concepts.\n\nThe wording is such that a college student should understand the book by reading, and the technical words needed to understand the material are adequately defined.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book maintains the same style throughout, and the terms used in one section do not vary when used in a future section.  The sections are comparable in length, and all sections have a narrow focus.  Chapters combine appropriate sections in the proper order.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text is essentially modular, in that each section contains a small bit of information with subsections properly labeled within them.  However, there is a need for former material, so jumping about or skipping material can be a difficulty.  This is actually a positive in physics, since compound problems bringing multiple concepts together is the proper level and approach for a course taught using this material.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"In physics there is a natural flow of material, and this book follows such a flow.  At times there are two topics that can interact with each other.  One must be presented first, and the second tie things together.  This book follows the standard flow of material that works well in physics, and material is properly tied together..","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface is for the most part well handled.  However, the text used interactives and videos.  The videos are long, and likely to be abandoned by students.  The interactives are not easily used.  \nAside fro the videos and interactives, the interfacing of material within the book is fine.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The grammar is excellent, and the word choices are such that a freshman college student should not struggle.  The book has been well edited for grammatical issues, and is devoid of errors, including punctuation.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Since the examples and exercises do not involve people, names and settings that might cause cultural issues are avoided.  The book essentially has avoiding this issue by referring to objects, not people.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"The book is well written, and viable for a course.  There is no end of chapter material, so this would be a minor flaw, however the questions can be assigned as a group after the chapter is completed.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1308,"first_name":"Edward","last_name":"Davis","position":"Research Associate Professor","institution_name":"North Carolina State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"I have been in the business of teaching Freshman physics courses for more than 20 years. In that time, I’ve had to work with half-a-dozen mainstream texts from publishing houses like Pearson and Wiley. As regards comprehensiveness, Openstax’s College Physics compares favourably with these texts. In fact, an attractive feature of College Physics is that it contains significantly more material spelling out the implications for the life and allied health sciences, integrated seamlessly into the body of the text. Despite the considerable size of the book, it should be easy to use as a reference work: in addition to an adequate index (at the end of the book), each chapter ends with a glossary and a detailed summary.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Any book of this size cannot be entirely error free, but I cannot say I found any (although I have yet to teach from the book). There is no discernible bias. I have some minor quibbles here and there about statements made in College Physics, but most of these have more to do with nuances of interpretation than inaccuracies, and do not impact on the utility of the book as an introductory text.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"All of the core material covered by College Physics is well established, but the text is remarkable for its consistent attention to recent developments. In almost all cases, these are dealt with in such a way that frequent updating will not be required. The various sections which discuss the search for the Higgs boson and gravitational waves, now both discovered, are most clearly in need of revision, but the changes will be easy to implement.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The writing style is certainly accessible without being too informal. There is an unfortunate tendency to use technical terms in the introductions to chapters or sections before they have been defined. However, in all the instances I am aware of, it was possible to find the term defined not long thereafter, making this an irritating but, hopefully, not debilitating feature of the book for the neophyte. Of more concern is that many sections could do with an overhaul to improve their conciseness and clarity. Often, I was reminded of Blaise Pascal’s wry comment “I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time”. Sometimes, even when it is clear that an especial effort has been made with the composition of some section, the writing distracts from the point that is being made. Perhaps, the most egregious instance occurs in section 4.4 which opens with an appeal to humor no doubt intended to enliven the presentation: “There is a passage in the musical Man of la Mancha that relates to Newton’s third law of motion. Sancho, in describing a fight with his wife to Don Quixote, says, `Of course I hit her back, Your Grace, but she’s a lot harder than me and you know what they say, ‘Whether the stone hits the pitcher or the pitcher hits the stone, it’s going to be bad for the pitcher’.” The reader is left with the subliminal impression of asymmetry (whatever the interaction, “it’s going to be bad for the pitcher”), whereas the point the authors want to make in section 4.4 is that the third law demands a certain symmetry of physical interactions or forces.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"There are no obvious problems with internal consistency, either of terminology, notation or the book’s framework.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text has been suitably modularized. It will be straightforward to use it in conjunction with any course which covers only a small portion of the material in College Physics. It is also of considerable help that all the end of chapter conceptual questions and exercises/problems have been classified according to the section to which they refer.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The organisation of the topics within the text is, by and large, standard. One departure from the norm is the inclusion of elasticity under a discussion of forces within the Newtonian paradigm. Usually, this material is deferred to a chapter dealing with the static equilibrium of structures, which then serves to motivate the phenomenological description of the response of materials to applied forces. However, I don’t mind this innovation. It permits one to introduce a number of concepts and parameters (stress, strain, Young’s modulus, etc), which arise in contexts other than static equilibrium, and thereby increases the flexibility (no pun intended) that one has in the presentation of subsequent material.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"There are some formatting issues but none are serious. \n\nSome of the Chapter Outlines, which appear right at the beginning of each chapter, spill over to the next page (see, for example, chapters 2, 6, 8, 11, 12, 13), which makes it difficult to take in the content of a chapter at a glance (surely one purpose of these outlines?). Couldn't the pictures which appear above these outlines be cropped accordingly? They add colour but have limited information content. \n\nMany of the worked examples in the text are spread over more than one page. Sometimes this seems justified, but at others it’s an irritant.\n\nIt would possibly be an improvement if the glossaries appeared at the beginnings of chapters, immediately after the outline and before the text starts. Then readers can gauge if they are already familiar with the key concepts to be introduced in the chapter, and the authors would be less constrained in their prose by the need to carefully introduce terminology before they use it.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I am sure that the authors have been careful to eliminate as many grammatical errors as humanly possible. Nevertheless, there is one that has escaped their attention which appears at a rather prominent place in the text. The second paragraph of chapter 4 opens with the sentence “Isaac Newton’s (1642–1727) laws of motion were just one part of the monumental work that has made him legendary.” I would say that it would be preferable to rewrite this sentence as follows: “The laws of motion formulated by Newton (1642-1727) were just one …”.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"College Physics deals with the fruits of the scientific method. As such, the book should be and is culturally neutral. The illustrations which accompany the text do not display a predilection for any gender, ethnicity or race.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I would like to congratulate the authors on their selfless achievement. I hope that they will be able to summon up the motivation to continue the never-ending task of improving upon their already useful pedagogic tool.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1340,"first_name":"Gabriele","last_name":"Belle","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"George Mason University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book is an excellent comprehensive text for a 200-level algebra-based physics course. It explains all relevant physics concepts in a clear and consistent manner. The book also has a chapter on the “Frontiers” of physics which distinguishes it from other texts on the market.\n\nThe authors provide many biological and medical examples which makes it an ideal textbook for pre-med and bio-oriented students. In most 200-level physics courses the majority of students are interested in pursuing a medical career. Using this book as a course textbook will most likely motivate many pre-med and biology students to be more interested in understanding the basic concepts of physics.\n\nEach chapter has its own glossary of terms which makes it easier for students to read the chapter before attending a lecture.\n\nEnd of chapter problems include integrated concept and unreasonable results problems. In “integrated concept problems”, students are tasked to apply several concepts to find a solution.  In “unreasonable results problems”, students need to analyze the solution and evaluate how likely the result is. For the instructor a manual is provided which contains both problems and solutions. This makes it easy to integrate examples into a lecture.  More than 4,000 end-of chapter problems are available in WebAssign, an affordable online homework system. A student solutions manual is also available.\n\nThe book has very good appendices and is equivalent to other college physics text books.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"In general, the contents can be considered accurate and unbiased. An exception to this statement is the title of chapter 32:”Medical Applications of Nuclear Physics.” In addition to medical applications, the contents of this chapter also includes food irradiation, fusion, fission, and nuclear weapons. These topics have nothing to do with medical applications of nuclear physics; therefore the title is not accurate. A more appropriate title would be “Applications of Nuclear Physics.”","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The concepts described in the book will not change. Applications as well as links to external websites will need to be updated and kept current.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Concepts are explained in a logical and consistent manner. All relevant terms are defined briefly in the glossary at the end of each chapter. The text contains many examples. Solutions to problems are well explained and follow a coherent step-by-step approach throughout the book. The book is well written and easy to read.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The chapters are organized in a consistent manner.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is divided into several sections. The modular version of the web view of the book allows to re-organize the chapters, create new modules, and add images. This is only possible on the legacy site of Connexions. A personal work-space is provided in which the user can create a collection of modules that match the instructor’s needs. A PDF file of each chapter can also be created. Unfortunately, this has not yet been implemented for the new online version of the book at the time of this review.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book follows the traditional approach used in most college physics text books.The topics are presented in a logical and clear fashion. Each chapter starts with the learning objectives followed by an introduction to the basic concepts with examples, and ends with applications.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The user interface with the browser version of the book is easy to navigate and well designed. The font is sans serif and very small. This is not a problem, if the user reads the book online or downloads the PDF file and reads it on a computer screen. All browsers and Acrobat Reader offer the possibility to zoom in on the text. However, the printed version of the book is difficult to read.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not notice any grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"As this is a physics text book, the text is culturally unbiased. Images are inclusive of different ethnicities and show a mix of gender.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I highly recommend OpenStax's College Physics book to all instructors of introductory physics courses. I will use it in my summer courses.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1365,"first_name":"Darrell","last_name":"Lim","position":"Faculty","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book covers what’s to be expected in college-level physics, with some sections being rather bare, yet factual. For example, the book didn’t seem to introduce dot and cross products, which I feel could be introduced at an appropriate math level for this course.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The book seems accurate with given information, but sometimes the information is incomplete. For example, the fundamental SI units are not all listed at the beginning.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"With ease of making improvements, the book can last forever. Being an OER, constant changes would bring this text to life with current events and relevance to student lives.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"It’s explanations are often brief, to the point, and dry. Often it feels like I’m reading a more pedagogically-inclined Wikipedia article.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Some concepts were emphasized more than I would emphasize in lecture, and some parts were glossed over where I wouldn’t have done so. For example, in calculating uncertainties in the first chapter, I would have spent more time talking about how adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing values with uncertainties can affect the uncertainties of the answers.","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"The organization of the table of contents (and thus, the chapters) seems well done. I realize the pedagogical methods of the text values discovery---bringing up concepts as they are needed---versus topic-based organization---providing all mathematical information at the beginning and using them throughout the book. I think that has more weight of acceptance today.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Some “pages” of the text were short and some were rather long. I find it a little misleading in the TOC because I was to assign the right amount of reading assignments, and I can’t do that by looking at the TOC. Also, as a small side issue, the solutions for each HW problem are given nearer to the next HW problem, which could be confusing to some.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I enjoy the text’s interface, in that you can easily search for key topics and terms. The only thing I saw as an issue was that each link title was just “figure” or “table”, or the like, and it didn’t have the associated number after it to differentiate it from all the others.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I saw no grammatical errors during the usage of the text.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I think the HW problems are great assets to the text. Problems such as “Integrated Concepts” or “Professional Application” or “Construct your own problem” are creative ideas for student engagement. Props for that great idea!","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1376,"first_name":"Raymond","last_name":"Duplessis","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Delgado Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The coverage in the book is similar to others such as Cutnell Physics or Knight. The chapter topics and order are virtually the same.I found the index to be more straightforward and organized in a way that \"'students would think\" to find information in the text. \n\nThe human body application problems are very good, particularly the torque problems in Chapter 9\n\nThere should be a handy reference for math and trigonometric identities in the Appendix. My students use them frequently.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The information that I was able to review in most detail from Chapters 1 - 28 which our main coverages, was surprisingly accurate. No major errors were noticed. There are a good number of typos though throughout. The eariy chapters 1-8 were spot on. Chapters 18 - 24 could use a little tuning up as the chapters seem disconnected in reading.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The Electricity and Magnetism chapters will probably need changes sooner than later. The hard drive example in a few years will probably be as useful as a vinyl record example. Some eariler introduction of solid state examples may be prudent.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The reading level is uneven throughout the text, but reads at a level that should be in the community college students' comfort zone. Some textbooks seam to read as if they were written by PhDs for PhDs. This book was a good read for students that are transitioning from developmental courses.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The structure of the text is fairly consistent with the usage of terms, examples, chapter and subchapter heading and divisions.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Again, this text falls in line with similar texts and there are always different ways to structure the material. The separation of fulid mechanics into statics and dynamics with applications is a good touch.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"There is an unevenness in the text after Fluids, but that seems typical of all of the trig-based level texts. The flow of the book is no better or worse that any other book on the market. No one has published a text yet that doesn't turn into a selected topics in Physics after fluids. The question I always have from students in the later chapters is how does this relate to the earlier chapters. I think later chapters should have small \"Making the connection / Tying it together\" passages that relate/contrast the later topics to the foundational topics.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The linking and navigation components function fine in TOC and index as do the links to the figure within the chapters and the topic links in the examples. Some linking feature should be left out of the PDF. For example, the use of links to previous chapters in problem examples without a way to get back to what you were reading can be a bit annoying especially if you weren't keeping track of the page or example you were looking at.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"There are a few error scattered throughout the text. Minor error at best.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"No problems here at all.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"I was surprised at the how well this book comparer to what we are currently using. I plan to recommend a pilot of this text in the upcoming spring 2018 semester. Since, it is a good equivalent, the price is an advantage.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1501,"first_name":"James","last_name":"Kennicutt","position":"Adjunct Professor","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook covers all the content you would expect from an introductory algebra-based physics course. I didn’t find any gaps in content. All the topics i cover in my course are included in this textbook.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The text appears to be accurate throughout. I did not find any mistakes.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This textbook seems up to date and able to be used for the foreseeable future. Since any updates to the curriculum can be adjusted once you download the text, it’s a perfect template for any course.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"Although the text can be confusing at times, I didn’t find it any less clear than similar textbooks. It’s not the best textbook I’ve ever read, but it’s certainly adequate for the price. The formulas can be confusing at times, it seems like they should have used a better editor for the mathematical components.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The format of equations and numbers throughout seems to vary a bit. The formulas can be confusing at times, it seems like they should have used a better editor for the mathematical components.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This text can be easily implemented into any algebra-based physics course. It’s extremely comprehensive and can be edited to an individual instructors taste. The text is an excellent template.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"I enjoyed the flow of the text. Mainly I thought the questions at the bottom of every section were useful for student comprehension. It’s more difficult to view this once downloading the PDF, but the online version is wonderful.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"As I mentioned above, I prefer the online version of the text. If you download the PDF the format changes slightly, though the text is still very useful.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I didn’t find many cultural references in the textbook. I didn’t find the textbook outdated or inappropriate in any way, although, I did not find a variety of cultural specific questions.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2017-08-15T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-08-15T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1626,"first_name":"Lih-Sin","last_name":"The","position":"Dr. / Senior Lecturer","institution_name":"Clemson University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook covers all materials shown in most other College Physics textbooks. The textbook is even more comprehensive as it covers more materials than most other textbooks.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"All physical concepts in the textbook are correct and explained very well. Other than some notations that are not consistent (see note 5), the materials are error-free and unbiased.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The most important contents of the textbooks such as physical laws and their explanations do not change with time, so they do not need to be updated so often. However, writing styles, presentations (such as symbols, drawings, or pictures), and topics could be obsolete, fortunately they can easily be updated when needed. But many figures and topics in the textbook are of recent discoveries or inventions, therefore they probably do not need to be updated for at least within the next five years.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I find the textbook is quite easy to read, the materials are presented smoothly and clear descriptions of physical concepts and jargons are provided including their historical backgrounds. Most figures are given excellent descriptions and notations.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The framework of the textbook is excellent and it is adopted consistently. The example problems are solved following the same steps, such as, first present the strategy, then elaborate the solution, then discuss the solution. Most sections have their own problem-solving strategies, PhET Interactive simulations, and at the end of each chapter, we can find its glossary and section summary. However, there is one inconsistency in notation: on page 356, it writes \"net torque\" in Eq.(10.43) and in many following equations of chapter 10, but the textbook writes \"F_{net} = m a\" in chapter 4. For consistency, it'd be better to write \"torque_{net}\" in Eq.(10.43) for example.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The length of sections with less or equal to 5 pages is about 78%. The percentage of sections between 6 and 9 pages is about 21%, and the percentage of sections larger than 9 pages (but less than 13 pages) is about 1% out of about 250 sections in the textbook. These make it rather easy to create reading assignments and lecture topics.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The chapters in the textbook are logically arranged that the comprehension of the earlier chapters are needed to understand the later chapters. The thought and concepts developments are excellent.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The pdf file of the textbook can be accessed without a problem. No flaw in the figures and tables can be found. \n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I cannot find any grammatical errors in the textbook.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I do not find any offensive materials in the textbook. In my opinion, it can be accepted by all people, in fact, the pictures or figures in the textbook represent many races, ethnicities, and backgrounds much better than other textbooks that I read.\n","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I run a spellchecker to the pdf file, but due to limited time it can only check the spelling of chapters 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. Below is the list of corrections:\n-  On page 178, Eq. (5.10) fk = Fgx, it would be better written as fk = w// as shown in Figure 5.4.\n-  On page 186, below Eq. (5.30), \"... tensile stifness\" should be \"... tensile stiffness\".\n-  On page 340, problem 2, \"Convert this torque to footpounds.\" should be \"Convert this torque to foot-pounds.\"","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1642,"first_name":"Dr. Sriparna","last_name":"Bhattacharya","position":"Adjunct Faculty / Assistant Research Professor","institution_name":"Wofford College / Clemson University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book discusses all the topics of the subject that are covered by any standard introductory physics textbook. However, I found that the numerical problems at the end of this book are not as varied as compared to other standard textbooks. As a result I generally have to look for example problems from other textbooks for discussion in class.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The contents of the book are accurate and to the point.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The topics of this introductory physics book are relevant and up-to-date, with examples and example problems that are explained clearly. In addition, the book also provides answers to all the numerical problems from the end of each chapter. Further improvement by adding a variation of numerical problems for each chapter would make the book more competitive.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The topics are discussed in clear language and the book provides several examples to help understand the topic. ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The symbols and text are consistent for each topic in the book.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The chapter is divided into smaller sections or modules that are helpful in locating relevant topics, instead of having to search through the entire chapter. Particularly, the summary section at the end of each chapter is well written, highlighting all the important topics of each chapter.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The topics in the book are organized, and discussed clearly. Sometimes, the approach to a particular problem may be different compared to that used in a standard physics textbook, however, the topics are clearly and consistently explained throughout the book. ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"There are no interface issues connected to this textbook. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The book is well written, without any grammatical error.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The topics and figures discussed in the book add to the scientific discussion, and are not culturally insensitive or offensive in any respect. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This is an excellent endeavor by the authors/publishers in making this book available to students. The online version of the book is available free of cost, while the actual book is available to students at a quarter of the price compared to any standard introductory physics textbook. The quality of the material is comparable to other standard textbooks. ","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1710,"first_name":"Eric","last_name":"Mandell","position":"Lecturer","institution_name":"Bowling Green State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text covers all of the expected content in a College Physics course, encompassing both semesters, and includes several modern physics topics. This allows instructors flexibility in choosing the topics they would like for each semester of physics. The text is designed to teach Motion before Forces, which is common, though it would be nice to see flexibility in editions increased, with a second edition that covers forces first, and another that integrates the discussion of Motion and Forces.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"While reviewing every single example and end-of-chapter problem is not practical for one person, I did not find any significant errors and am impressed by the number of end-of-chapter problems, especially in the modern physics chapters. Problems seem to be \"on the level\" for students, and cover the major ideas in each chapter. I like the PhET simulation problem prompts in each chapter. These are supported by research, and help augment investigative skills that help bridge the text to the lab aspects of the course. It is also known that this text content has been and continues to be reviewed/used, lending credibility to its accuracy.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Well, most of it hasn't changed much in 100+ years, so pretty up to date. Updates would be clear, if necessary, based on the breakdown of content. The modern topics seem to be well organized and relevant for the type of student who would take College Physics.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"I would prefer that examples be moved to the end of each section, and would encourage students to skip reading examples until they finish reading the prose in each chapter. The text is brief. Truly, this needs to be evaluated by students in order to find out how clear they perceive it compared to other texts. I feel other text possess better prose, but this texts gets to the point (which I like). The brief nature of the text allows instructors to supplement more easily, though that is more work possibly, depending on the amount of supplementation the instructor feels is necessary.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Very good framework. Again, the PhET inclusions are unexpected, and fantastic. Diagrams are pretty clear and the breakdown of topics into bite-sized chunks can work well for students. While some subjects are not discussed in the way I would like (such as separating free fall from regular motion analysis, as if it required different behaviors or ideas), I think the book approaches each chapter in a consistent way. Students should have a strong expectation of what a chapter will look like and how workflow will proceed given the layout of the book.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"This is tough. Topics in physics tend to build on one another. I would really prefer to see waves discussed before thermodynamics. It would be logical to build that waves off of harmonic motion. I don't understand why that discussion is moved to be after thermodynamics. That being said, there are examples of modular possibilities as you get into the later sections of the book, allowing instructors some freedom in choosing modern topics. My biggest beef would be the requirement to teach motion first. The layout of the first few chapters WILL require this. I have found that, when teaching non-majors, that teaching forces first seems more successful than motion, and teaching them simultaneously is even better. This book would make teaching in either of these ways very difficult for students. That being said, each of these changes would require totally separate editions.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"I have addressed several of these issues in a previous part of this review. I will re-state here, \n\nMy biggest beef would be the requirement to teach motion first. The layout of the first few chapters WILL require this. I have found that, when teaching non-majors, that teaching forces first seems more successful than motion, and teaching them simultaneously is even better. This book would make teaching in either of these ways very difficult for students. That being said, each of these changes would require totally separate editions.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The book is interfaced pretty well, with bookmarks (necessary), and the hyperlinks I tested worked. The navigations to PhET simulations are helpful, but it should be noted that while those links are maintained, updates to the PhETs are often completed and a student who navigates to these through the website may find different options or layouts of the PhETs themselves. THis may cause confusion. I have seen this occur in other etexts with PhET stuff. The lack of other publisher text resources is noticeable. Links to many videos or minilectures can help some students, but again, this can be supplemented by the instructor at his or her leisure.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I didn't run across any glaring errors. Problems could be stated more clearly in some cases, but that is tru for just about every text in existence.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I didn't see anything offensive. I really like the inclusion of history and historical figures in this text. The authors have done a fantastic job of realizing this can be a way to introduce content to students. Understanding the historical development of scientific knowledge should be part of the journey in a physics course. I think the authors have done a good job of making these connections. Even more of these connections would be even better. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I am using this text next semester in an online course and hope to see further how much I feel the need to supplement in each case. ","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1964,"first_name":"Mikel","last_name":"Holcomb","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"West Virginia University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book covers all material typically covered in an algebra based two semester introductory course. The index is useful and clickable to go directly to the material desired.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I did not identify any accuracy issues. ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The material is mostly up-to-date and could be updated easily. For example, it discusses gravitational waves, which have recently been discovered, but does not mention that. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"While it is possible my students might feel differently, I found the material very approachable. ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The terminology is consistent. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"It would be very easy to assign sections of reading based on the books layout. ","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"I found the structure and flow of the material better than in most introductory physics books. ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"For the most part, I found the images to be excellent. However, there were some pictures in the example problems early in the book that I thought were not complete enough. I think their point might have been that the pictures do not have to be great pictures, but one could make a nice picture and then another simpler one a few times to make that point too.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not catch any grammatical errors. ","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I noticed the book pointed out a female physicist in Chapter 1, which is not often done. While the book did a nice job of covering energy concerns, I'm surprised that global climate change was not mentioned (though the greenhouse effect was). I realize it's a topic we should treat carefully, but it should be discussed. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I love the introduction. What a great way to motivate the importance of physics. \n\nI like the misconception alerts.\n\nI like that the book provides a section about problem solving approaches and then models this pretty well through the example problems they solve, including drawing a coordinate system and picture, identifying unknowns, and reflecting upon the result.\n \nI liked the fact that graphing was embedded into the topics of velocity and acceleration, rather than making a separate section. \n\nI like the example problems that look like experiments and the suggestions for PhET simulations. \n\nI like the many examples of muscles and other biology related topics that will appeal to the many pre-meds or people just interested in the physics relations to their body. I particularly like the posture discussion.\n\nThings I did not like:\nThe text seems a little small. \n\nThere were some bolded terms (such as relativity) in Chapter 1, that I do not think should be bolded. When things are bolded, the students think they need to know it, and they don’t need to know relativity on the first week of class. The poor things will have heart attacks. \n\nIt did not seem like the odd problems had solutions at the end of the book, like some books do. I think that’s a nice resource for the students to try extra problems to make sure they understand the material. Also, there was no indication of problem difficulty level on the problems at the end of the chapter. That is normally nice for the students to know. If it’s an easy one, they should be able to get it. If not, they maybe they don’t have to worry too much about not understanding it. \n\nI personally like Freedman’s or Cutnell \u0026amp; Johnson’s books better, but this is a great resource for free!\n\n","created_at":"2018-03-27T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-03-27T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1988,"first_name":"Donna","last_name":"Stokes","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"University of Houston","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook is comprehensive. It covers all topics typical to a college physics course.  The table of conten is very clear and easy to follow.  The appendices are verey detail, some almost give too much detail, i.e., the definition of various symbols might be confusing to the student since many symbols are used to represent more than one quantity.  The index is very detailed allowing the reader to find lots of topic quickly.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The chapters which I reviewed presented accurate information.  ","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The book covers typical topic for college physics.  The physics problem are related to modern day applications.  Photos,pictures used are also related to modern day which should be relevant for many years.  Some photos may need to be update every few years as technology advances, i.e., iPhone.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The formatting/quality for formulas is not the best.  The muted colors could be brightened a bit.  There could also be some separation of definitions and formulas from the text.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The terminology is consistent throughout the book.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"The book is broken down into sections, but it is still not very clear where one section ends and another starts.  Maybe some large bold or underline heading could be used. ","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The organization of the book as far as topics is good.  Some chapters are reordered in comparison to typical college physics books, but that does not cause any concern.  I did like the grouping of topics such as circular motion with gravity.  Often circular motion is placed in a chapter where it is not very relevant.  ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I love the integration of the PHET simulations within the text.  This will allow the student to explore applications related to the physics concepts.  I also like the info given on resources for the book such as the partnerships for online homework.","grammatical_rating":3,"grammatical_review":"The grammar could be improved.  Some problems/examples are too wordy which can lead to confusion for the student","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I liked the book's intro where both female and male physicist were highlighted.  There were examples which include a variety of race, backgrounds which is important for inclusion for all communities to see how they can utilize physics in their communities as well as how it can be relevant in their everyday life.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"No","created_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1990,"first_name":"Antony","last_name":"Timmins","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"University of Houston","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"I found this book rather comprehensive. My point of comparison was Physics, Walker (4th edition) which is currently our main textbook for the our non calculus Physics courses. I compared the contents in detail, and found almost 100% overlap with a couple of sub topics missing. Actually, the sub topics that were missing I believe should be taught in a calculus based physics course (e.g. Gauss's law).","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I found no issues here whatsoever. All the equations I saw were correct, and their descriptions appropriate.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Typically, an introductory physics course stays relevant for a long time. Changes in the most modern law's of physics don't usually make their way down to introductory physics, since they are rather complicated.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Indeed, the book was rather clear. I asked my students of an introductory physics class if the book was more or less clear compared to Walker. They rated each book as clear as each other.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I found no issues with consistency within the book, nor compared to other books.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"I found the book suitably modular, and divided sections similar to other physics textbooks.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"I would not the organization was not logical, but it was different to the other main Physics textbooks in terms of the order of the topics. This can create problems when a professor wants to switch from another book, to this book.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The images could be of a better quality, compared to the standard Physics books the students paid $200+ for. But, I also think the students understand these books are free, and this is a worthwhile compromise. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":".I found no grammar issues with the book. ","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Well, its pretty hard to offend anyone with a Physics book culturally, as we tend to discuss objects rather than people.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Its fantastic. I asked my students to compare this book to Physics by Walker and most rated it as better. I am absolutely sure it will be adopted by the University Houston Physics Department, and we look forward to reducing the cost of education in doing so.","created_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-05-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2210,"first_name":"Robert","last_name":"Riggs","position":"Associate Teaching Professor","institution_name":"University of Missouri-Kansas City","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This is a very comprehensive text.  The text incorporated \"real world\" parameters that aren't usually covered in the \"corporate\" textbooks.  Things such as draft and the Magnus force were introduced in the projectile motion discussion so students could see how the \"school house\" answer for the distance of a home run in Major League baseball is very different from what actually happens.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I found no errors of accuracy.  I found some things you could \"quibble\" about--but that's physics.  Those situations arise.  An example is that in Chapter 18, if you weren't an expert, in section 18.1 one might think that protons actually move in electrostatic conditions.  It's electrons.  The text makes that very clear later on though.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The book is relevant and up-to-date.  In Chapter 14 the book discussed the green house effect and how our changing climate is making that phenomenon even more dramatic.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"My favorite part of this book!  This book reads much more like a well written article in Scientific American than a dull text.  One drawback to this however is that there is a LOT of things covered that is impossible to cover in a 2 semester sequence.  But, by assigning readings, the book is an enjoyable read and the students can glean much of the extra information on their own.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book keeps the same \"tone\" and clarity throughout.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modules are broken down in a well-ordered way and in easily digestible pieces.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The flow and structure is good.  The book has no surprises in the material it covers, what is a bonus is the how the introduce the \"real world\" situations along with the standard theories all textbokks have.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"Though the overall text is outstanding, the graphs and charts can be a little busy.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors that I could find--at least nothing stood out to me.","cultural_rating":2,"cultural_review":"This is a difficult arena for physics because it's white male dominance is a problem and we are trying to address these issues.  This reviewer would almost be inclined to check N/A for this text if that was a choice.  But the text is very male centric I noticed on a second look.  Lots of \"engineering\" pictures with while men standing around lab set-ups and large machines.  The drawings, an attempt to was made to have people of color represented in the drawings, but that just makes it look patronizing since there were very few people of color in the text, and almost no women.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I found this book very readable and the science was top notch.  An engaging text.  But then, I look at my comments in Section 10 and I see we have a ways to go in physics to be more inclusive.  When i was reading the book, as a white male, I wasn't even looking for cultural relevance, which is a big \"shame on me\" since I fashion myself a champion of STEM for all!","created_at":"2018-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-06-19T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2281,"first_name":"Greg","last_name":"Gerstner","position":"Civil and Mechanical Engineering Technology Instructor","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text is quite comprehensive to the subject of College Physics.  With 34 Chapters, the text covers an incredible span of Physics from Kinematics to Quantum Physics.  Students have informed me that they have referred to this text in other courses besides the course that I use it in.\n\nThere is an Appendix A: Atomic Masses, Appendix B: Selected Radioactive Isotopes, Appendix C: Useful Information with constant values, Appendix D: Glossary of Key Symbols and Notation and an Index.  There is also a useful Table of Contents.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have used College Physics for 2 terms and have not found any errors, although answers are not provided to the end-of-chapter problems which I find to be a drawback of the book.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Currently, I have found the content to be up-to-date.  The vast majority of the chapters will not need updating, but a couple of them (Chapter 33 Particle Physics and Chapter 34 Frontiers of Physics) may indeed need updating.  I do believe the text is written in such a way that this would be relatively easy and straight forward to implement.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I think the authors of College Physics do a fine job with relating the technical material to examples that a student of Physics could relate to.  I have received high praise from students for the way this text is written compared to other texts in the Portland Community College - Civil and Mechanical Engineering Technology program.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Overall, in the Chapters that I have covered in my course, I have found a bit of inconsistency as far as symbols are concerned.  However, I think that comes with the territory with having a text written by 'Multiple Authors'.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I think College Physics does a great service to teachers and students with modularity.  An instructor could cover many different aspects with excluding different parts of the text without missing a beat.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"I do believe this book presents Physics in a logical, clear fashion which is crucial for a thorough understanding of a science.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The interface of the book, but the one negative comment that I have received from students and one that I believe to be valid in my own experience is that the page numbers of the *.pdf do not line up with the page numbers of the text.  There is a discrepancy of 10 pages.  With a 1412 page book, this gets inconvenient to have to consistently negotiate this discrepancy when you want to use the book.  Otherwise, no other issues in this or other regards.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I have found no grammar errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I have found no instances of culturally insensitivity.  Photographs and figures of people seem to include people of all races and genders.  I appreciate that the text includes culturally relevant sections such as World Energy Use in the Work, Energy and Energy Resources Chapter.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I think it's fantastic and I have only heard positive remarks regarding it from my students.  I would like to express my gratitude to those who wrote it and made it available to students in an OER setting!","created_at":"2018-08-02T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-08-02T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2301,"first_name":"Amber","last_name":"Hicks","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book covers all areas and ideas of the subject but is not catered to the diversity that make up community college students.  I would also love to see focus on short term trainings and stackable certifications.  As modern as online learning textbooks can be, I would hope that the author focuses on the modern workplace as well.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"I like how hyperlinks are provided in the chapter to support further exploration of a particular topic in the literature though not all of them work.    The text refers to printed catalogs to utilize for accuracy... I wish they would talk about campus resources and the importance of speaking with an academic advisor.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"The text is designed for students at a 4 year institution.  I would love to see a book like this designed for the community college student.  It is true that some community colleges offer housing but ours does not.  It might be helpful to offer supports for finding rentals in the area or community and campus supports.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The text is well organized and clear.  I worry a bit that it will be obsolete as higher education and the employment agencies change quickly.  This is why I support the online textbook for this discipline but would hope for a few adjustments to make it more accurate for our institution.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The consistency and terminology is strong in this text.  It fits the framework of the conversation but not accurately depicts our particular community college situation.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"I found this text easy to read and visually enticing.  It was organized well and at different points within the text, the book realigned with various subunits.  The only issue is that I would organize my class in sections that might not need particular sections and some of the content can be considered a bit outdated.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"If I were to instruct this course at a 4 year institution, I would see the benefit of the organization and structure of this text.  I see the topics in the text are presented in a logical and clear manner.  It would take an instructor to cut and paste according to course outcomes.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I can't say anything was wrong with the interface of this text.  T","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"I did not see any grammatical errors in this book.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"The book does a good job in exploring the variety of students: \"traditional\" vs \"commuter\" but think under each of these titles are a number of variations that would need to be discussed.  I think it would be nice to have a few stories of individual students who were successful who provide their entire story inclusive of race, ethnicity and background.  A story supports a student to relate as they move through a somewhat difficult higher education path.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"Overall, I would consider using this text for the future if given the opportunity to teach at a more \"traditional\" institution.  At this point, I don't see that it would be helpful.  Ideally, the best way to move forward would be to allow the instructor (ME) to utilize materials form the text to provide a \"cut and paste\" option for relevant chapters to be utilize in the order deemed suitable for my students.","created_at":"2018-08-02T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-08-02T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2465,"first_name":"Lisa","last_name":"Paulius","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Western Michigan University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text covers all the major areas and the index and glossary are clear and appropriate.  The text would benefit from being more concise.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"On a first reading, the text appears accurate but I would need to teach from it for a semester before a full review of accuracy would be done.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The text is relevant with up to date  and real life examples.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The majority of the explanations are clear, but a few are awkwardly worded.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"At first glance, the terminology looks consistent.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity seems well designed for selecting just the most important or relevant topics for a particular course.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The text follows the traditional flow of topics.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I did not find any issues with the navigation but some of the layout of the images interrupted the flow of the text and was distracting.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"I did not find any issues with the grammar.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"The text does include some diversity in the choice of images, but could do better in this area.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"The text gives a solid, traditional approach to the major topics needed for this course.  Visually, the text is a bit bland and less engaging than some of the publisher developed texts.  But it is definitely a wonderful resource for the students and the ability to edit and make changes is of great benefit for the instructor. \r\n","created_at":"2018-12-14T12:35:15.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-12-14T12:35:15.000-06:00"},{"id":2681,"first_name":"Ryan","last_name":"Johnson","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Gettysburg College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book is fairly comprehensive for a 2nd semester non-major physics course.  There is sufficient depth to explore many different practical aspects of a topic and it does a good job of using medically-motivated example problems and discussions. ","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The book seemed accurate, however there are some significant departures from standard physics nomenclature which led to occasional confusion.  Ther is a simpler way for, say, the Doppler equation to be written, rather than using 2 separate forms.  ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Some chapters could be made more current or exciting, but I think the content is reasonably up to date. ","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"Lucid and accessible prose sure, but it is really devoid of any interesting or consistent voice throughout. ","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"As far as I could tell, it was consistent internally.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I often pick and choose specific sections to include in my curriculum, and so I find the modularity quite of the text quite good to facilitate that. ","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"I don't particularly like the flow of the material from Ch. 16, 17 to Ch. 18.  For my course, I taught Ch. 16, 17, then moved to 24-27, then moved back to 18-22.  ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"There were a few pages that didn't seem to use white space well; where perhaps one figure and caption took up 2/3 of the page and nothing else was present.  ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"None that I could find. ","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"It seemed to be fairly inclusive assuming industrialized nation background.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2019-03-19T14:44:37.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-03-19T14:44:37.000-05:00"},{"id":2820,"first_name":"Chuck","last_name":"Crabtree","position":"Director of STEM, Physics Instructor","institution_name":"Northshore Technical Community College (NTCC)","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"College Physics includes all the major topics for an introductory non-calculus-based classical physics course. There are also seven chapters covering topics in modern physics.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Overall, the accuracy of information and equation typography are good.  In section 2.7 Falling Objects, two of the headings should be edited to avoid capital G (the universal gravitational constant) when referring to lower case g (approximate acceleration due to gravity on Earth's surface). It is correct \r\nin Section 16.4: TAKE HOME EXPERIMENT: DETERMINING g.\r\n","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The examples are relevant and approachable. Use of the space shuttle to describe acceleration, explain fluid behavior in microgravity and introduce rocket propulsion is fine, but since the STS program is no longer active and will soon be replaced by the Space Launch System, the authors may wish to update those examples in the near future.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is clear with adequate descriptions of terms and symbols.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The concept of selecting reference frames is consistent throughout. However, reference frame conventions are not always followed. For example, in Fig. 4.13, an 2-D axis system with perpendicular and parallel axes is shown. I suggest keeping conventional \"x\" and \"y\" notation, which is done later in the text. \r\nAlso, while the glossary attempts to provide several symbol definitions, there are a few places where it is incomplete. For example, delta(x) is only defined as \"uncertainty in x\". Spring constant, k, is described, but thermal conductivity, k, is missing from the glossary. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Chapter topics are presented in a format which lends itself to customized modules. ","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The sequence follows a traditional logical progression.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Navigation within and among chapters is straightforward. The search function was helpful. Images looked clear and optimized for the web. For optimal readability online, students should maximize the browser window.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no issues with grammar/spelling. ","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The authors make use of variety of cultural references without purposefully excluding anyone. Generally, nothing in the text is blatantly offensive. However, there is one off-putting reference in the introduction to section 4.4 Newton’s Third Law of Motion: Symmetry in Forces which uses an excerpt from Man of La Mancha about domestic abuse. There are plenty of illustrations of Newton's third law of motion available which do not mention domestic violence.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"The Student Solutions Manual is good, but it would be helpful to have more problems featured. Instructor resources are plentiful, with good trailers and lecture slides.","created_at":"2019-04-22T16:36:50.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-04-22T16:36:50.000-05:00"},{"id":2963,"first_name":"James","last_name":"Wetzel","position":"Visiting Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Augustana College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book more than covers a standard 2-semester college physics curriculum - from mechanics to thermal to optics to modern, including up to date information on the latest areas of active research.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have not found any errors or inaccuracies about any of the physics subjects.  Very well done.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"This textbook is perfectly up to date until the modern physics sections which cover particle physics and cosmology.  It still contains allusions to the discovery of the Higgs Boson, despite it being observed in 2012.  It includes pictures of the CDF experiment, rather than more up to date experiments like the CMS or ATLAS detectors at CERN.  It has NO mentions of LIGO or gravitational wave astronomy.  So you might want to include supplementary material when assigning those chapters.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"This book is clearer than most physics textbooks.  But it could use a little bit more cleaning up - the text is pretty busy with a lot of things going on.  I recommend doing podcasts or vidcasts contextualizing what the book is saying for your students for them to watch or listen to before they do the reading.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"It is very consistent, each chapter has a similar structure, making it easier to read as you go along as you learn what to expect.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is reasonably well self contained, and you can easily pull out chapters from the PDF into stand alone reading assignments.  I definitely recommend doing this as psychologically it's easier on students to do the reading when its easily accessible in a single PDF.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"This book does a better job than average presenting each topic.  The order is standard and logical.  Each chapter introduces the material with examples and follows up with a summary, a glossary of terms, and two sets of problems.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"No problems at all with the interface.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No obvious errors.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"The book is not culturally insensitive or offensive, but contains very little history or cultural references when discussing the physics.  Not necessarily a bad thing, as it might make the text too long or wordy, but some wouldn't hurt.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"At long last!  A college physics book I can be proud to offer my students!","created_at":"2019-05-31T14:48:22.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-05-31T14:48:22.000-05:00"},{"id":3082,"first_name":"Eric","last_name":"Bubar","position":"Associate Professor of Physics","institution_name":"Marymount University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"Definitely contains all of the relevant information that a student in an algebra-based college physics course would need.\r\nAs stated in other reviews, the modern physics information could be updated, but otherwise its an excellent text.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have not found issues with incorrect material.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Everything looks good.  The core material covered in an algebra-based physics course doesn't change much and this book covers it well.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"I find the text is a little bit busy and packed.  This could make it difficult for students to read and learn from.  The chapter summaries are good and the definitions of key terms at the end of the text are  useful for students to make flashcards.  However, the overall structure could be cleaner.  Perhaps more white space so the pages don't appear quite as \"busy\".  I would also recommend making supplemental video lectures to point out key portions of the chapters for students to focus on.  Chapters can be more dense than needed for some populations of students.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"All chapters have the same structure, flow and characteristics.  I particularly like the chapter summaries and listings of key terms.  This is a very valuable resource for students to use when brushing up on concepts before exams.  \r\nNote that I encountered one odd error where a student purchased a physical copy and in one chapter, the problem numbers they had were different than those in the online version.  ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The formatting and setup is logical for a typical physics course.  It is reasonably easy to remove sections of chapters that are overly complicated for some student populations.  I like the inclusion of medical applications for physics as I think a likely population of students to benefit from this type of text is the biology/pre-med populations that I teach myself.  I would perhaps include more biological applications of physics as modular sections to further enhance the applicability for this book into such a population.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Everything is organized like every other introductory physics textbook i've seen.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Figures and text are all high quality.  ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No problems encountered","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Certainly nothing offensive or insensitive in the text.  There appear to be attempts to make the problems more gender neutral (i.e. its not always \"some guy pushing stuff around\").  Figures do appear to have different races/ethnicities.  The text and problems, however, don't seem to necessarily target cultural diversity.  I don't think its problematic in the least.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"The textbook is excellent.  It does everything that a more expensive textbook would need to do.  I do think the solution sets could be written up in a more clear manner.  There are sometimes algebraic leaps that students need to make to understand the student solution manual that all students cannot always make.  I think its a great resource for non-physics majors (physics students should be doing calculus-based physics) and the medical applications really appealed to the pre-physical therapy students that take the course where I teach.  I would highly recommend this text.","created_at":"2019-07-08T09:29:57.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-07-08T09:29:57.000-05:00"},{"id":3194,"first_name":"Saul","last_name":"Novo","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Michigan State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book is very complete for an intro physics class. The topics are presented in the typical order (from mechanics to modern physics) and it is easy to access and find different topics with the search tool and the glossary.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content is accurate, it is clear that the authors have put thought in the material adding multiple examples relevant to the students and to the topics covered in the book","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The list of contents for a general introductory course like this has been pretty standard for a couple of decades, thus the relevance and longevity of the materials are clear. Examples are current and will probably stay relevant for a long time. The book can also be easily updated by adding new relevant examples as new technologies appear","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"In my opinion the language chosen for the book is on point for a young college audience. The organization of the different topics, makes it easy to follow or just jump to a particular section to read about it. There is not unnecessary jargon.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The mathematical notation and general language is very consistent throughout the book with multiple internal reference between sections. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book is perfectly modular. Each section is mostly self consistent and you can send the students to read a given topic with no problems. Of course one must be aware that the book is building each chapter upon knowledge from the previous ones, so it is not always possible to jump directly to an advance one without reading the previous ones, but this is not something unique of this book but of every intro physics book.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The text follows the traditional structure followed by most teachers when introducing physics: from mechanics to modern physics. Some chapters could potentially be swapped but it would not affect the flow.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface for the book is very user friendly, being very easy to navigate the contents and do searches. It also comes with a lot of extra materials for both students and instructors.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find any grammatical errors in a first reading. The language chosen is impeccable for the given audience in my opinion.\r\n\r\n","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The book is full of examples that can be relatable to students in their daily life at the same time as it avoids cultural bias. \r\n\r\n\r\n","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"The book is very well written, with a lot of extra materials for instructors and students and very easy to use. In my opinion it is a great resource to consider for an intro physics class, since there is not much more you can actually gain from a textbook. ","created_at":"2019-10-18T16:52:32.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-10-18T16:52:32.000-05:00"},{"id":3230,"first_name":"Mazin","last_name":"Khasawneh","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Earlham College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"I found the book to be suitable for an intro physics course. The authors presented the material in the typical order starting from mechanics to modern physics;  The table of content is easy to navigate, just click on any chapter you want to and you are there.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The chapters I reviewed so far have no accuracy issues.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The topics covered in this book are relevant and up-to-date. The physics problems in the body of the book and the end of chapter problems are related to modern day applications.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I think the material is presented in a clear concise way; that is why I will be using the same book for my next Algebra based course","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The terminology used is consistent throughout the book.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is divided into sub-sections, where each section is mostly self consistent, that helps me to assign the students to read  certain topic with no problems.  I very much appreciate the summary section at the end of each chapter because it is well written, and it highlights all the important concepts covered in that chapter.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book follows the traditional structure used by most intro physics books: from mechanics to modern physics. ","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface for the book is very user friendly, being very easy to navigate the contents and do searches. It also comes with a lot of extra materials for both students and instructors. The integration of the PHET simulations within the text is a very important addition to this book  as it gives the student the tool to to explore the concept they learned in class.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical errors. within the book so far.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I didn't find anything culturally insensitive or offensive in the text. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"The book is nicely written, with a lot of extra materials for instructors and students. I will use it again my course in the Spring of 2020.","created_at":"2019-10-29T11:45:03.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-10-29T11:45:03.000-05:00"},{"id":3717,"first_name":"Joseph","last_name":"Eccles","position":"Adjunct Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Raritan Valley Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"I am looking at this text from the viewpoints of both a two semester algebra-based physics course for engineering majors  and a one-semester algebra course aimed at students in medical and technology and technology programs. All the standard topics are extensively covered, providing the instructor many options for structuring either course. For a one-semester course, there is ample material to allow the instructor to select the topics and depth of coverage. The text provides links to appropriate simulator activities, from the PhET library. \r\nThe Frontiers of Physics chapter provides a quick view of where Physics is today.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The material I've read so far appear to be accurate.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The text is structured in a way that will simplify changes moving forward.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is easy to consume and understand.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Presentation and organization of the text are consistent. The organization of each chapter consistent, including a chapter outline. self-check exercises, highlighting for important concepts, concepts, worked examples, a glossary, a section summary for the chapter, and problems and exercises give tha students help in navigating.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Molecularity is a critical part of being able to customize the material to different classes and different instructors. The flow of the chapters and their subdivisions","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Organization is similar to that used by other authors.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The text makes use of PDF format that will be accessible through various PDF readers.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No obvious problems.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I have not identifies any cultural concerns.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"Well organized for students, with additional material available, including a \"Getting Started\" guide, A Solutions Guide, and so on. This is even more true for instructors, who have access to PowerPoint slides, Solutions manual, Sample Syllabus, Canvas Course Cartridge, and so on, The availability of shells for LMS tools such as Canvas is a big item.","created_at":"2020-04-13T17:40:07.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-04-13T17:40:07.000-05:00"},{"id":3983,"first_name":"Jason","last_name":"Hyatt","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Massachusetts Maritime Academy","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"I have taught College Physics 1 and 2 many many times and this book covers all of the topics that every other book covers.  The order may not be exactly what you find in other books, but college physics textbooks are all so similar these days, but this one is free!","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"While I have not read every single word in this book, I have not found anything inaccurate.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The book follows the classic approach to college physics, so it should remain relevant.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"This text is about as clear as every other college physics text, which is to say I find them all quite verbose to the point where most students do not read them.  I do wish they would read the text because it is well-written and clear.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Yes very well laid out and consistent.  I also feel that the openstax line is all consistent which should help students who are familiar with the layout.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Very modular which allows faculty to pick and choose topics for a College Physics 2 course which needs to select various topics.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Yes I prefer kinematics, then F=ma and then energy then momentum and end with rotation, which this book does.  Mostly because no one really learns rotational physics anyway and it's the end of the semester.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I have not had any interface issues with this text.  The openstax line has been used extensively and is well done and it shows.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I have not found any grammatical errors.  Openstax is well developed.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I have not come across any examples that make me cringe like I do in some old 50s texts that are pre-political correctness.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"The OpenStax textbooks are so evolved and polished (unlike some other OER) and I have been waiting for a chance to adopt based on my teaching assignments and other faculty with whom I teach.  I have yet to find that perfect college physics text, so I might as well use the free one.  This one does look quite good.","created_at":"2020-06-15T09:04:04.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-06-15T09:04:04.000-05:00"},{"id":4620,"first_name":"Nathan","last_name":"Tompkins","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Wabash College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text covers every topic that might be included in an algebra based physics course and more. It would likely take three semesters to cover the entire book.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I've been teaching out of this book and have yet to find any errors in the text itself. Some of the instructor solutions are questionable, but I've yet to find any errors in the text or student solutions.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This text is updated regularly and far more up to date and relevant than most print books.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The writing is clear and descriptive. Many of the sections are very verbose so students are likely to skim, but the important terms and equations are boxed, bolded, and summarized.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The terminology and figures are consistent within the book and to common use within the field.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The chapters are very easy to use out of order and independent from one another. This is very important with more chapters than you will ever likely use in one course.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics follow the very traditional order from kinematics through energy and then additional topics beyond. Nothing novel here like covering energy before force.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The online interface is fantastic! Students will actually have the textbook with them when they need it. The pdf is good too, but the formatting works better online. In the pdf and print forms some boxes and tables are awkwardly split between pages.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I have found no grammatical errors yet.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is more culturally diverse than most physics texts, but there is always room for improvement.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"No textbook is perfect, and you could spend hours nitpicking the details between this text and any other you are considering. At the end of the day however, this text is free to your students, available online, constantly updated, and very unlikely to be made obsolete by a newer version. The most likely complaints with this text can be solved by using the chapters in the order of your choosing and supplementing the descriptions during class. I use this text in class now and will actively encourage my colleagues to do so as well.","created_at":"2021-02-13T13:18:57.000-06:00","updated_at":"2021-02-13T13:18:57.000-06:00"},{"id":4683,"first_name":"Mazn","last_name":"Khasawneh","position":"Visiting Assistant Professor-Physics","institution_name":"Earlham College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Similar to a typical algebra based first year physics book. You may more than two semesters to cover the whole book.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"I have not read every everything in this book, but it seems to have no errors","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"It is relevant, as it follows the classic approach to college physics books","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is well-written and clear.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Yes, the book is very well laid out and consistent","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"It is very easy to customize the material to different classes and different instructors. The flow of the chapters and their subdivisions, makes it easy on me me to assign the students to read certain topic with no problems.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book follows the traditional structure used by most intro physics books.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I have not had any interface issues with this text.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The parts I read don't have any grammatical errors","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I  have not found any cultural concerns.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"The book is very well  organized for both instructors and students.","created_at":"2021-03-08T11:06:31.000-06:00","updated_at":"2021-03-08T11:06:31.000-06:00"},{"id":4788,"first_name":"Stacy","last_name":"Hootman","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"University of Indianapolis","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text covers all of the topics that we cover in our two semester algebra/trigonometry-based physics course.  I was pleased to see that it separates fluid statics and fluid dynamics into two separate chapters as this often times confuses students.  There were actually some topics covered that we don't have in our current text.  I can't say that we will necessarily then cover ALL of these topics, but having them there for additional information is good.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I was unable to find any instances where information was inaccurate or contained errors.  The book contains a good number of sample problems for students to examine in each chapter.  The end of chapter problems are sufficient too.  I was surprised to not see answers to odd problems in the back of the book, but instead these can be located in a separate student solutions manual that is also free to students.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"Most college physics texts don't need much \"updating\" for general/introductory courses.  Even so, being that the text is online it would actually be easier to update than more traditional texts where you have to wait for the next edition.  I don't see this text as being anything that would need to be updated, although there certainly could be room for improvement.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"I wasn't able to find any examples where terminology would be any more confusing than our current text.  Physics traditionally contains quite a bit of vocabulary that students are not familiar with and/or recognize.  I don't find this to be any different than any other text that does its best to explain the concepts clearly.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"All of the chapters follow a similar pattern.  This will make it easier for students when they move from one chapter to the next to know what to expect.  Every section has at least one example problem to help students make sense of the concepts and formulas that are presented.  Every chapter begins with a common picture that helps students to recognize where these abstract terms are available in their everyday life, has learning objectives per section, and ends the chapter with a glossary, section summary, conceptual questions per section, and lastly problems and exercises per section.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This was one thing that I was concerned with as the book does follow a slightly different approach to some topics than what we have in our current text.  I will say that in one of those instances, I actually prefer the approach in this text (angular momentum is included with rotational motion in Chapter 10, rather than with linear momentum in Chapter 8) whereas the other is the placement of optics (we begin our second semester electricity/magnetism course with optics, whereas this text would include it later in the semester if you take the chapters in order).  However, in looking it over, I don't see any problem with moving those chapters on optics (25, 26, and 27) earlier in the course.  This text seems to allow for some movement of topics depending on what you prefer and how you prefer to introduce topics.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Similar to my last comment on Modularity, I do think that the book follows a reasonable approach through these topics but still affords you the opportunity to move around in a different order if you so prefer (I might choose to move Optics, for instance).  I like how some topics are spread over multiple chapters (for instance, fluids is separated into chapter 11 on Fluid Statics and Chapter 12 on Fluid Dynamics) which can help with students differentiating between these two concepts, but instructors could always decide to cover chapters together if they so wish.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I have to say that this is the one aspect of the book that least impressed me.  The graphics are not as impressive as those from other (much more expensive) texts.  I know that some texts are starting to record solutions and give links to those solution videos using QR codes, whereas this text only shows written problem solutions.  This is where this text could certainly improve.  The figures are not distorted in any way, but they just aren't what you find in more expensive texts.  It's not that this makes the book bad, but it just isn't as impressive as other texts.  I don't think that this would necessarily cause confusion or distraction for the reader, however.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"In the chapters that I examined, I did not find any grammatical errors.  The text is just as easy to read as other similar college physics texts that I have used.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"In glancing through the book, I did see pictures of both men and women as well as individuals of a variety of races and ethnicities.  This is helpful for students to recognize that anyone can find success in this subject area.  I saw no examples of culturally insensitive or offensive language.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I have a colleague who has used this text and said that the students responded well to it.  I do think that it is a book that can be used successfully with a two (or even three) semester algebra/trigonometry based general physics course.","created_at":"2021-04-19T10:12:38.000-05:00","updated_at":"2021-04-19T10:12:38.000-05:00"},{"id":5175,"first_name":"S.","last_name":"Vaitheeswaran","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Westfield State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text is comprehensive and serves as the main text for two semesters of algebra-based introductory physics in our department.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have found no errors worth reporting.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The nature of introductory physics courses is such that there are virtually no fundamental changes to the content. There is nothing in this text that is at risk of becoming obsolete anytime soon.\r\n\r\nIf I were to nitpick, some of the pictures such as instruments, vehicles etc. are old and not the best quality. This gives the text an unattractive, dated feel. But this is a purely cosmetic issue that is irrelevant to the teaching of the subject matter.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This text is well written and quite clear in its explanations. The Phet simulations that are integrated throughout the book are very helpful.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"I have no found no inconsistencies in the book.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Modules in the book are well constructed. This allows the instructor to cover topics in a different order from that in the text. The modular structure makes it straightforward to assign sections for student reading.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Topics are ordered logically.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The book is less attractive than competing texts from the major publishers, mainly because images are of lower quality. But this is a purely cosmetic issue (albeit, one that may bother students a lot), and does not get in the way of teaching the subject at hand.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I have found no grammatical mistakes.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The book is culturally quite sensitive and inclusive along lines of gender, race etc. There is a well-considered diversity of human figures in diagrams as well as in the words used.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I wish that, wherever possible, this text and the calculus-based Openstax texts University Physics (vol. 1-3) would mirror each other. Of course, these two texts are written by different authors. But if they followed the same notation wherever possible, it would make the instructors' life much easier while teaching both courses simultaneously.\r\n\r\nOne example is the right hand rule specifying the magnetic force on a moving charge in an external magnetic field. The two texts use superficially different definitions, which are actually equivalent to each other. Neither definition is better than the other, so why not allow students and instructors the ability to switch between texts?","created_at":"2021-06-29T21:11:43.000-05:00","updated_at":"2021-06-29T21:11:43.000-05:00"},{"id":34073,"first_name":"Sharma","last_name":"Dipti","position":"Contract/Adjunct Professor of Physics","institution_name":"Bunker Hill Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This is a good Physics textbook for Algebra based Physics courses taught in colleges. This textbook covers almost every topic for two semester Physics I and Physics II courses. Physics instructor can use this Open Textbook as an option for their Physics textbook if they do not want students to purchase books. I personally use this open textbook and recommend to students to read chapters or look for examples problems when I explain some topics in Physics. Sometimes, I also use this textbook in my courses. It is a great alternative to college Physics paid textbooks if anyone wants to use it.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have not found any English or Grammar errors in this textbook. In my opinion, it is a good book with no errors.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"It covers everything that Algebra based Physics should have in it. So, nothing seems missing, and everything is up to date.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The textbook is written in clear English and understandable. Language is simple and good for students to follow. Explanation is descriptive.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The chapters contain figures related to the topics covered in the chapters and consistent to the content. Physics terms and words are also consistent with topics and chapters.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"All chapters and topics are shown clearly in the right order in table of contents. Each unit and chapter follow the flow connection. Everything is explained very clearly with examples and people can use any chapter in order if they want and, but I would prefer going in the order of chapters as written in the table of content.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The textbook covers all topics those needs to be in Physics I and Physics II course that is taught as Algebra based course. The flow of the chapters and connection from each other are also good.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"It is good to see that this textbook is available online on website, also available in pdf to download and can be printed too. So, students can access it in anyway that is most suitable to them.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There are no grammatical errors found.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"It is well structured culturally.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"This textbook is a good textbook for algebra-based Physics. It focuses good examples related to topics covered for two semester Physics courses in colleges. It shows good flow between topics and good connection of concepts of Physics to the real-world applications. This textbook is good for anyone even for the beginners. I use this textbook in some of my classes and students like it.","created_at":"2022-10-09T21:07:16.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-10-09T21:07:16.000-05:00"},{"id":35159,"first_name":"S.","last_name":"Vaitheeswaran","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Westfield State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book covers all the topics one would want in an introductory physics text.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The book is a reliable and accurate source of information for its intended audience.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The book can continue to be the primary text for introductory college physics courses, even in its present form. Of course, updates such as references to the latest physics and astronomy news will be welcome and make the text fresh and more compelling. The html format of the book makes such updates modular and easy to implement in a distributed manner.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The book is written clearly and simply, in a manner that is appropriate for its target audience. But there are some weak points in the text. For example, in section 7.3, Example 7.7 can be explained much more clearly by invoking the conservation of mechanical energy. But this principle is only introduced in the _next_ section, 7.4. Example 7.7 really belongs in section 7.4.\n\nThe book also lacks polish and excitement, mainly in its figures. This may seem to be trivial issue, but for students who don't care for physics in the first place, this can unfortunately dampen their already limited enthusiasm for the subject.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book is mostly consistent in the notation.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book is satisfactorily modular. This is another advantage of the html format over traditional printed books. See comment below on the Organization.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book is organized logically and clearly. In cases when the instructor wants to cover topics in a different order, e.g., introduce the kinematics of uniform circular motion before Newton's laws of motion, the modular html format of the book makes it easy to direct students to different sections of the book.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface is mostly fine. But one wishes that the figures were more polished.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Grammatically, the book is perfectly fine.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The book cannot be faulted on this score at all.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"This book is an excellent open resource, especially when competing textbooks from the big publishing houses can cost in the vicinity of $200. I have been using it for four years, and plan to continue with it. The book has a lot of potential for improvement, though. For example, as an html book, the figures can be dynamic and interactive with sliders to vary parameters etc. The embedded phet simulations do help, but this idea can be developed and make the book much better than even expensive, printed texts from big publishers.","created_at":"2024-07-04T18:03:16.000-05:00","updated_at":"2024-07-04T18:03:16.000-05:00"},{"id":35602,"first_name":"Feier","last_name":"Hou","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Western Oregon University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book covers all the main topics of physics: kinematics, electricity and magnetism, thermodynamics, optics, and nuclear physics","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The contents are very accurate.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This book covers mostly the fundamental principles of physics, which will most likely not be obsolete despite development of physics.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This book is very clear: all the key concepts are very well explained with examples to help students understand and exercises to help them practice and assess their understanding.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The terminology and framework are all consistent.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Each chapter is divided into sections that are not long and can be finished within one class period or less.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The contents are very well organized.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"No interface issues that I know of.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The examples given in the textbook are very relevant to everyday life and are mostly applicable in every culture.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"I especially like how the textbook relates physics to everyday experience and phenomena, such as the physics behind how joints and muscles work. That makes the abstract physics concepts a lot easier to understand. There are also many interesting examples (check out Figure 17.12 - it makes me laugh every time I look at it) that can improve students' interest in physics and make physics more engaging.","created_at":"2025-08-21T13:17:12.000-05:00","updated_at":"2025-08-21T13:17:12.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/college-physics","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:29:16.000-06:00"},{"id":69,"title":"General Chemistry: Principles, Patterns, and Applications","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2011,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"The overall goal of the authors with General Chemistry: Principles, Patterns, and Applications was to produce a text that introduces the students to the relevance and excitement of chemistry. Although much of first-year chemistry is taught as a service course, Bruce and Patricia feel there is no reason that the intrinsic excitement and potential of chemistry cannot be the focal point of the text and the course. So, they emphasize the positive aspects of chemistry and its relationship to students' lives, which requires bringing in applications early and often. In addition, the authors feel that many first year chemistry students have an enthusiasm for biologically and medically relevant topics, so they use an integrated approach in their text that includes explicit discussions of biological and environmental applications of chemistry. Topics relevant to materials science are also introduced to meet the more specific needs of engineering students. To facilitate integration of such material, simple organic structures, nomenclature, and reactions are introduced very early in the text, and both organic and inorganic examples are used wherever possible. This approach emphasizes the distinctions between ionic and covalent bonding, thus enhancing the students' chance of success in the organic chemistry course that traditionally follows general chemistry. Finally, the authors made a conscious effort to treat material that has traditionally been relegated to boxes, and thus perhaps perceived as peripheral by the students, by incorporating it into the text to serve as a learning tool. To begin the discussion of chemistry rapidly, the traditional first chapter introducing units, significant figures, conversion factors, dimensional analysis, and so on, has been reorganized. The material has been placed in the chapters where the relevant concepts are first introduced, thus providing three advantages: Eliminates the tedium of the traditional approach, which introduces mathematical operations at the outset, and thus avoids the perception that chemistry is a mathematics course; Avoids the early introduction of operations such as logarithms and exponents, which are typically not encountered again for several chapters and may easily be forgotten when they are needed; and Provides a review for those students who have already had relatively sophisticated high school chemistry and math courses, although the sections are designed primarily for students unfamiliar with the topic. Consider this text for your course if you are interested in In summary, a text that represents a step in the evolution of general chemistry texts toward one that reflects the increasing overlap between chemistry and other disciplines. Most importantly, if you want a text that discusses exciting and relevant aspects of biological, environmental, and materials science that are usually relegated to the last few chapters, in a format that allows the you to tailor the emphasis to the needs of the class. Request your desk copy today.","contributors":[{"id":3151,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Bruce","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Averill","location":"Strategic Energy Security Solutions","background_text":"Bruce A. Averill grew up in New England. He then received his B.S. with high honors in chemistry at Michigan State University in 1969, and his Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry at MIT in 1973. After three years as an NIH and NSF Postdoctoral Fellow at Brandeis University and the University of Wisconsin, he began his independent academic career at Michigan State University in 1976. He was promoted in 1982, after which he moved to the University of Virginia, where he was promoted to Professor in 1988. In 1994, Dr. Averill moved to the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands as Professor of Biochemistry. He then returned to the United States to the University of Toledo in 2001, where he was a Distinguished University Professor. He was then named a Jefferson Science Policy Fellow at the U.S. State Department, where he remained for several years as a senior energy consultant. He is currently the founder and senior partner of Strategic Energy Security Solutions, which creates public/private partnerships to ensure global energy security. Dr. Averill’s academic research interests are centered on the role of metal ions in biology. He is also an expert on cyber-security. In his European position, Dr. Averill headed a European Union research network comprised of seven research groups from seven different European countries and a staff of approximately fifty research personnel. In addition, he was responsible for the research theme on Biocatalysis within the E. C. Slater Institute of the University of Amsterdam, which consisted of himself as head and a team of 21 professionals, ranging from associate professors to masters students at any given time. Dr. Averill’s research has attracted a great deal of attention in the scientific community. His published work is frequently cited by other researchers, and he has been invited to give more than 100 presentations at educational and research institutions and at national and international scientific meetings. Among his numerous awards, Dr. Averill has been an Honorary Woodrow Wilson Fellow, an NSF Predoctoral Fellow, an NIH and NSF Postdoctoral Fellow, and an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Fellow; he has also received an NSF Special Creativity Award. Over the years, Dr. Averill has published more than 135 articles dealing with chemical, physical, and biological subjects in refereed journals, and he has also published 15 chapters in books and more than 80 abstracts from national and international meetings. In addition, he has co-edited a graduate text on catalysis, and he has taught courses at all levels, including general chemistry, biochemistry, advanced inorganic, and physical methods."},{"id":3152,"contribution":"Author","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Patricia","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Eldredge","location":"R.H. Hand, LLC","background_text":"Patricia Eldredge was raised in the U.S. diplomatic service, and has traveled and lived around the world. She has degrees from the Ohio State University, the University of Central Florida, the University of Virginia, and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where she obtained her Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry following several years as an analytical research chemist in industry. In addition, she has advanced offshore sailing qualifications from both the Royal Yachting Association in Britain and the American Sailing Association. In 1989, Dr. Eldredge was named the Science Policy Fellow for the American Chemical Society. While in Washington, D.C., she examined the impact of changes in federal funding priorities on academic research funding. She was awarded a Postdoctoral Research Fellowship with Oak Ridge Associated Universities, working with the U.S. Department of Energy on heterogeneous catalysis and coal liquefaction. Subsequently, she returned to the University of Virginia as a Research Scientist and a member of the General Faculty. In 1992, Dr. Eldredge relocated to Europe for several years. While there, she studied advanced Maritime Engineering, Materials, and Oceanography at the University of Southampton in England, arising from her keen interest in naval architecture. Upon her return to the United States in 2002, she was a Visiting Assistant Professor and a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Toledo. Her research interests included the use of protein scaffolds to synthesize biologically relevant clusters. Dr. Eldredge has published more than a dozen articles dealing with synthetic inorganic chemistry and catalysis, including several seminal studies describing new synthetic approaches to metal-sulfur clusters. She has also been awarded a patent for her work on catalytic coal liquefaction."}],"subjects":[{"id":38,"name":"Chemistry","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QD31.3","visible_textbooks_count":31,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/chemistry"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":28,"url":"http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/General%20Chemistry%20Principles,%20Patterns,%20and%20Applications.pdf","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:36.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:36.000-05:00","name":"Saylor Foundation"}],"formats":[{"id":258,"type":"PDF","url":"http://www.saylor.org/site/textbooks/General%20Chemistry%20Principles,%20Patterns,%20and%20Applications.pdf","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":259,"type":"Online","url":"https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_general-chemistry-principles-patterns-and-applications-v1.0/","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"3.5","textbook_reviews_count":10,"reviews":[{"id":107,"first_name":"D.K.","last_name":"Philbin","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Allan Hancock College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text is designed to serve science and engineering majors requiring a one year course in general chemistry and the text contains all of the required material and topics to accomplish this task. In the preface, the authors list eight specific objectives they wish to accomplish with this text and I feel that they do indeed accomplish their goal. The text contains numerous interesting \"real world\" examples of applied chemistry (fireworks and their composition being one of my favorite) which will act as effective \"hooks\" to capture student interest. These examples coupled with classroom demonstrations (various salts dissolved in methanol and ignited, to explore the colors of fireworks) have proven effective in capturing student interest. The text lacks a table of contents, index or a glossary and the lack of these is a serious impediment to students. There are some very serious formatting issues which may have been the result of converting from a .doc or .docx format to a .PDF and these the errors make sections of this text unusable. This is strikingly apparent in chapter 14, Chemical Kinetics where many operators (e, superscript, etc) have been replaced with blank squares. The instructor would need to spend significant time correcting these format errors and very little time would be left for teaching! There are also formatting problems with subscripts in chemical formulas NOT appearing as subscripts, again a formatting issue.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"If one were to ignore all of the formatting errors present in the text (see question #1 above) then the accuracy would be more than adequate. In assigning the accuracy score I am NOT including the formatting issues.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The text and its examples are both relevant and timeless; the classic Haber-Bosch Process for the production of ammonia is but one example. I appreciated the example of the existence high levels of iridium in 66 million year old sediments being major evidence for the asteroid impact that may have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, something my students can appreciate and relate to. The author uses the above iridium example in a very nice discussion of the scientific method. If instructors adopting this text had access to the original document (.doc or .docx) then required updates would be easy and straightforward; editing the text as a .pdf file would be to burdensome.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"The text has more than adequate clarity, however some of the example calculations would benefit from additional formatting. An example is determining the empirical formula of Penicillin; the calculations are written in a linear fashion such that the average general chemistry student would be lost trying to follow the example given. Also the formatting problems discussed in question #1 make many equations so confusing as to be incomprehensible to a general chemistry student.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The text is quite consistent in terminology and presentation.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The lack of a table of contents prevents the text from being easily reorganized and/or realigned. / / All of the typical topics for a year long general chemistry course are present and with an adequate table of contents the text would be very modular.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"It seems like every instructor has their preferred organization/structure/flow preferences for the general chemistry course they teach! This text is written in such a manner that it would be fairly easy to customize the content to fit the particular instructors preferences.","interface_rating":1,"interface_review":"Simply put; there are just to many errors in equation (both chemical and mathematical) formatting to make this text useable.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"I see no grammatical issues.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Not applicable. This is a chemistry text.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"Teaching at a community college with a significant minority population and a large number of first generation students where the costs of a college education is a significant issue, I am always looking for ways to lower the cost of their education without compromising quality. I was excited to learn of the Open Textbook Library as a method of reducing textbook costs and since a major part of my teaching load is teaching the year long general chemistry sequence I was hopeful that this text would meet my needs. Unfortunately, because of the significant formatting issues present I will be unable to utilize this text. If in the future the problems I have highlighted in this review are corrected, I would be willing to adopt this text and I would be eager to hear my students reaction to an Open Textbook Library product.","created_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":447,"first_name":"Jeffrey","last_name":"Bodwin","position":"Professor of Chemistry","institution_name":"Minnesota State University Moorhead","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"There does not appear to be an index or glossary in the .pdf version of the textbook. The textbook does cover all the major topics typical of a first year General Chemistry course, as well as some of the more popular additional topics that are sometimes covered if there is sufficient time. Although the text can be searched for keywords quite easily, the lack of an index or glossary would make it difficult for a student to use this textbook if they were not familiar enough with the subject to be able to choose appropriate keywords to search.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The content appears to be accurate in its intent; however, the errors and omissions in the .pdf version of the textbook lead to things being wrong (or very difficult for an entry-level student to interpret) in a number of chapters.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The examples in the textbook are both timeless and current, providing a good mixture of “How was this discovered?” and “How do we use this now?” application for the student. Implementing updates could be a challenge given the static nature of the .pdf format, but should be manageable.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text of this textbook is clearly written and should be quite accessible to entry-level students.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The terminology and voice of the textbook is consistent, although many of the formatting and technical errors can cause problems in this consistency. See for example cases where “delta” is used or subscripts and superscripts are used.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"The textbook should be reliably modular, although the errors make it difficult to use in any manner. In addition to the page numbers, the authors and/or publisher should consider putting headers on each page denoting the specific chapter (and topic) of the material.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The organization is appropriate. Structure and flow are significantly disrupted by the formatting and technical errors.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"This is a disappointing example of an online open textbook. The formatting is quite simply horrible with many missing figures, repeated sections of the text, poorly or incorrectly formatted figures or equations and other (presumably technical) problems that make the text essentially unusable. Any even cursory review of the text by the authors and/or the publisher would have caught many of these problems before publication.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"There are occasional grammatical and typographical errors throughout, but they do not significantly impact the readability of the text.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The figures used in the .pdf version of this textbook are virtually devoid of any humans. While this prevents over- or under-representation on any group, it is disappointing that the authors do not choose to feature the human side of chemistry more prominently, as would be consistent with their stated objectives to make chemistry more relatable to the student. This would also be an opportunity to proactively feature chemists and other scientists from traditionally under-represented groups to serve as aspirational role models for the students using the textbook.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"This open textbook is disappointing. Averil has authored some quality texts in the past, so I am unsure if the problems lie with the author, or the publisher, or just the randomness of software interpretation when uploading and downloading large files. I suspect that all parties involved in the publication of this open textbook bear responsibility for the poor quality product they have provided. Contributions of this poor quality do an extreme disservice to the open textbook community by giving naysayers an example of what appears to be shoddily pieced together content.\n\nI downloaded the .pdf file of this textbook and opened it offline. (This is the only format available directly from the University of Minnesota open textbook webpage.) If that mode of access is the root of some of the technical problems/errors I observe, then I suspect the same problems will be ubiquitous with students attempting to use this open textbook. I went to the publisher’s website and found the .html version of the book to be better (it has a table of contents/index, and many of the problems with figures are resolved), but it only took until the middle of Chapter 1 to find the message “Sorry this image is permanently unavailable” in place of what should have been Figure 1.6 through 1.9. The .docx version is consistent with the .pdf version with many (perhaps all) of the same errors.\n\nThe stated philosophy of the textbook is sound, and I appreciate its intent. My approach to general chemistry is similar and I would welcome a reliable textbook (especially an open textbook) that aligns well with my preferences. The technical errors in this textbook are glaring and should be unacceptable. I would not consider using this open textbook for my classes, and furthermore, I would encourage the authors, the publisher, and the University of Minnesota to remove this content from the web unless and until it can be presented in a more responsible fashion","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1219,"first_name":"Krista","last_name":"Nishida","position":"Clinical Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Washington State University","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"There are two versions of this text, an online version and a pdf version, with a significant difference in quality between them.  The pdf version does not have a table of contents, glossary, appendix or index, making it extremely difficult to navigate, and leaving out the reference aspect of a textbook. The online version, on the other hand, contains all of these things, and follows the table of contents accordingly.  The online controls allow you to click to the previous chapter/section, the next chapter/section or back to the table of contents, making it quite easy to navigate.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"Again, there is a difference between the online version and the pdf one.  The online version is formatted correctly, so that mathematical equations and calculations line up appropriately and all symbols, superscripts, etc. are displayed correctly.  This formatting is lost in the pdf version, making it difficult to follow the examples even as a professor in the subject.  These accuracy issues apply only due to formatting in the pdf version.  I found no inaccurate information, calculations or equations when reading through the online version.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"As general chemistry concepts are not changing, I find no longevity issues.  The examples given are relevant to the real world, and tie in nicely with things that the students are better able to understand.  The only issue would be those formatting ones that would be necessary updates for the pdf version.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The text itself is clear and well written, but again, the formatting within the pdf version makes it hard to understand and follow.  Again, the online version is much better, but I cannot expect all of my students to remain online to read their textbook.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Terminology and framework is consistent.  I did not find any significant changes in how the material was presented or the terms used.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"The online version is easy to parse into small sections or pieces, enabling you to assign different sections at different points in time.  The pdf version would be impossible, as there is no table of contents, and it is trial and error with a lot of scrolling to find out where you are.  There are no additional indicators or labels of section numbers or chapters except at the beginning of each chapter or section.  If the examples or exercises in the sections and chapters were numbered with the chapter and section, that'd make it a lot easier.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics are presented in a logical order for a typical science major oriented curriculum.  The flow is good.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"Navigation and the interface on the online version is good.  It allows the reader to click to skip back to the previous chapter/section or ahead to the next, as well as back to the table of contents, all in one click from a menu that stays at the top of the window. Occasionally, when you are scrolling through worked examples with equations or calculations, that top navigation menu is visible, but you cannot click on it.  This issue stops when you scroll away from those areas.  There are also images and figures within the online version that show up as \"permanently unavailable\".  \n\nThe pdf version is very difficult to navigate, and the lack of formatting makes the text blend together and is difficult and monotonous to read.  The images that are \"permanently unavailable\" in the online version do show up in the pdf version, but all of the equation and calculation formatting make them show up in a long string of characters, with the loss of any LaTeX or html formatting.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find any significant grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"While I did not find anything that was culturally insensitive or offensive, I also did not find much that showed human culture at all.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"While the overall text and content of the textbook are the same in both versions, the online version is a much better textbook than the pdf version.  The online version has a few issues, such as the missing images/figures, but the formatting and ease of navigation make up for those few instances.  The pdf version's lack of formatting, table of contents, glossary, index and appendices make it an unusable textbook.  Not everyone is connected to the internet 24/7, so until the pdf version catches up to the online one, I would not use this with my students.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1318,"first_name":"Alvin","last_name":"Holder","position":"Associate Professor in Chemistry","institution_name":"Old Dominion University","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text is designed to serve biological and biomedical students, engineering students, general education students, health sciences students, pre-medical science students, and science majors requiring at least one year course in general chemistry and the text contains all of the required material and topics to accomplish this task.  This textbook is a precursor to students who will be studying organic I chemistry and those students who may have to study advanced inorganic chemistry after the freshman and sophomore years, even the former section is too short in nature.  There are many stimulus materials in the form of cartoons/figures, but some of their quality is not up to standard.\n\tThe text lacks a table of contents, index or a glossary and the lack of these entities is a serious deficiency. There are some very serious formatting issues which may have been the result of converting from a .doc or .docx format to a .pdf format and these the errors make sections of this text illegible. The online version has a warning in some places, i.e., “Sorry! The image is permanently unavailable.”\n\tThe instructor will have to spend significant time correcting these format errors and very little time would be left for teaching the material.  There are also formatting problems with subscripts in chemical formulas NOT appearing as subscripts, again a formatting issue.  This issue is more predominant in the pdf version, where fractions are not shown.  It would have been wise for the authors to use Equation Editor to write mathematical equations and use ChemDraw for the structures and major equations (followed by saving the files in the .tiff format).  \n\tThe pdf version is way too long (2.365 pages in total).  This is very expensive ($$$) for printing and very difficult for reading.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"The textbook has some errors in conjunction with the formatting mentioned in question 1 from above.  One case is where the electronic configurations of Cr and Cu are not correct.  In another case, the magnitude and the units are not separated by a space, e.g., 25°C should be written as 25 °C.  \nThe history of chemistry is NOT accurate as this began in Africa/Egypt, where khemica is an ancient Egyptian word for chemistry.  The history of chemistry should have been researched as the history of chemistry is very biased towards Europeans versus other races who really have been practicing chemistry for many years.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The text and its examples are both relevant and timeless; the classic Haber-Bosch Process for the production of ammonia is an example.  Topics such as thermochemistry, electrochemistry, nuclear chemistry are some of the topics that I learned as a high school student at The Lodge School in Barbados in the 1980s. Such topics will be around for many years to come.\n\tOne thing to note, If instructors adopting this textbook had access to the original document as a MS Word document; then required updates would be simple and straightforward; as editing the textbook in converting a .pdf file to a MS Word document would create many problems, all due to the points made in question 1 above.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"The textbook is more than adequate in terms of clarity, however some of the example calculations would benefit from additional formatting as soon as possible.   It is best to use Equation Editor to write the answers, and show the answers and equations, line by line, where dimensional analysis would be easier to understand.  A good example is in the use of this problem:\n\tEthanol has an enthalpy of vaporization of 42.3 kJ/mol. The compound has a vapor pressure of 1.00 atm at 78.3 °C. At what temperature is the vapor pressure equal to 0.500 atm? (R = 8.314 J/K mol).  Also, the calculations involving percentage abundances should be rewritten. Note that calculations involving moles, molar masses, the use of Avogadro’s constant should have been organized in a better fashion.  The oxidation number of a proton and a hydride wasn’t clear.  The textbook needs some overhaul in some areas, especially the topic involving transition metal chemistry.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The textbook is very consistent in terminology and presentation, even with all of the errors and formatting within.","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"The lack of a table of contents prevents the textbook from being easily reorganized and/or realigned.   All of the typical topics for a year-long general chemistry course are present, but having a table of contents the textbook would be very modular.  Personally, chapter 8 should have been merged with chapter 2.  All thermochemical topics and problems should have been in one chapter.\n\tA chapter with covalent and ionic bonds should have presented along with Lewis dot structures.  A more definitive chapter on mathematical concepts should have been the first chapter, inclusive of logarithms, indices, standard notation, and significant figures, and some brief statistical analysis.","organization_rating":2,"organization_review":"It seems as if the authors have preferred their own organization/structure/flow preferences for the general chemistry course they have taught in the past! This text should have been written in such a manner that it would be fairly easy to customize the content to fit a particular instructor’s preferences.  See my answer for question 6.  Some of the topics could have been reorganized and be combined as some appear to be segregated.  The last chapter involving organic chemistry was tacked on and appeared to be rushed to make a comprehensive textbook.","interface_rating":1,"interface_review":"Simply put; there are just too many errors in equation (both chemical and mathematical) formatting to make this text useable.  See my answer to question 1.","grammatical_rating":2,"grammatical_review":"The textbook contains one grammatical error, where consistently, the authors began sentences with the word “because”.  It would be wise for the authors to have an English proof reader read this online textbook and correct this and all grammatical errors. We need to have future STEM scientists write manuscripts and textbooks that are free of grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This is a chemistry textbook that will be very useful for all races as chemistry is a universal science.","overall_rating":6,"overall_review":"As an instructor at an extensive research and teaching institution with a significant minority population (34%) and a large number of first generation students and military veterans, the costs of a college education is a significant issue.  As such, we at ODU, are always looking for ways to lower the cost of their education without a compromise in quality. I am very excited to learn of the Open Textbook Library as a method of reducing textbook costs, and was hopeful that this textbook would have met the needs of such students. Unfortunately, at this moment in time, because of the significant formatting issues and the way the content is presented,  I am  unable to recommend this text to the instructors who teach at the freshman level. If in the future the problems I have highlighted in this review are corrected, I would be willing to recommend this textbook to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Old Dominion University.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":2312,"first_name":"Gabriele","last_name":"Backes","position":"Chemistry Instructor","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The online text is comprehensive and addresses all topics needed in a one-year science major’s general chemistry curriculum.  It is well organized and is laid out in the traditional approach.  Each chapter contains graphics and illustrations, though many images are missing - labeled as permanently unavailable.  This is especially evident in chapter 14 (Kinetics), with minor omissions in just about every chapter.  Minor formatting issues in chapter 16.2 distract from the otherwise very nicely written section (or text in general).   / Each chapter also includes a set of end-of-the chapter exercises.  I think the text certainly could benefit from additional exercises, as well as perhaps adding a section of challenging exercises.   / The text includes a very comprehensive appendix with all necessary tables and data.   / I liked the fact that each section opens with a ‘learning objective’ and ends with a ‘key takeaway’.   / The text definitely compares well with other texts designed for a major’s chemistry course.  Customization of the text for use in any general chemistry course is certainly possible.  ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"As far as I can judge, the content is accurate and I did not come across any major flaws or misconceptions.  ","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The text is laid out such that it would be very easy to add to each section as necessary.  At this point, applications within the text are current and will be able to be used for quite some time (figure 2.22 should certainly be updated).  I would like to see a few more current events, figures, tables, or links to current events, woven into the text.   / Any updates that will have to occur over time could be easily integrated and should not affect the flow of the text. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is well-written, it is concise and its content is easy to follow.  ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text is very consistent throughout in its layout, formatting and writing style.  ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Adequate.  Each chapter could very easily be adopted as a stand-alone chapter ","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The chemistry book has been written to reflect the traditional order of topics.  I feel that the layout along with the nature of the book allows for any changes if a different arrangement of topics is what is desired by the curriculum.  ","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I opted to review the online version (rather than downloading the pdf).  Navigation of the text was easy using my PC and I did not come across any issues of loading of images.  Some of the images seem to be relatively small and I was wondering how these would look on a smaller tablet or IPad (which is what many of my students use).  Also, all chapters have links that refer back to previous chapters but none of the links opened on my PC.  ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical or spelling errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This is a chemistry text.  I have not found any issues.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This book is very nicely written and easy to follow.  The content is accurate, the text comprehensive and could easily be used in a general chemistry curriculum.  It is a great online chemistry book and I would certainly think about adopting it for our general chemistry courses in the future.  However, at this point, it is not quite ready to be used as there are formatting issues and many missing images which distract from the otherwise very well written text.  ","created_at":"2018-09-12T13:22:50.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-12T13:55:02.000-05:00"},{"id":2374,"first_name":"Michael","last_name":"Russell","position":"Professor of Chemistry","institution_name":"Mt. Hood Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book covers the essentials of a first year chemistry course, but it lacks depth and \"readability\". Indeed, this text could not be used as a standalone teaching option. The first part of the book, “Introduction to Chemistry” does a fair job discussion the scientific method, the basic precepts of chemistry, and history of chemistry; however, I found the discussion of significant figures (a topic critical in my opinion to the first year chemistry curricula) insufficient in detail or scope.  Also, the text book would benefit from additional pictures and tables, anything to break up the eternal monotony of the words used in the text.  I deeply appreciate the time that went into creating a book like this; however, small details would benefit the reader (and student of chemistry) greatly.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I did not encounter any mistakes or inaccuracies while reviewing the text.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The textbook was written in 2011, so up to this date, the book seems very relevant.  An update would, as always, be appreciated!","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text uses a readable prose style.  Although not super exciting, it is quite clear and consistent…. the determined reader will be able to finish and find the experience satisfying.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text is very consistent in its terminology and framework.  I did not see overlapping definitions, or exceptions to previous sections, etc. ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"With the exception of the first chapter, I found the text readily divisible into smaller segments.  This would be quite useful in a seminar course, or perhaps a course over a specific segment of chemistry…. very cool.  However, the first chapter - and arguably the most important - seems to blend together in an undividable cluster…. and this is a shame: if I wished to talk about, say, significant figures, it would be nice to \"copy and paste\" those section(s) into a new document to share with the class, etc.  Instead the introduction topics mesh and overlap each other, and I'd probably need a second textbook to augment this book were I to adopt it for my classes.  I realize the option to make a text divisible is the prerogative of the authors, but it would be nice to have such a feature available.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The text is organized in a logical and very clear fashion. The format follows established progressions as set by other chemistry textbook authors…. there should be no major obstacles for teachers adopting this book for their classes.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I was quite surprised that the beginning of the textbook did not have a table of contents in the PDF version.  The website and online version had a table of contents…. the PDF version would benefit greatly from a list of the different chapters, etc.  Also, to increase the readability of the material, adding in colorful pictures, diagrams, tables and examples would be wonderful: the text is rather dry at the moment, which I find disenchanting since the material is so fraught with wonder and awe.  ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I saw no obvious or glaring errors in the text.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text did not rely on \"he\" or \"she\" and remained mostly gender neutral.  I saw nothing in the text which would exclude specific races, ethnicities or backgrounds.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I appreciate the considerable efforts by the authors to create this text, and I wish to thank them for sharing their work with the public in this arena - thank you!  If you ever decide to write a new version (or if you are considering adopting this book for your own classes), it would be nice to have some post-2011 information included; also, PLEASE include a table of contents in the PDF version of the textbook!!!  The addition of additional pictures, diagrams, tables, etc. would brighten the reader's experience greatly.... just an idea.  Overall I like this book, and given a few additions and changes, it would be great as well.","created_at":"2018-11-09T15:03:12.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-11-09T15:03:12.000-06:00"},{"id":2534,"first_name":"Soheila","last_name":"Adl","position":"Adjunct lecturer","institution_name":"LAGCC","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"Both PDF and online versions have good coverage of subjects with some unnecessary overlap of the same topics in different chapters. For example the atomic structure discussion in sections 1.4-1.7 of chapter 1 is more and less is discussed in Chapter 6.  Chapter 1 of the book (Introduction to Chemistry) is too long and tedious to read (for the students) since it covers many unfamiliar topics for the freshman students of general chemistry 1. Instead of atomic structure that is discussed in chapters 2 and 6, the dimensional analysis (unit conversion) should be introduced to students in chapter 1 which has been included in chapter 3 of this textbook. PDF version of the book lack Table of contents, navigation bar and glossary. The outline of the book pages in PDF version need to be improved to help with the readability of the material. The images and graphics need to be properly positioned in PDF version as well. The online version lacks glossary as well but the navigation bar and Table of contents are appreciated. Although the subject coverage of the book is satisfactory, I would change the order of topics in some chapters and eliminate the overlap materials. The formatting issues of PDF version and organization of the topics in some chapters make it difficult to adapt this textbook as a standalone teaching book. ","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Some of the terminology used by the Authors  been abandoned and replaced by the recent authors of the general chemistry books. For example in chapter 5, section 5.3 under classifying chemical reactions, 3 classes of the chemical reactions are named as exchange, condensation and cleavage which are known as replacement (double or single), combination and decomposition respectively in the majority of the recent general chemistry books. Although those terminology used in this book are correct, they are not up to date and if this textbook is used in conjunction with the other general chemistry book may cause confusion among the students. In general the book has been written with good accuracy.       ","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The basic fundamental principles of chemistry are still intact and relevant and the book's content is up to date. I am not sure about the accuracy of the history of chemistry. It needs to be thoroughly examined based on the true historical facts.  With all computer programming languages like html, j query and other programming tools already implemented in both PDF and online version of any book, it is easy to add, edit and update any textbook.   ","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"the text is quite clear and consistent  but the authors tend to over explain some topics that makes the reader to lose interest. A concise and clear written style would be more interesting. It would help the students to capture the essence of the topics by showing the step by step calculations using Equation Editor. From my own experience I know that  students have hard time to grasp the dimensional analysis  problems if solutions are not demonstrated with the proper format.       ","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The textbook is quite consistent in used terminology and manner of , writing style and presenting the topics. unfortunately the formatting issues especially with PDF version and missing images affect the consistency of the textbook.y    ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The lack of table of contents and navigation bar in PDF version make it hard to find a specific topic. for the online version, with the exception the first chapter,   there's a reliable modularity throughout  the textbook.  Adding page number and header on the top of pages to show the specific chapter are recommended. ","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"I rated 4 the online version for its organized manner. The PDF doesn't have that degree of organization due to the layout and formatting issues. If I am to adapt this textbook, I would definitely change the order  of some topics for several chapters to make it compatible with my educational system syllabus.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"The PDF version needs a dramatic formatting change. The online version needs a glossary, page number, header to show the relevant chapter and the missing images should be fixed. There is overlay of the scrolling pages over the navigation bar that can be fixed by a computer programmer.   ","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"I didn't come across a grammatical errors but in PDF versions there are many cases of spelling errors caused by the elimination of spaces between words. for example page 57 on PDF version that the space between two consecutive words has been eliminated. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"This is a chemistry book and totally is unbiased.  ","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"The online version of the textbook has a good coverage of the subject and I'm considering to introduce it to my students as an option to save money.  The order of topics in several chapters and lack of proper formatting issues are the  major drawbacks for me in adapting this textbook for my teaching. That being said, I greatly appreciate the efforts of the authors for taking time to produce this textbook.","created_at":"2019-01-15T22:55:17.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-01-15T22:55:17.000-06:00"},{"id":2875,"first_name":"Leanna","last_name":"Giancarlo","position":"Associat Professor","institution_name":"University of Mary Washington","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text covers all of the major topics found in a two-semester, first year General Chemistry course and has the appropriate tables (thermodynamic quantities, equilibrium constants, etc.) as labeled appendices.  The table of standard reduction potentials (Appendix E) would be more difficult to use than most other textbooks as the potentials are listed alphabetically by symbol.  The periodic table in Appendix H is also too small to use.  The pdf version does not include a table of contents, index or glossary of terms.  The online format is better in this regard with links to chapters and topics in the table of contents.  A glossary and index are still lacking.   This text is more comprehensive than many others in terms of acid-base equilibria as the authors do an excellent job of providing examples of quantitative amounts at equilibrium for both weak acids and weak bases (the latter is frequently absent).  ","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"The chemical and mathematical content appears accurate (although the Lewis structure provided for carbon in Figure 8.7 is incorrect); however, there are key ideas that are not discussed in enough detail for students to assess their importance.  One of these are the exceptions within electron configurations (Chapter 6) where the families of Cu and Cr are only highlighted in Figure 6.4.  Emphasis on this difference in the normal pattern of electron configurations and an explanation as to why are missing in the text or figure caption.  Additionally, a discussion of shielding appears to be lacking.  ","relevance_rating":2,"relevance_review":"The content is not up-to-date with many images having been removed and a “publication” date of 2011.  ","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"The written text and the problem-solving strategies are fairly clear and straightforward.  More careful definition of terminology would aid the student as well as elimination of advanced material (e.g. wave function description of molecular orbitals).  Many chapters contain too much extraneous information that make it more difficult for students to focus on the important learning objectives and key takeaways that are assets to the work.  For example, removal of the “Essential Elements for Life” and “Brief History of Chemistry” from chapter 1 or “Trace Elements in Biological Systems” in chapter 7 would improve the flow for the student reader.  While several of the graphics (e.g. Tables 2.2, 2.5 and Figure 2.12) are very well done, some figures are unnecessary where they currently occur in the text or provide information that is too advanced for a student at this level.  (For example, Figures 2.3 and 2.4 would be more appropriate when electron and molecular geometries are introduced in Chapter 9, and the titration curves that appear in conceptual problem 3 section 4.9 would fit better after acid/base equilibria, buffers and titrations are formally presented in Chapter 16.) ","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"The format of the textbook is fairly consistent:  within most topics is a learning objective (set apart with a colored box), text, followed by examples (highlighted with a different colored background with a self-consistent format), key equations (another colored background), summary, key takeaway, concept and numerical problems (both with answers).  Not all of the chapters contain Application Problems (in a section titled “End-of-Chapter Material”), where students are given additional practice without the guidance of knowing the topic in advance.  ","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The text is fairly readable and divisible into smaller sections; this allows the instructor/student to omit sections that may seem extraneous or to jump to essential skills (e.g. metric prefixes, temperature conversions, preparing a graph, etc.).  The text is well organized and given its structure can be easily be re-organized to suit a course’s goals.  ","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Aside from intercalary information, the topics are presented in a logical fashion, beginning with standard ideas of the scientific method and measurement, progressing to the elementary structure of the atom, stoichiometry and reactions, energy, more detailed structure of the atom, periodic trends, bonding, molecular shapes, phases of matter, kinetics, equilibria, thermodynamics, electrochemistry, and nuclear chemistry.  ","interface_rating":1,"interface_review":"The online version of the text is missing images (statements of apology and notices that images have been permanently removed have been inserted, rather than removing the call to the figure, renumbering within a chapter and editing the text).  This was distracting and impeded the readability.  The pdf version does not contain these statements (the images have simply been omitted), and the text appears cleaner looking with a larger font.  Unfortunately, the pdf version is missing essential aids (table of contents, index, etc.) and hyperlinks; this makes the pdf file difficult to use when a student/instructor attempts to navigate to a specific location within the text.  Finally, the font sizes (especially) within the images/graphics changes.  This makes information seem more important than was intended by the authors.  (Note:  font changes also occur in the online text but it is less distracting in this format.)  ","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The text is relatively free of grammatical errors; however, equilibria is generally used as the plural of equilibrium. ","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive.  ","overall_rating":6,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2019-04-30T17:32:34.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-04-30T17:32:34.000-05:00"},{"id":5149,"first_name":"Steve","last_name":"Acquah","position":"Associate Research Professor","institution_name":"University of Massachusetts Amherst","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"It is very comprehensive as a general chemistry textbook, with more information presented than what would typically be required. This resource can be adapted to support students of various majors. Although the subject matter is relevant and consistent when compared to other textbooks, both the online version and the PDF are due for a major update to the formatting to take advantage of evolving learning styles and the need for quality learning resources as we emerge from the pandemic. The adoption of remote learning technologies during the pandemic highlighted the need for open access resources for teaching, and this textbook could have been a critical tool for instruction. I like the addition of the learning objectives that help maintain a clear focus for the chapters, and overlapping themes help connect the concepts, which is an essential part of learning. Improvements to the navigation of the textbook are still required to help students and faculty, but as a freely available teaching resource, there is a lot of potential.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content does not seem to have any errors except for the missing images listed in this review.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The book continues to be relevant as it is based on the underlying principles of chemistry. The textbook benefits from having more information than what would typically be required, further supporting a modular approach for instruction.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The PDF and the online version of the textbook are clear to read. Students can work through the chapters, but additional edits to the format of some questions would be helpful to guide them.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Many images do not have figure numbers assigned, which affects the consistency throughout the textbook. This issue can be corrected in future revisions while the missing image placeholders are restored.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"The textbook chapters are modular in design; however, there are still problems with the navigation due to the missing table of contents in the PDF. Lecturers would need additional preparation time to integrate a modular approach to the textbook.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The organization of the textbook is generally good, providing many different ways to adapt the content for lectures and instructional media resources. Chapter 7 has a good section on the allotropes of carbon which I can adapt for short virtual presentations.","interface_rating":2,"interface_review":"The PDF Version needs significant work to improve the interface as the heading may appear at the end of a page instead of adjusted to a new page for aesthetics. (See pages 61, 62, and 87 for examples) The image for Figure 2.2 on page 97 is not at the correct ratio.\r\n\r\nThe online version has many figures that are permanently unavailable. This is a comprehensive list of the missing images:\r\n\r\nFigures 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 1.9, 1.16, 2.9, the image at the start of chapter 3, 3.1, 3.7, 3.9, the image in example 13, the image in example 15, the image at the start of chapter 4, 4.4, the image in example 8, the image in example 11, (no figure number - Darkening of silver bromide crystals by exposure to light), 4.14, 4.16, 4.21, 4.23, 4.24, 5.12, the image at the start of chapter 6, 6.9, 6.13, (no figure number - Potassium burning), the image at the start of chapter 8, 9.27,  10.15, 10.16, 11.1,  11.10, 13.5, 13.8, 13.22, 14.1, 14.2, 14.3,  14.4, 15.1, 15.12, 15.13, the image at the start of chapter 16, 16.22, 16.25, 17.4, 17.9, 17.11, 18.6, 18.7, 19.2, (no figure number - A galvanic cell), 19.8, 21.10, 21.11, 22.14, 23.4, and 23.5.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The grammatical errors that I found were linked to the formatting, likely on the conversion to PDF. In general, there are no other grammatical errors that I noticed.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"There are no specific cultural references. It would benefit from the inclusion of possible regional differences in the way subject topics could be taught as footnotes.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"It is clear that a lot of time and effort has been put into this textbook that provides a comprehensive view of chemistry. Over time it seems that the online version has lost the links to many of the figures, and this will need to be addressed in future revisions. The formatting of the PDF still needs a lot of work to make it easier for students to navigate.","created_at":"2021-06-26T19:23:27.000-05:00","updated_at":"2021-06-26T19:23:27.000-05:00"},{"id":33834,"first_name":"Terrie","last_name":"Salupo-Bryant","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Manchester University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The online text has a Table of Contents, but no index. Words in boldface are defined by floating the cursor over the word.  The FlatWorld print text has a Table of Contents and index, but no glossary though definitions for some terms in boldface are shown in the margin.  In general the Averill \u0026 Eldredge textbook covers all of the topics found in typical General Chemistry textbooks.  I found the Kinetics chapter lacking in integrated rate law problems.  I prefer to use a different open access textbook for this topic.  Otherwise it has a good variety of example problems throughout each chapter.  The book does not have a large variety of end-of-chapter problems.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I haven't had any problems with inaccuracies.  I have a number of high ability students who don't hesitate to ask questions when something doesn't make sense, but they haven't pointed out any problems with the textbook.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The hardcopy Flatworld textbook of Averill \u0026 Eldredge has some interesting youtube.com video links that may become outdated, however, these are not included in the online open access textbook.  The online book is written with minimal reference to things that will become outdated.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The textbook is presented at a level for first year chemistry students.  Molecular level representations of substances and reactions work well with macroscopic level images and symbolic representations (i.e. chemical formulas and balanced equations).","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The quality of the work is consistent throughout the textbook.  Since the textbook questions will most likely not be used as assigned homework since online homework platforms are now available, answers to all questions should be consistently provided.  Answers to Example problems within the reading consistently show the answers and how to work through the problems.  Conceptual problems in general do not have answers provided, but in some places the odd numbered answers were provided.  I'd rather have space dedicated to numbered problems with answers than space dedicated to conceptual questions without answers.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Numbered sections contain multiple subsections that I wish were numbered in some way.  For many of the reading assignments, I assigned only certain subsections, but there wasn't a concise way to indicate them on my syllabus without citing the title of each subsection.\r\nIt is rather easy to provide a link to each numbered section in our learning management system.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Chapters are presented in an organized manner not really different from the average General Chemistry textbook.  The font and visual presentation in the online textbook, however,  is somewhat monotonous.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"In the online text, there are a fair number of Figures that are listed as 'Unavailable\".  The most readable version is the FlatWorld print textbook.  The presentation and highlighting are visually more appealing and organized.  The online version has just a mediocre presentation.  The pdf version has too many formatting problems to be a viable textbook for students due to reactions and equations appearing garbled and illegible in places.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no problems with grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"Since the figures are primarily of chemical substances and processes, I would consider the textbook culturally neutral.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Averill and Eldredge is a decent book to use as a free textbook.  If I could choose any textbook for students, this wouldn't be the one I'd choose, but it's a good option if it's a priority to keep student textbook costs down.  I really wish it had as many chapter end problems as most print textbooks have.  When students express that they would like more example problems, I like to point them to problems at the end of the chapter categorized by section topic that have answers provided.  This textbook doesn't allow me to do that.","created_at":"2022-05-05T21:47:44.000-05:00","updated_at":"2022-05-05T21:47:44.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/general-chemistry-principles-patterns-and-applications","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:01:51.000-06:00"},{"id":96,"title":"Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":2015,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"With “Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation”, first and second-year college students are introduced to this expanding new field, comprehensively exploring the essential concepts from every branch of knowledge – including engineering and the applied arts, natural and social sciences, and the humanities. As sustainability is a multi-disciplinary area of study, the text is the product of multiple authors drawn from the diverse faculty of the University of Illinois: each chapter is written by a recognized expert in the field. This text is designed to introduce the reader to the essential concepts of sustainability. This subject is of vital importance seeking as it does to uncover the principles of the long-term welfare of all the peoples of the planet but is only peripherally served by existing college textbooks. The content is intended to be useful for both a broad-based introductory class on sustainability and as a useful supplement to specialist courses which wish to review the sustainability dimensions of their areas of study. By covering a wide range of topics with a uniformity of style, and by including glossaries, review questions, case studies, and links to further resources, the text has sufficient range to perform as the core resource for a semester course. Students who cover the material in the book will be conversant in the language and concepts of sustainability, and will be equipped for further study in sustainable planning, policy, economics, climate, ecology, infrastructure, and more. Furthermore, the modular design allows individual chapters and sections to be easily appropriated without the purchase of a whole new text. This allows educators to easily bring sustainability concepts, references, and case studies into their area of study. This appropriation works particularly well as the text is free downloadable to anyone who wishes to use it. Furthermore, readers are encouraged to work with the text. Provided there is attribution to the source, users can adapt, add to, revise and republish the text to meet their own needs. Because sustainability is a cross-disciplinary field of study, producing this text has required the bringing together over twenty experts from a variety of fields. This enables us to cover all of the foundational components of sustainability: understanding our motivations requires the humanities, measuring the challenges of sustainability requires knowledge of the sciences (both natural and social), and building solutions requires technical insight into systems (such as provided by engineering, planning, and management). Readers accustomed to textbooks that present material in a unitary voice might be surprised to find in this one statements that do not always agree. Here, for example, cautious claims about climate change stand beside sweeping pronouncements predicting future social upheaval engendered by a warming world. And a chapter that includes market-based solutions to environmental problems coexists with others that call for increased government control. Such diversity of thought characterizes many of the fields of inquiry represented in the book; by including it, we invite users to engage in the sort of critical thinking a serious study of sustainability requires. It is our sincerest hope that this work is shared freely and widely, as we all struggle to understand and solve the enormous environmental challenges of our time.","contributors":[{"id":3549,"contribution":"Editor","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Tom","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Theis","location":"University of Illinois, Chicago","background_text":"Tom Theis is Director of the Institute for Environmental Science and Policy, and Professor of Civil and Materials Engineering at the University of Illinois at Chicago."},{"id":3550,"contribution":"Editor","primary":false,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Jonathan","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Tomkin","location":"University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign","background_text":"Jonathan Tomkin is the Associate Director, School of Earth, Society \u0026 Environment, an Associate Research Professor with the Department of Geology and Director, ESE Online."}],"subjects":[{"id":13,"name":"Engineering \u0026 Technology","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"TA145","visible_textbooks_count":119,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/engineering"},{"id":45,"name":"Political Science","parent_subject_id":9,"call_number":"JA71","visible_textbooks_count":41,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/political-science"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"},{"id":9,"name":"Social Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"H1","visible_textbooks_count":285,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/social-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":323,"url":"http://cnx.org/content/col11325/latest/","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:38.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:38.000-05:00","name":"OpenStax CNX"}],"formats":[{"id":345,"type":"Online","url":"https://cnx.org/contents/F0Hv_Zza@45.1:HdWd2hN5@2/Foreword","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":1742,"type":"PDF","url":"https://cnx.org/contents/F0Hv_Zza@45.1:HdWd2hN5@2/Foreword","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4","textbook_reviews_count":27,"reviews":[{"id":97,"first_name":"Dan","last_name":"Philippon","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"University of Minnesota","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"As its subtitle indicates, \"Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation\" aims for comprehensiveness. The book description claims that the text allows first and second-year college students to begin \"comprehensively exploring the essential concepts from every branch of knowledge--including engineering and the applied arts, natural and social sciences, and the humanities.\" This is a huge book--almost 600 pages of text in the PDF version--collectively written by a team of faculty members from the University of Illinois. The book features 11 chapters, each with multiple sections and sub-sections, treating such subjects as climate change, biodiversity loss, pollution, waste management, and energy use, along with disciplinary approaches such as history, economics, public policy, and ethics. It also includes more than ten short case studies. Like any good textbook, each section (or \"module\") has a set of learning objectives at the beginning, as well as a set of review questions at the end, which are helpful in keeping students focused on the information conveyed in each section. The book also has a glossary at the end, and links to further resources appear throughout, either as URLs in the PDF version or hyperlinks in the HTML version. The book description claims that \"the text has sufficient range to perform as the core resource for a semester course\" (3), and this is true, but it would also be challenging to assign as a single textbook. At times, the book reads more like an introductory environmental science textbook than an introduction to sustainability, and many of the sections go into far more detail than \"first and second-year college students\" would ever want to know, much less be able to process. This is undoubtedly the consequence of having each chapter be \"written by a recognized expert in the field,\" as experts are not always the best judges of what ordinary readers need to know about their subjects. To give an example, the section on \"Environmental Challenges in Energy, Carbon Dioxide, Air, Water and Land Use\" is written at just the right level of accessibility for a general audience, whereas the section on \"Risk Assessment Methodology for Conventional and Alternative Sustainability Options\" appears to be written for a specialist audience. This latter point is a particular shame, because risk assessment is one of the most important and least understood aspects of sustainability, and it deserves to be more widely understood. That this section includes no reference to the Precautionary Principle, which is only briefly referred to in another section, should give some indication of the drawbacks of a more limited, specialist approach to the subject. (Similarly, it might be off-putting to some students to begin with an equation-heavy introductory chapter.) For this reason, the dual purposes of the text are sometimes at odds, as it is difficult for a text to be useful as both \"a broad-based introductory class on sustainability\" and \"a useful supplement to specialist courses which wish to review the sustainability dimensions of their areas of study\" (3). While there is much to be praised about the volume's attempt at comprehensiveness, it also seems somewhat tone-deaf at times to the larger conversation about sustainability taking place around the world. If it is true, for instance, that \"at the center of the sustainability paradigm\" is the fact that \"human behavior is a social and ethical phenomenon, not a technological one\" (11), it is remarkable that the book does not include a chapter on behavioral psychology, which has made so many contributions to sustainability, such as Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein's idea of the \"nudge.\" The book gestures toward the importance of human behavior in the chapters on economics and ethics, culture, and history, but it lacks a more thoroughgoing treatment of the subject. Likewise, it is surprising that the chapter on economics does not address ecological economics, whether Herman Daly's idea of the \"steady-state economy,\" Paul Hawken's exploration of \"natural capitalism,\" or other allied formulations. Similarly, there is no historical or theoretical treatment of the corporation, and--incredibly--the word \"capitalism\" does not appear once in the entire text. Other gaps include no mention of William McDonough's work on sustainable design (which would have been a natural fit as part of the discussion of life-cycle analysis in chapter 9), no reference to Aldo Leopold's \"land ethic\" (which surely belongs in a chapter on ethics, culture, and history), and little attention to indigenous perspectives, environmental justice, and the outsized role that poverty plays in preventing sustainability from being achieved.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The text is largely accurate and unbiased, particularly in its excellent overview of \"Climate and Global Change\" (Chapter 3) and sensitive discussion of CO2 emissions in developed countries vs. emerging economies. The only exception is the conclusion that \"we are essentially changing the climate faster and in a different direction than natural processes have intended,\" as natural cycles do not have intention (88). The section on \"The Sustainable City\" in the final chapter is also arguable in some of its utopian visions, such as: \"In our sustainable city everyone will be watching everyone else. Video surveillance webcams might be everywhere, and everyone would have access to them\" (534). Edward Snowden might beg to differ.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The content is mostly up-to-date, with limited exceptions, such as the reference to the EPA being given the authority \"to regulate greenhouse gases through a series of findings, hearings, rulings, and regulations in accord with terms set out in the Clean Air Act\" (267). The text notes that \"this process is underway at the present time\" (267), but it will soon be complete. Otherwise, the book is highly relevant.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"Because many of the sections within each chapter are written by different authors, this lends the book a certain stylistic discomfort, but overall the book description is correct that the text covers \"a wide range of topics with a uniformity of style\" (3). This leads to rather workmanlike prose, of course, although there are some exceptions, such as Gillen Wood's elegant chapter on ethics, which is rendered in the first-person singular (e.g. \"In terms of the evolutionary argument I am outlining here...\" (482).","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book description notes that \"readers accustomed to textbooks that present material in a unitary voice might be surprised to find in this one statements that do not always agree\" (3), but this is not a major issue; the variations in style and approach are more significant. Some sections, such as the list of major environmental laws in chapter 7 on \"Modern Environmental Management,\" read more like Wikipedia articles than interpretive or analytical summaries, while other sections take a more narrative approach.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text is highly modular; indeed, because of its multiple authorship, the book would be overwhelming to read all at once. As the book description indicates, \"the modular design allows individual chapters and sections to be easily appropriated--without the purchase of a whole new text. This allows educators to easily bring sustainability concepts, references, and case studies into their area of study\" (3). More likely, this modularity will allow teachers of introductory sustainability courses to pick and choose which sections to assign. The presence of a glossary helps the book maintain a certain level of self-referentiality, but it is not overly self-referential.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The book is well organized overall, although one could argue with how the chapters and sections are ordered. The section on \"Soil and Sustainability\" could just as well have been placed in the chapter on \"Physical Resources\" (rather than in the chapter on \"Biosphere\"), for example, and the many sub-sub-subsections in some chapters (e.g. Section 8.4.3.1.8) can become disorienting. More broadly, one could imagine a framework that separates those chapters that address broad principles (such as policy, economics, and ethics) from those that address particular subjects (such as biodiversity, energy, and climate change). It would also be nice to see more attention given to the case studies, which appear in chapters 5-11 but not in chapters 1-4. If, as Gillen Wood argues, \"sustainability is best viewed through specific examples, or case studies\" (494), these stories of sustainability in action deserve more prominence, perhaps as openings to each chapter that illustrate the main points under discussion.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"While the PDF version makes for easier reading, especially offline, it also has some weaknesses: the authorship of the various sections does not appear in most sections, for example, and the presence of numerous footnotes makes the book look more like a series of law review articles than an introductory textbook. Likewise, many of the HTML references in Chapter 8 on \"Sustainable Energy Systems\" are orphaned (e.g. \"For more information about this, click here\" [326]), some tables not rendered correctly in Chapter 11 on \"Sustainable Infrastructure,\" and dashes are rendered so thinly that they appear almost invisible in the PDF version. In both the HTML and PDF version, graphs, charts, and illustrations are of varying quality, depending on their source.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No obvious errors.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"The book could do better on this count. Many of the sections focused on science and technology seem to assume a universality of application, rather than recognizing that sustainability takes place in a diversity of cultural frameworks.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"A very worthy text, most of the problems of which are the consequence of multiple authorship.","created_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":98,"first_name":"Kate","last_name":"Lajtha","position":"Professor","institution_name":"Oregon State University","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text covers many, although not all, aspects of environmental science and sustainability. To be fair, no single book could ever be completely comprehensive, as hte subject is simply too large. This text is more geared towards policy, and explaining some fo the science behind current policy, with a focus on climate change. Many topics that I cover in my class, including agriculture, livestock, biodiversity, are not covered adequately in this text. Agriculture is mentioned very very briefly in chapter 4, but not to a level that any real class would cover it. Nothing about GMOs or alternate cropping systems for sustainability in the future. Biodiversity is covered in slightly less than 4 pages, and it is very dry: the red list, categories of species, and so on -- nothing for students really to sink their teeth into.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I would give this book a great rating on accuracy -- the authors did a fabulous job with their research, and did great summaries of the topics that they covered. I have no problem at all sending students this way, to get accurate updated information on the topics covered in this book.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"The climate section is so well written that I believe that this has at least 5 years of life in it, before it might become painfully obvious that it needs updating. The policy sections are written in a general enough way that I also think they will stay current. This field is so new, and is moving so quickly, that updating frequently will be critical. Other topics that change rapidly -- such as alternative energy -- are described here so briefly, and in such general terms with few specifics, that they will need updating less than once a year as well.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Although the writing style is VERY dry, with an emphasis on gneralizations and take-home points, with fewer specifics and examples, I find the writing to be very clear and easy to read. The section on mining, starting with basic geology concepts, was particularly easy to read.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book does a great job with consistency, and it reads as if if one author alone wrote the whole thing. The level of detail is about the same throughout, the glossary at the end of each chapter is detailed, and the level stays consistent.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity is EXCELLENT and is what might make this book most useful. I looked at several chapters of this book that are not covered well by my lectures, and the chapters seem to be complete as stand-alone chapters. I have no problem assigning individual chapters of this text.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Because the chapters really are stand-alone units, the flow is almost irrelevant. But in any case, chapters internally are very well organized and flow very well. Chapters start with general introductions, lead us through the history and background of a problem, and move us to specifics and more advanced material. It is a very clear text.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I had to read the book through iBooks, because the PDF download did not work -- at least on the 2 Macs I tried. Everything in teh text displayed perfectly. The only annoyance I had -- and this may be due to my complete lack of experience with iBooks -- is that I could only page through things page by page, and so skipping around from chapter to chapter, and back to the table of contents, was annoying. I found that I left the table of contents open in Firefox, and then paged through iBooks to the right place after I looked up where I wanted to go on the web site. It is easier to jump around with a printed book.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"perfect.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"It is very culturally sensitive! Sustainability is a global concern, and they address this well.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"On one hand, I really wanted to love this book. However, I don't think I will be able to use it. It is very dry -- few examples, few things that are provocative, and I don't think that htis book will really capture and excite freshmen students, which is my audience. Everything is accurate, but I wanted pictures, specifics, controversy.","created_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":109,"first_name":"Linda","last_name":"Vanasupa","position":"Professor","institution_name":"California Polytechnic State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text occurs to me as comprehensive in terms of approaching sustainability as a issue of environmental management. It contains a single chapter (10) that draws some of the connections between the social and cultural. The chapters that address intersections, such as Environment and Resource Management, largely occur to me as speaking about these issues from an analytical view of patterns of behavior and resources use as \"objects,\" distinct from history and emotion. For example, Chapter 2, which discusses the evolution of enviornmental policy in the U.S., makes no reference to native American experiences; it treats the \"beginning\" as colonialists' ownership and use of land. More emergent views that include reslilience and complexity (e.g., C.S. Holling and L.H. Gundersen) are not omitted. The majority of the chapters reflect issues of environmental science in a way that occurs to me as reductionist, rather than holistic. Having said that, the chapters on the individual issues (e.g., Global climate change, Biosphere) seem comprehensive in terms of the present science. The chapter titles do address the broad range of issues within sustainability. It's hard to address such a complex, interconnected set of issues in the linear media of a book. So, I think the book largely does a nice job of this.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"In terms of the disciplinary sciences that are represented here, the book occurs to me as accurate. As I read it, there is a way in which the chapters are written from a disciplinary mindset, rather than an holistic mindset. In this way, I do not consider it \"unbiased\". All viewpoints, in the arguments of J. Habermas (which seem logical to me), necessarily contain a biased point of view, since they include a \"viewer\".","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"There is relevance and longevity, it seems to me, in the sections that address the biophysical world, even though they do so in a traditional, reductionists view. I don't see this text as being obsolete any time soon. However, for me, the text would serve as a starting point from which to begin conversations in class about what is potentially missing, the tacit mental models represented in different chapters, and so on.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The text seems to be straight forward and clear in the prose. Technical jargon is defined when included. There is a way in which the text occurs to me as less of an overview and more of a deep dive into the distrinct disciplinary perspectives. However, I suspect that this is appropriate for a college-level audience.","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"The text seems fairly consistent in the layout, although it varies from chapter to chapter in terms of the granularity of the sections and the scope that is addressed in each chapter. I suppose this is expected in an edited compilation. There are also inconsistencies in presentation of viewpoint, but this is acknowledged and explained in the preface.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The chapter headings are such that the book can easily be used in a modular way.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"From my point of view, the text seems to place a priority on environmentalism, with the social dimensions of sustainability residing at the margins. In this way, the text represents what occurs to me as a U.S. centric view of sustainability. The more European/global views that look at the holistic picture that include histories that brought the planet and its peoples to this point are largely absent from the text. It does this by focusing largely on the environmental issues and resources for the bulk of the book and then include a single chapter on the social (10) at the end. So, if I were to use the text, would start with Chapter 10, or put chapter 10 early in the text.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface is quite good for a free text. There do not appear to be significant issues. From an academic standpoint, there are places where the references are not as robust or present as one would expect, but there are references to the on-line content at Connexions which might have a more comprehensive referencing. There is also some inconsistency with the reference use, but all in all, it is sufficient as a interface.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Fine.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"As mentioned above, the embedded cultural base-line is the U.S., white man's story. The perspective of native Americans or more global regions is largely omitted. In this way, the book occurs to me as \"offensive\" in its ethnocentricity. I don't think this can be \"fixed\" by including, say, a Chinese person in an example. It's my view that the assertions in the book are made unconsciously, without an awareness of one's own cultural milieu. As an example: p. 24 assertion: \"If the sustainability paradigm is to be believed, then economic viability is of paramount concern and the engagement of industrial forces must of necessity be part of its enactment. These are the engines that provide employment, and that control large quantities of capital for investment.\" These statements are made as if they are the truth. The value system of the military-industrial complex, consumption as 'way of life' and concentraion of profit for the few, are embedded in this statement as if these things were God-given, rather than socially-defined. In this way, the text is limited in its cultural relevance. However, it certainly has a lot of value as a source of a particular point of view. Readers can deconstruct and question the assumptions implicit in the text. So the text is very useful, regardless.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"For a free text, this book is excellent. No text is free from bias. No text is complete comprehensive for all uses. I commend the authors and editors.","created_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":114,"first_name":"Joel","last_name":"Light","position":"Biology Associate","institution_name":"University of Northwestern - St. Paul","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This textbooks seems to cover the same information and depth as other texts on the same subject. Its depth and coverage of topics in sustainability would be appropriate for a non-majors, general science course in the environmental sciences. Some of the chapter titles are uniquely titled which may make them harder to connect to the organization of Environmental Science courses but a little deeper inquiry into the chapter subheadings help bring more clarity to what the chapters are about. Each of the main subjects of the multidisciplinary text seem to be written by an expert in that particular discipline.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Each of the main content areas within this multidisciplinary text has been written by a content expert in the particular field represented. This means that each of these content areas is well represented and written from the perspective of that discipline.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"I appreciate the use of case studies in this text. Case studies provide real world examples of the material represented in the chapters. This would give the ability of the authors/editors to continually update the text with more up-to-date information. However, about half of the case studies are a bit dated. They are classic examples but there are more relevant and current examples for the same material. Also I would love to see even more case studies available for students and professors to utilize. Students appreciate the ability to see why the material they are studying matters and that is relevant in the real world.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The text is mostly easy to read; however, the figures, picture examples, and frankly unappealing and simplistic design in several of the chapters will cause most students will loose interest in reading it. It reads like many research articles and for the non-major student especially will not be excited and engaged in the text. I was fine to read it coming from a science background and interest in the subject matter, but someone who is taking the course to fulfill a requirement will mostly likely skim the chapters instead of reading them in depth. This is one of the more important things I look for in a text so currently this would not displace the paper copy text I use in my course.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The text terminology and framework is fairly consistent. You can tell that each of the authors had a specific framework to follow in order to maintain the consistency of the text. You can tell that different people are writing each chapter; however the format is the same throughout. It may be one of the downfalls of the many author design of the text that each chapter will read slightly different but the consistent format helps to alleviate most of it.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"It is broken into smaller sections take can aid in its readability however at times this is distracting and the sections are overly divided. There are other sections that are not divided enough. I think the simplistic design of the subheadings makes for more dry reading and disinterest for the reader. Even having some different colors of subheadings could help with this problem.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The topics seem to be organized well with the chapters building on each other well. The chapters do the same as they start with introduction material and then build into more complex concepts and ideas. The text ends with what the future could hold in regards to sustainability. I think it does well to end on positive subject matter.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I do think that the interface is more clunky compared to a paper text. On a laptop using a PDF is not as easy to skip to specific parts of the text. On a reader app this would be more helpful but still would not be as easy as a paper text. This may frustrate students and professors alike. I could also see that the diagrams and pictures may not look as clear on all devices.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammar errors.","cultural_rating":2,"cultural_review":"It is definitely written from an American cultural background. Almost all of the case studies are from the US which I believe should be remedied. I would not choose this particular text if cultural relevance is important, which it happens to be. This is however a common problem of many text available for this subject which I believe is limiting its affect on those outside the eurocentric viewpoint.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":162,"first_name":"Lee","last_name":"Fithian","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"University of Oklahoma","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text is billed as an introduction to the essential elements of sustainability suitable for first or second year college students. Some topics are remedial in light of current standards in K-12 curriculum; however, this is necessary to account for the variety of backgrounds of incoming college students. Any text using the term \"comprehensive\" is suspect, but as an introductory text that balances social, economic and environmental underpinnings this one does a good job. As others have noted, there are elements missing that bear direct relation to equity issues such as agriculture and water rights in light of corporate sovereignty, but as a holistic introduction to primary issues this text is well thought out.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"As far as the science and economics are presented in an elementary fashion, there is little to be disputed in its accuracy. At times the text displays a tendency to preach, but this presents the opportunity for further discussion.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"As a primer and introduction to current approaches and issues the text serves admirably. But, as I have mentioned earlier, timely discussions of agriculture, GMOs, water rights and the entire economic interdependency with Corporate sovereignty is missing from the discussion. Chapter 8. Sustainable Energy Systems is focused on alternative biofuel and PCM systems, which I suspect are in the author's research areas, with limited review in others. The built environment's use of alternative energies is lightly touched on but lacking in passive systems and review of current technological advances. These areas could use an updating to keep the text current.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is quite lucid, and accessible. Jargon is inherent to the topic, but definitions and interrelated descriptions are well managed and coordinated.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The \"voice\" of the book is very consistent. However, from the standpoint of providing a holistic interrelation of topics as well as content, the book is best used in a modular form.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This is where I believe the text shines. Each chapter can stand alone and the learning objectives, coupled with well-considered illustrations and chapter review questions, makes for an easy transition to classroom presentation and discussion. For example, the chapters on 3: Climate and Global Change and 6: Environmental and Resource Economics are valuable introductions to topics that are not the focus of many courses but are necessary to any discussion on sustainability.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"If the text is regarded from a modular perspective, it is well organized. As an overall treatment of the subject of Sustainability some chapters would be well served by reorganizing and put into more immediate context.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The ePub version was slow and did not link quickly via its table of contents using Internet Explorer 11. The PDF version needs to have the table of contents and index linked.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"Text and captions were well written and used language suitable for College courses. Captions to figures suffered from some overlay issues with the footer in the PDF version.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Individual chapter discussions should address economics in light of multi-national corporations and governmental policy influences highlighting their impacts on equity issues including food and water. This will add to the discussion and broaden the readers understanding of their individual role within the framework of civic responsibility. ","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"I will be using some of the chapters from this book to augment my courses.","created_at":"2015-01-12T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2015-01-12T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":210,"first_name":"Natalie","last_name":"Hunt","position":"Postdoctoral Research Associate and Lecturer","institution_name":"University of Minnesota","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text covers a broad range of social and physical science principles that underpin sustainability and illustrates them well using relevant historic examples and case studies.  It is broad in its scope and covers most topics included in many Sustainability and Environmental Studies textbooks.\r\n\r\nI would have liked to see a more thorough section on Agriculture.  The impacts of agriculture are mentioned briefly in the Soil and Sustainability section, but I believe merit greater discussion - particularly in the Modern Environmental Management or Environmental and Resource Economics chapters.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The content was accurate, error-free, and was appropriately cited throughout.  I did, however, find it bothersome that Wikipedia topic pages were cited as content references (e.g.  Chapters 7, 9).","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The case studies, graphics, and figures included recent data that have several years left in their relevancy.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"For a book aimed at first and second year students, I found the first two chapters (Introduction, Evolution of Environmental policy in the US) to be well articulated and effective at providing an introductory framework for a new student to the field.  The history of the sustainability movement would be attractive to a reader new to the field by giving a better sense of the historical and social context under which Sustainability science operates.  The use of images of artistic and historical relevance in Chapters 1, 2, and 10 was a good way to draw in the reader, particularly those new to Sustainability studies.\r\n\r\nFor a reading audience with a deeper background in Sustainability, I found the chapters to be clear and comprehensive and this book could be used as a helpful reference for scientific and social principles instruction.  The glossary was very thorough and a welcome supplement. ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The layout of the text is consistent, opening each module with a set of learning objectives, and following up with review questions.\r\n","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity of this textbook is its greatest strength.  The modular nature of this book lends itself to opportunities for supplementing and/or updating with more current case studies and examles.  Each module's framework also lends itself to a logical progression of classroom discussion (e.g. introduction to basic principles, illustrative examples, \"Sustainable Solutions\", and case studies).  It is both comprehensive and flexible.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Chapters 1 and 2 do a thorough job of introducing the first or second year student to the overall Sustainabiltiy context and set the stage for further exploration into the scientific principles and concepts covered in later chapters.  Chapter 10 could easily be moved to the beginning (between Chapters 2 and 3) by engaging the new Sustainability student to where humanity fits in.\r\n","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I read this book through a .pdf viewer (Preview on a Mac), an eBook application on an iPad and desktop computer.  When reading on a desktop computer through the eBook application, I found the format to be more streamlined and easy to follow.  The visual layout is much less clunky (e.g. the extensive 1.2.3.3. subsection notations do not appear) in the eBook application on a desktop/laptop than it is on a mobile device.\r\n\r\nSome images used throughout were of lower quality, and showed up poorly resolved on my pdf viewer.  In addition, some image and table captions were unclear or obscured by figure or table content in the pdf viewer.\r\n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The grammar was consistent and accurate throughout.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is very US-centric, which may exempt its use for courses geared more towards global scale issues.  However, the modular nature of this text lends itself to integrating more international or global case studies and examples.  Aside from the US focus, the text does not communicate any insensitive or offensive messages.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I would incorporate several modules into my own teaching, the authors did an admirable job of including substantial information for such a broad and comprehensive topic.","created_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":224,"first_name":"John","last_name":"Duke","position":"Professor of Damage Science and Mechanics","institution_name":"Virginia Tech","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"For an evolve subject matter area the book covers most of the important areas which ought to be considered, an area omitted is that related to the traditional engineering design paradigm which was a response to a compact with the owner/manager to remove the engineering structure or system from service after the expiration of the design life.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Within the knowledge based of this reviewer the topics covered are factually error free.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"In that the concept of \"sustainability\" is a contemporary hot topic, and the nature of this compilation might make subsequent comprehensive revision problematic I suspect the longevity will be short.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The sections of the book vary a bit but not to the point where this is a distraction.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"As compilation this is inherently a weak spot, but on the important concepts there is consistency","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"no comment","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Apart from the area, in the opinion of this reviewer, which is quite important being omitted the topics seem to be organized in a logical fashion.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The document can be navigated without aggravation within Adobe Reader.","grammatical_rating":3,"grammatical_review":"This is outside my expertise.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I was not offended, but cannot comment on whether others might be offended.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"It is quite a challenge to develop a comprehensive document for an area of subject matter which is under formulation.  This document does a commendable job regarding the topics it addresses.  An important omission is the part played by the classical engineering design paradigm developed in response to the inherent owner/manager and engineering designer compact.  This compact implicitly suggests that a system or structure will be removed from service after the design service life has expired.  The engineering design paradigm which has resulted is to develop designs which avoid fundamental problems during the service life and as such any “maintenance” is minor where expendable elements are routinely replaced, eg., motor oil, tires, light bulbs, paint, etc.  While failing to honor such compacts might be suggested to align with sustainable drivers it is based on the false premise that failing to recognize the design approach might afford a basis for “extending the life” of these engineered systems. Because the engineering designer has generally honor the compact, no serious consideration was given during design to any efforts to “preserve” the system… to monitor the inevitable deterioration of the system or structure and repair or replace the necessary elements to sustain it.  Clearly the compact was born in an age when sustainability was not considered, but ignoring the fact that the products of this compact are all about us because the manner in which we design is not being deliberately altered to a sustainable design paradigm is an oversight which should be corrected in this comprehensive foundation.  ","created_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":227,"first_name":"Nathaniel","last_name":"Springer","position":"Postdoctoral Associate and Lecturer","institution_name":"University of Minnesota","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook follows an issue-based structure, which accurately reflects way sustainability problems are addressed across disciplines, or “metadisciplinary” as the authors describe it.  In this sense, it is very comprehensive, covering both breadth and depth more than most textbooks would attempt.  Yet it remains difficult to be comprehensive regarding all relevant issues and disciplinary perspectives while also giving each one the depth it requires (even in a 600+ page textbook).  Hence some topics receive more focused coverage than others (climate change, energy, sustainable infrastructure), but those that received this focused coverage are also charged with achieving substantial depth in a very short span (such as the resource and environmental economics chapter, which attempts to squeeze pieces of a microeconomics and an environmental economics course into 33 pages).  Furthermore, specific issues are often covered using specific disciplinary perspectives and are not always integrated across modules.  For instance, the climate change chapter is strictly climate science, while the social science and climate policy pieces are sporadically spread throughout other chapters.  Still, the scope of this text is very ambitious and provides a nice basis upon which additional modules can be supplemented.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The modules appear well researched and accurate (although there are unfortunately many references to Wikipedia articles). ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"It will be difficult for this textbook to retain its longevity since sustainability encompasses a diverse set of fast developing “metadisciplines”.  But its relevance will only increase and again hopefully modular structure is conducive to future updates and supplementation in the coming years.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The authors write clearly, but again, the multi-disciplinarily approach of the text will make technical jargon stand out for those modules outside a given student’s background.  The extensive glossary is useful in this regard.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The layout and presentation is very consistent, although them modular approach means that the conceptual framing of each chapter can vary dramatically.  But this variability is in fact ideal for a sustainability perspective, for students will find that addressing sustainability problems requires remaining open to different framings of research and policy solutions.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity is probably the best feature of this textbook.","organization_rating":2,"organization_review":"Again, due to the diverse nature of this field, creating a nice flow to the book is extremely difficult, and in this case in inversely related to its modularity.  Many of the topics are interwoven throughout the book (for instance, climate change is introduced in Environmental Risk Management and later expanded upon in Chapter 3), but others are relegated to minor roles when if fact they may be more broadly relevant (such as Industrial Ecology being mentioned in the context of life-cycle assessment in Chapter 9 but entirely absent from the waste sections in Chapter 7).  The placement of many of the chapters seems very arbitrary.  It is probably best to simply ignore the chapter numbers and reorganize the text to fit the flow of the particular course one is teaching.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The formatting is a bit clunky at times with empty space on some pages because of photos on the next, only a space between section breaks, and some tables that don’t translate well to PDF.  But overall, the numbering of sections and subsections is consistent and useful.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Didn’t see any problems.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Very relevant to our place and time, both for a global community that will need to address all these issues and for the sustainability community that is quickly developing an interdisciplinary field across natural sciences, social science, and humanities.  The choice to use the U.S. perspective as the main historical basis for the emergence of environmentalism and sustainable development is arguably regionally limiting, but again, it provides a good basis for discussing the development of the same or similar ideas in other cultural contexts.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"Nice to see an open source book on this important subject, sets a much needed standard!","created_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":242,"first_name":"Dale","last_name":"Gentry","position":"Associate Professor of Biology","institution_name":"University of Northwestern - Saint Paul","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation excels in some facets of comprehensiveness but is lacking in others.  I am impressed by their inclusion of social and policy details that are missing in many environmental science and sustainability texts.  This is probably the result of having a separate “expert” author for each chapter which is different from most texts on this subject which are authored by natural scientists that are less well versed in social and policy issues. I was especially impressed with their coverage of Climate Change as many texts I’ve reviewed do not contain sufficient detail.  This text is lacking in comprehensiveness in that it does not adequately cover some topics, most notably for me, agriculture.  This topic is so intimately tied to habitat loss, water management, the carrying capacity of humans and numerous other issues that it deserves more attention than it was given.  Also of note is a lack of figures in some chapters that are pervasive through some published texts.  This does not necessarily devalue the text but will require an adjustment for some students.  ","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"I found no information that was inaccurate for the time that this text was published.  This is the benefit of having separate authors for each chapter.  However, some of the data are already outdated simply based on publication date.  For example the reported distribution of crude oil reserves has changed recently with the advent of hydraulic fracturing.  This text will need to be updated regularly to maximize effectiveness.  ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The text is notably out of date in a few spots (e.g. it reports the current human population of 6.8 billion, pg. 14).  This is a nagging issue for Environmental Science texts because the data are constantly changing and they matter to the debate.  For instance the percentage of the world’s energy that comes from renewables is quickly changing and the data matter to the debate.  The text appears to be written in a way that it could be updated by the authors if they are motivated to do so.  ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is very clearly written.  Students should not struggle to understand the contents, however it is not terribly engaging.  Classes that require students to rely heavily on the text may not find it a suitable resource simply because it fails to draw in all but the very dedicated students. ","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The nature of this text with its unique authors for each section results in an inconsistent voice that occasionally appears contradictory.  However, the editors realize this and acknowledge it in the introduction.  This is actually one of my favorite parts of the text and may help students to understand the difficulty of solving environmental problems.  As long as the format for the text is clearly explained at the start of a class it should not cause problems.  ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"This editors and authors of this text did an excellent job of arranging the chapters into digestible and well labeled sections.  It would be very simple to specify which sections should be read and which should not.  Very well done.  ","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"I found the organization of topics to be odd.  However I hesitate to be overly critical because there is no universal view on how these diverse topics should be ordered and associated.  Chapter 7 was especially confusing. Its title is “Modern Environmental Management” which is too vague.  I thought it might include sections on management of wildlife and habitats but instead it was about waste management, government policy, and environmental risk assessment which seems like a strange marriage of topics.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I reviewed the book as a .pdf and found no issues.  While it is utilitarian, I can’t imagine adopting this text without a paper copy for myself.  I am happy to read off a screen but for a 600+ page text, the luddite in me wants a hard copy. Of course this can be achieved so we can all have our cake and eat it too.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find any errors in the text.  It is very well written and edited. ","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"This subject requires a genuine world view but most of the chapters are written with a North American bias.  Cultural sensitivity was probably not a high priority for the authors and edits of this text.  However, there was nothing notably insensitive and this is a common problem for books on the topic.  Inclusion of case studies from other regions would help as would more discussion of environmental policy around the world.  ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I am searching for an open source text for my environmental science course and while this one is not perfect, the authors have done a very good job and I think I could make it work.  Well done. ","created_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":279,"first_name":"Kelly","last_name":"Curl","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Colorado State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"As the title portrays, this is a very comprehensive collection of subjects and topics related to sustainability. Sustainability is a large topic though. As a professor of landscape architecture, there are many more topics, lessons, sustainable systems, both rural and urban that we discuss that go beyond this book. I do enjoy the case studies as excellent precedence for specific topics.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"The topics are accurate. However, for some subjects, I believe that further descriptions and in depth research on advanced topics would give the reader a deeper connection to the content. ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Our world and research is continually changing. With the subject of sustainability, I would imagine that there would need to be constant edits and update to chapter contents and relationships between chapters.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"It is a very simple writing style for most parts which reads clear in content. I would be looking for a bit more discussion on further relationships between topics overall. I wish that beyond the text, there were more visual imagery to set the visual framework for the topics being discussed.","consistency_rating":3,"consistency_review":"It is not as consistent in the writing as expected. With the amount of various authors, it is very hard to have it be the same through this lengthy book.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The topics/subjects are largely covered by each chapter.  Because of the range of topics, each chapter could be broken out quite easily. I do not favor this and would rather a greater connect between each topic.  ","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The think the structure of the book is okay. Again, sustainability covers such a broad range of topics. But as a landscape architect, I would have preferred a layout that maybe ranges in scale and scope. Chapter 11 covers some of what I teach, and it took a long time to get there. \t ","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"I originally tried to open the PDF and depending what server or online system I was on, it was often too large to download. I ultimately was able to open it and use it as the resource for this review. I wish the original website topics listings would show all books under each subject. Until you click into each do you then get to scroll and find the subjects with the title. ","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"I think this was fine. However, the formatting of some of the pages on the PDF had streaming sentences that were not graphically laid out properly.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"I believe this text is more about domestic issues than global problems. I would expand with more global case studies and the connections of topics at a larger scale.","overall_rating":7,"overall_review":"There are so many overall generalities on this topics within the book. For landscape architecture students, sustainability is deeply rooted into all aspects of our designs from the over planning of cities, the layouts of conservations developments, ecological planning, and urban agriculture. We design at varying scales and detailed descriptions were missing on subjects like extensive versus intensive greenroofs, designing healthy landscapes and sustainable cities through park design, vegetated streetscapes, permeable paving, and new inventing engineered hydrological systems that support a native plant palette.   ","created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":293,"first_name":"Sean","last_name":"Bryan","position":"Instructor","institution_name":"Colorado State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book has \"comprehensive\" in the title, and it delivers on that promise. The book covers a full range of topics relating to the multi-disciplinary nature of sustainability. On a chapter level, I found the book covered most if not all of the concepts I would consider relevant.  The book also provides an effective table of contents, index and glossary. This book would be appropriate for an introductory-level, multi-disciplinary course on sustainability or environmental studies.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content in this book seems accurate to me. The chapters that I have the most expertise in (climate science and physical resources) are accurately written and well documented. The graphics that are used come from reliable sources and are appropriate for the text. ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The content is up-to-date at this time. However, due to the rapidly evolving nature of many of the topics covered, e.g. global change and environmental policy, the text will need updating every few years or risk becoming obsolete. Updates to the text should be relatively straightforward for the authors. ","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"The most of the text is written in an easy to understand, clear prose. It can be dry at times. The use of jargon is moderate and in most cases, jargon is defined in the text. The use of acronyms is excessive in some chapters. Acronyms are pervasive in environmental policy; however, their use in an introductory level text makes reading the text slow and disjointed. One needs to go back and find out what the acronym stands for each time they come across it until that acronym is memorized. This process uses unnecessary mental energy, which should be spent on understanding important concepts.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"I found the consistency of this book fairly good. As noted below, the book is highly modular. Sometimes a modular book can suffer in consistency in tone and formatting from chapter to chapter. This is noticeable to a small extent in this book. In particular, you can tell that each chapter was written by different authors. There are some differences in the tone, level of jargon used from chapter to chapter. However, the editors did a good job maintaining consistency in the formatting and structure of the book from chapter to chapter. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book is written in a very modular way. Individual chapters could easily be extracted and used on their own or in association with other resources. ","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book is highly structured with many subsections. Each subsection has a title. Some of the headings could be more descriptive, but overall, the organization is clear. Because of the shallow and broad nature of the book, topics do not generally build upon each other, but they are broken up in logical ways. ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I used the pdf file of the book. I had no issues downloading and reading the file. There were a few issues where the formatting is off; i.e. unnecessary spacing or tables that extend off the page.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No noticeable grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive. It does have a U.S. centric focus, which may or may not be appropriate based on the goals of the course in which it is being used.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I like that the authors are including learning objectives and review questions in each module. However, many of the the learning objectives are very broad and vague, using terms like \"understand.\" It would be helpful for the student to have more specific learning objectives. The review questions should also relate back to the learning objectives. In some cases, they do; however, often the connections are not obvious. I like the use of case studies in many of the chapters; these could be effectively used as jumping off points for classroom investigations. Overall, this seems like a good, comprehensive, introductory-level book. ","created_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-01-07T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":461,"first_name":"Jennifer","last_name":"Cochran-Biederman","position":"Instructor of Biology","institution_name":"Winona State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"As a foundational resource on the field of sustainability, I find this book to be reasonably comprehensive. I think that certain chapters provide more detail and depth than others – and in a magnitude that’s necessarily consistent with the amount of information available. In particular, I think that the chapter on Environmental and Resource Economics could have provided more insight into the concept and application of ecosystem services in conservation, as well as some discussion about alternative methods for quantifying economic health and wellbeing (e.g. inclusive wealth). I would certainly, however, find that this resource is comprehensive enough to be used as the primary resource for a course – as it would be easy to cover certain topics in greater depth during lecture or with ancillary reading materials.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The textbook seems remarkably accurate with respect to factual content. In particular, I think the credibility and expertise of each chapter is strengthened by that fact that it was written by an expert or leader in the given corner of the discipline. In addition, each chapter provides several citations for data and references to research – which adds another layer of transparency and opportunity for students to dive further into various topics. The only exception is that I think Wikipedia is referenced a bit too much – I most cases I think better sources could be identified. I didn’t find any evidence of bias in the text.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"necessary updates will be relatively easy and straightforward to implement.\nThe case studies provide a nice context for the information in the chapters – and I think these will be easy to update with newer or more relevant examples in future editions. Overall, the field of sustainability is advancing quite quickly in comparison to other fields (e.g. anatomy), so I think it’s safe to assume that this book will need frequent revisions and updates to maintain consistency. The use of different authors/experts for various chapters will undoubtedly make the process of maintaining relevance and longevity much more feasible than if the text were written by only one or two. \nInfographics, data, and other images are sparse in some chapters. On one hand, this will may provide more “longevity” in the book as these items don’t exist to be updated, but it think that more graphics would be useful to the student.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"Overall, most chapters are written very clearly – although the style in prose does vary a bit from chapter to chapter (to be expected with so many authors).  Unlike traditional textbooks, I think  readability, in general, was not a priority in making the textbook as some pages feature many, many long paragraphs and very little white space. The text can be a little dull – which for the typical scientist is perfectly fine, but may be especially dry to the student who is reading textbooks from some of the major publishers – who seem to be favoring a more engaging journalistic style in many texts. \nThere are few infographics that seek to elucidate complicated topics, ideas, timelines, processes, etc – but I think that can be filed under “you get what you pay for.” I still find that the content is clearly articulated in most passages, and although some students may struggle with the text, I think the average upper level college student will have no problems.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book seems fairly consistent in that each chapter provides learning objectives and review questions. Most chapters feature case studies, although not all of them. And some chapters have multiple case studies whereas others may only have one. The placement of the case study(ies) is not always the same – but I don’t think that this matters much. \n\nThe text varies in breadth and depth, and in prose/style, from chapter to chapter. I didn’t find it to be super obvious – and it probably won’t be a distraction to students. Such is the nature of having multiple authors. Also, the use of infographics varied among chapters – on the whole, I would find it beneficial to have more.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I think the modularity is a strength of this textbook. I can definitely see using this textbook in such a way that I might only assign certain chapters or sections of chapters – or perhaps I might assign them in a completely different order. Overall, the content seems as if it would be easy to reorganize and realigned, or used in conjunction with other ancillary course materials.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The nature of the discipline as well as the style of the book with distinct authors for each chapter makes for a disrupted flow, to some extent. I think the book may benefit from a bit of reorganization – but with regard to my comments for #6, I think the modularity of if it is a benefit – even if it may not be flow in a 100% sensible way. \n\nAlso, there is some inconsistency with the placement of the case studies within chapters, and in certain chapters, I think the placement could be modified. But overall, the organization/structure/flow is suitable for an open source textbook of this nature.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I viewed the book as a PDF in preview, and some of the text was a little distorted. The images and infographics were all nicely colored and in the proper proportion to the text. As a plain-Jane textbook, I think it is suitable – there are certainly not the interactive bells and whistles that you’d find in a more “modern” ebook from a major publisher.  If I were to use this textbook, I would recommend that students download and print the book – as it cannot be annotated electronically. (Although the new generation of learners are perhaps better able to read, absorb, and retain material from such a plain, non-interactive PDF format much better than I).","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"Perhaps this is the nature of the field or a reflection of the authors, but the book is indeed very US-centric in how it describes the background and application of sustainability as a scientific discipline. It would be nice to see more references to the international case studies, policy, research, etc. As the field develops and expands, I think there will be broader ability to explore many of these issues in a more culturally inclusive or expansive way.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":483,"first_name":"Kolson","last_name":"Schlosser","position":"Assistant Professor of Instruction","institution_name":"Temple University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This text is nothing if not comprehensive. It is so comprehensive, in fact, that one wonders about whether there exists an upper threshold after which it is simply too much. One student could not really consume this much in one semester. That probably is not the authors' intent either; it is intended to be incorporated chapter by chapter, section by section. Chapters 5 (physical resources) and 8 (renewable energy) themselves are a little longer than they need to be, at the risk of turning off students. However, the other chapters are consumable individually.\n\nThe only topic that is not covered, and that really should be, is environmental justice. It is mentioned twice in the book but never covered thoroughly.","accuracy_rating":2,"accuracy_review":"The book is so vast there are bound to be disputable points. I will first stick to what are a few blatant inaccuracies. In chapter 6 the idea of Tragedy of the Commons is explained but misrepresented. It mentions that Elinor Ostrom found counter examples, but then is dismissive of them. It uses North Atlantic fisheries as an example of the Tragedy of the Commons, when Ostrom and her team helped disprove that. Those fisheries were fished sustainable for at least 300 years before they were overfished, starting in the 1950s. What that shows is that it was technology and the market that did it - social forces quite different from whether property is owned privately or publicly (which is what Garret Hardin was getting at with his thesis). \n\nThe Tragedy of the Commons surfaces again in chapter 10. I liked a lot of this chapter, but again the authors seem oblivious to critiques of the idea. Figure 10.3 is a cartoon suggest that the Tragedy of the Commons \"lacks dialogue.\" Unfortunately it seems the authors did not get the joke. The long standing and various criticisms of the Tragedy thesis are that it assumes actors who do not communicate with each other, and that in real world examples of common pool resources they typically do. That was how Ostrom showed the flaw in the theory. The authors seemed to interpret the cartoon as saying that the Tragedy of the Commons thesis argues that people don't communicate enough. The issue is that ignores their actual communication. \n\nChapter 6 refers to the idea that consumers behave rationally and balance costs/benefits as an \"uncontroversial axiom.\" That is controversial to say the least. Plenty of dispute about that. \n\nLove Canal is discussed without ever mentioning Lois Gibbs or environmental justice. That seems like a huge omission. \n\nChapter 7 refers to the Clean Air Act of 1955. At that time it was the Air Pollution Act, and was renamed the CAA in 1963. But the components of it recognizable as what we call the CAA were added in 1970, so it seems questionable to refer to it as a 1955 act. \n\nThe use of graphs, charts and maps are generally a strength of the book, except that some of them are outdated, at least as of this review. Worldmapper was once great, but reflects 2002 data. There charts in chapter 5 for example that have data from 2000.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The book is so long I doubt it will be easy to update in any way. I didn't see much that was outdated except for the graphics. They also rely on the Brundtland report for virtually all definitions of sustainability which can be problematic.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The writing is clear overall. The only exception is the first chapter, which starts off invoking ideas that introductory students will not be familiar with. It is not well situated in the literature. The chapters following are all much better about that. The entire thing is fairly dry though, and is not inquiry-focused (meaning it provides information but doesn't bring the  readers' direction back to a central question).","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The book is consistent overall.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"With the exception of chapter 1, the book is very modular. Chapters 5 and 8 are on the long side, but otherwise any chapter can work on its own.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"I don't see any problem with the structure of the book.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"No significant problems in terms of interface, except the minor exception that the way inset charts and figures are referenced in text is a little odd and clunky. The only major exception is that the whole thing is a single PDF on white background, and can be tiresome and dull reading. I doubt the authors could do much about that though.","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"There are a few grammatical errors, but the frequency of them is somewhat chapter specific. Most chapters are pretty clean.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"I'm not sure this is about \"cultural relevance,\" but those considering the adoption of this book should be aware of a couple things. First, chapter 6, on resource and environmental economics, takes an orthodox neo-classical approach, seemingly without being aware there are other approaches. Hence the authors take rational behavioralism as an \"uncontroversial axiom.\" As another example, the authors mention the Coase theorem and all the ways it becomes obsolete in the real world, but then goes on to suggest that it should be the guiding principle of policy, before rapidly changing subjects. In short, the authors of that chapter are clearly economists of a neo-classical stripe. \n\nAnd second, I liked a lot about chapter 10, sustainability and society, and in fact would've preferred it if this was a bigger focus of the entire text. The chapter's case study on Colony Collapse Disorder was excellent. However, it takes a long term evolutionary approach to the issue, which notoriously obscures an incredible amount of geographic and historical specificity. This really comes through when it mentions the J-curve without qualifying it. The J-curve is actually very misleading, because a more historically specific understand of it shows that population growth is leveling off. In fact it didn't grow in the first place because humans are hard wired for that, as an evolutionary approach would assume. Population in general is not discussed adequately in the text.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"It has its strengths and weaknesses. In general though, it trends on the technical and policy-wonk side. The discussion of transcendentalism in chapter 2 and some of the case studies in chapter 10 were exceptions to this, but overall it reads like an Encyclopedia of the Environment. Like a massive information dump without much focus or punch. The authors were going for comprehensiveness, which they achieved, but which ultimately created something that feels like a basic reference text for an undergraduate environmental course.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":528,"first_name":"Alison","last_name":"Olcott Marshall","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"University of Kansas","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book is relatively comprehensive, especially considering the breadth of the topic. However, as some have noted, the book gives short shrift to some issues, such as agriculture, that are important facets of sustainability discussions. Given that the book covers a wide (very wide) range of topics, it provides an initial overview of the field, and thus the book might be more useful for a survey course than for a specialized higher-level class, and I think a professor might want to supplement the text with additional resources to fill some of these gaps. The book does provide a nice glossary and large index, although I found the index confusingly organized in the PDF version of the book and unhelpfully broad in the ePub version of the book. The PDF version is unlinked to anything and creates a confusing system of \"keywords\" and \"terms\" that I did not quite understand, which the ePub index links would only go to the start of the section that contained the word. Finally, although I applaud the use of Learning Objectives throughout the book, some were too broad to be useful for a student.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The content is very accurate for when it was written, but this is a fast-moving field and some of the content seems to be in need of updating (for instance, the figures on global population are already 600 million people to small). Additionally, in some chapters the references are from more general sources (Science, Nature, National Geographic) rather than from more specialized sources, reinforcing the fact that this is more suited for a survey course than a specialist course.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Most of the content is up-to-date, but some things could probably already be updated. However, the book is written in such a way that it should be relatively straightforward to update the facts and figures. Given how fast Climate Science and Climate Policy changes, though, if parts of this book do not get revised at some point in the next few years, the book itself will not be as useful.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is very clear, especially given the number of authors. Technical terminology is explained well; there are glossaries in each section as well as at the end of the book. Although the prose would be accessible to students, it does tend to be rather dry, though.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"This book is very consistent; the framework from chapter to chapter remains the same, as does the terminology. This is particularly impressive given how many authors were involved in the creation of this book.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity of this book is one of its strongest features. Each chapter could stand alone, and in fact each one has its own URL, glossary, and reference list, making it very easy for a professor to fit the book to their class.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book is well organized. The organization builds towards a policy focus, rather than a science focus, but given the modularity this could be changed on a class to class basis.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Both the PDF and the ePub look nice, as things are generally nicely laid out in both formats. However, I had problems with each format. The PDF has no internal links, so the index entries and table of contents provide page numbers that can not be clicked on and do not correspond to the PDF number, so they are practically useless. Similarly, I could not get the links in the ePub table of contents to go anywhere; clicking a chapter or section heading would just return me to the top of the table of contents. The index entries, as mentioned above, would just take me to the start of the section where the word is found, which was not particularly useful.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no errors.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"This book is not offensive, but it is very America-centric, as the case studies and example tended to be American. This is particularly odd given the inherent global nature of sustainability; given that this is an issue that effects everyone, it would be nice if the examples provided illustrated this fact.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":865,"first_name":"Nilmani","last_name":"Pramanik","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"University of Northern Iowa","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book \"Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation\" contains a vast amount of matter on sustainability and it does cover the entire range as it claims. However, some chapters and contents are very specific and may not be suitable for freshman/sophomore lever college students, specifically as a text for engineering technology or technology students. In the context of the course that I teach (Lean and Sustainable Operations), several chapters will be effective for the sustainability aspect of the course and so I would go with a modular approach, adopting specific chapters that are relevant.  ","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The book as a whole is very accurate on the content. Each chapter has been written by subject-matter experts with good research. However, Wikipedia, as has been used as reference in some cases, is not a reliable source and could have been avoided.  ","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The content is very relevant and up-to-date at the point time when the chapters were written but this is an evolving subject and would need periodic updates, including updating case studies and/or adding new case studies, to keep it relevant.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is quite straightforward in terms of presenting the technical matter and overall writing/presentation style is very good.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Although the book is a collection of chapters written by different authors, and as such, there is bound to be some difference is presentation style but surprisingly, overall it is very consistent in its presentation of the matter.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book is modular and I think each chapter stands on its own as a module. As I mentioned in the Comprehensiveness section, I am planning to use select chapters to serve as modules in my course and it would fit nicely.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The sequence of the chapters is consistent and follows more or less a natural order although some might like to re-arrange some chapters without affecting overall flow of the book, particularly since chapters are modular. ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"Interface    \nThe pdf format was good for ease of readability and also for creating modules from individual chapters. However, couple of items in my wish-list: a) It would be nice to add names of the authors for each chapter at the beginning of each chapter so that when the chapters are used as individual modules, they still get the authorship cited. b) Clickable link for index items page numbers.\n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I didn’t notice any.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The book is written with the US in the perspective; it could add more global flavor by including relevant work being done in other parts of the world. However, as a technical person, I do not see much cultural conflicts in the book.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This is a nice book and although it would be too much to use the whole book as a text for a semester course, I would use the modular approach to adopt relevant chapters for my teaching and also use the book as a good reference. ","created_at":"2016-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2016-12-05T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1200,"first_name":"Martin","last_name":"Hubbe","position":"Professor","institution_name":"North Carolina State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The word \"comprehensive\" is in the title of this open textbook, and the editors and authors have made an effort to include numerous aspects of the topic without leaving anything out.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I was impressed that the authors were consistent throughout the book in documenting their sources.  At the same time, the field of sustainability science is clearly in a state of rapid evolution.  So in addition to documenting the accuracy of the information, and its sources, the book provides a healthy appreciation of how knowledge in the field is continuing to be refined.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Because the field of sustainability science is in rapid development, I would expect either one or both of the following to happen within about 4 to 8 years:  (a)  Another groups of editors and authors will compile a \"successor\" or \"competitor\" book, or (b) the present editors and authors will revised the chapters within such a time frame.  I expect that interest in this field of study will grow briskly within the next decade.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The book has different styles, as you would except in the case of a collection from different contributors.  Some of the chapters are more blunt, others more descriptive.  Overall, the level of clarity is very high throughout the text.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"•\tThe Forword to the book mentions that, according to some of the contributing authors, “the text does not necessarily present a self-consistent set of ideas.”  The discipline of sustainability is still in a state of rapid evolution and internal debate.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"Yes.  In fact, the book is set up such that one could easily assign individual chapters to students.  They would not have had to read other chapters.  Each one can stand on its own.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"For such a broad-ranging topic, the editors have done a really good job in arranging these chapters and prescribing their content so that the open textbook works as a unit.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface worked great!  No problems.  Maybe the interface needs to be better known to the public.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The grammar was great.  Kudos to the editing team!","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The topic did not have much to do with aspects of human culture, other than environmental aspects of it.  An exception was that there was good discussion about environmental harm tending to occur in the \"back-yard\" of low-income people.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"What a wonderful resource for teaching!  If I were teaching a course related to sustainability, I would be very tempted to assign readings from this book to my students.  Since the students can view it or download it for free, I would feel no regret in assigning just a few pages.  Alternatively, I could assign a series of essay questions, asking students to use the open textbook as their main resource. I could ask different teams of students to consider a specific issue, such as paper recycling, from the perspective of different chapters in the book, e.g. chapters on environmental policy, sustainable energy, ethics, and sustainable infrastructure.  It would be fun to have such teams give back-to-back 20-minute presentations. I imagine that each team could become intrigued at how one set of processes can be perceived quite differently by people focusing on different aspects.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1232,"first_name":"Ephraim","last_name":"Massawe","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Southeastern Louisiana University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This is an outstanding book on Sustainability.  It is discussed in a detailed way under the title \"Sustainability: A Comprehensive Foundation\".  However, this textbook is aimed at students pursuing undergraduate degrees, in particular those who are in their first and second year of their degree program.  These students may have had prior lessons on civic education, geography (exploring the biospheres) and perhaps some aspects of the hydrological cycle as discussed in textbook under the theme of water pollution: sources etc.  From my own experience, it can be difficult, at this level, for students to think very critically and infiltrate into the minds concepts such as externality (environmental economics – pp239-241) in a detailed way as the authors have presented it in the textbook.   For this audience, this part and others should be explained in as simplistic manner as possible (and suggested that additional case studies –common goods – be presented). The textbook is comprehensive in a sense that for each of the 11 chapters, the authors have presented the main objectives to be accomplished upon completion of each chapter, and at times, these are also included in the sub-chapters of the book.  The textbook is well equipped with the review questions, which in my opinion, are helpful to students; however, the authors needed to come up with some hints to help students answer these questions or possibly provide comprehensive solutions to these questions.  \n\nSub-title: 2:3.5:  Risk Management as a Basis for Environmental Policy:  the authors should consider giving an introductory remark to the risk assessment process; and its genesis and application to various agencies.  I believe that a genesis of this framework and a statement to that effect, that this framework was conceived in the early 1980s is necessary.   Specifically, the authors have missed an opportunity to discuss how the risk assessment framework is being used as the basis for making regulations (both occupational and non-occupational) and also for making policy in the US.; what additional items, other than the risk assessment elements, needs to be considered for policy making are as important for discussion.  For example, at some point in time in the past, it was a norm to use the concept of Cost Benefit Analysis (CBA) as the basis for making rules, regulations and standards at the EPA and other federal agencies. It was also a part of the NEPA’s policy statement on environmental important statements (EIS) that the CBA be part of these EIS or environmental impact assessment (EIA) reports.  This view of CBA should have come out clearly in this section.  In my opinion, I am guessing that the authors have concentrated too many issues in one chapter -   thus making it difficult for potential young readers to capture all in one lesson or in one semester.  The authors could have given one of the two examples which, again in my opinion, would have sufficed. For example when the authors addressed the question of energy: multiple examples are given taking too much time, and space in the textbook. It would have been more appropriate cite these examples, or to use them as case studies for students to work and solve them.  Another example is that of the dust pollution in the Philadelphia area.  I would suggest that instead of presenting all those figures,  only one figure with a, b, and c would have been appropriate in that case.   As a result, this would not only have reduced the more than 600 page-volume textbook, but it would also have made it easier for students to read as well. Another example is that of the CFLs presented on pp 557-558 - Fig 11:20 and SSL – on Fig 11:21 (the authors could have combined both of these figures into one figure i.e. 11:20a/11:20b which would then appear on one Fig. Again, this would have significantly reduced the number of pages.   Contemporary issues, such as the extraction of shale gas to meet the growing energy demand – and which obviously affect sustainability and development – availability of drinking water or water for irrigation - are covered with some specific examples: hydraulic fracking (pp320).  Issues related to the BP oil spill – resulting from our quest for energy sources in the Gulf of Mexico area also have shown in some parts of the textbook (pp497-498)\nAccording to the authors, or at least the author of chapter1: at the intersections of the three themes of sustainability: economic, social and environment – lies the following three: bearable, equitable and viable (pp7). It is gratifying to note that these terms, which form the backbone of the term “sustainability”, have been used throughout the textbook by all the authors – regardless – e.g. equitable: pp7; 260; 485; 512; 515. Viability: pp519; 553; 565. \n\nFinally, it is of my opinion that the glossary, as written in the document, is complete and thorough. However, it could be beneficial to change the order of some of the chapter headings. For example, instead of assigning the chapter titled “Sustainability: Ethics, Culture, and History” to be read as chapter 10, it may make more sense to assign it to a chapter at the beginning. This way the history and culture behind sustainability can be understood before diving into a chapter about modern day environmental management.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The introduction lays out clear expectations for the document which is helpful to the reader, but the title page should have a stand-alone title.  The authors have attempted to balance their textbook with some science-based facts. It is gratifying to note how each of the individual authors’ chapters have avoided to use any of the jargons or the doctrines of the extreme left or right or any visible inclination to that effect to communicate their researched subject matter with the reader.  The Climate Change topic, which is vulnerable to this challenge, has kept away of this and used the data and science generated by agencies, such as NASA, to support their observations, and in some cases, the authors have encouraged reliance on using “proxy data” pp64.  \nA few noted exceptions however:  the unnecessary blank page on page two and other interruptions such as random blank pages found throughout the textbook. It has incorrect spacing on page four. Furthermore, the textbook contains page numbers that are inconsistent throughout its entirety. Some page numbers can be found in the upper left corner while others are found centered on the bottom of the page.   The present title is ambiguous as to what type of sustainability the document is referring to and what the text will contain, and surprisingly all sub-topics and sub-titles that make up sustainability appear in the textbook.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The text is up to date, but also provides information regarding previous times in history i.e. the evolution of the various environmental policies in the U.S..  It appears that the textbook would be easy to update with a newer edition as time evolves.   I am concerned, however that the chapters are just too long – but the relevance, as far as the content is concerned, is just fine (with a few exceptions as pointed out earlier) for the audience (undergraduate) that is intended","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The text is clearly written and does not use such accelerated terminology that an average person would not be able to understand the text. In fact, most readers regardless of their level of education would be able to read the document and take valuable information away from it. When jargons or initials were used, and explanation was given so that it would be easy to do further research on the word.   A few exceptions though:  It seems the clarity is lost where too many examples, and too many figures are being introduced in the text as a way to clarify a specific point e.g. a section on air pollution or energy efficiency e.g. the solid state lighting (SSL) and the compact-fluorescent light bulbs [CFL] (pp 557-558).  The clarity, especially noting this book is intended for young audience is lost in the process and may lead into losing focus of the objectives and sub-objectives of each section and chapter.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The choice of words used to communicate points throughout the document are consistent throughout its entirety.  Thus, there seems to be consistency throughout the textbook. For examples: (there is a preamble in a form of the objectives to be met once a chapter is completed, followed questions for review). A section to point out to the direction of the potentially the right answers or the solutions to these problem questions as expected of the reader, guidelines on how to answer these questions will make this textbook an easy to ready and ready-to-use textbook for undergraduate students.  A few notable exceptions are minor as stated elsewhere, issues with spacing, the fonts and format of the paper are consistent.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The textbook’s strongest area is the appropriate use of section divisions. This has made the book easy to focus on specific sections of subject matter of sustainability.  It also allows the reader, at least upper graduate level to make clear distinctions between new points of reference. When one section closes, it is made obvious so that the reader can then focus attention to the next section, allowing for convenient reading.  In a summary, the chapters are well separated and independent from one another – they are all inter-linked to the larger subject matter of sustainability.  For undergraduate readers though,  I look at the entire textbook as being too much of information to read and too many topics spread out for this audience to comprehend all at once, and perhaps in one semester.  This may be the main objective of the authors, but the information is way too much for this audience.  As a recommendation, perhaps it would be wise to use this textbook as supplemental material for some selected topics e.g. energy or population growth or policy making and introduction to the concepts of climate change.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The 11 chapters of the textbook are independent of one another but all addressing the larger picture of sustainability.  Although the presentation, structure and the flow are clear, too much emphasis has been placed on giving too many examples, either in the form of figures or sub-sections that its “taste of sustainability” all of a sudden disappears as one navigates through the textbook.  However, a minor suggestion would be to consider rearranging the order of the chapters so that they flow in a more chronological order i.e. some chapters may need to precede others (e.g. chapter 4 should perhaps be used to build upon background information that leads to the understanding of what is in chapter3)","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The PDF version of the textbook is easy to read offline. However, upon sharing this information with myself (through email), I found it was difficult to access – the share access portal was a requirement in order to download the file.  Perhaps the size of the file was a limiting factor in this respect.  I did not download the book in any other version, but the PDF is easily readable.   In addition, on pages seven and eight there are display interferences in the text. It appears that two separate texts are overlapping one another causing it to be illegible. The remainder of the textbook is just fine. All of the tables and illustrations are appropriately labeled and explained. The pictures presented in the text are of good quality allowing the reader of the viewer to clearly see without confusion.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Only minor small typos: for example line7, Foreword section, pp#1 (know # known).  Perhaps the only other errors that I noticed is the lack of the full meaning of an acronyms: For example, the acronym, which appears at section 1.3 pp8, IPAT in the 1.3 The IPAT Equation is not defined in this section.  The glossary of the terms used in the textbook are appropriately described.  There are also some noticeable mistakes in the references by adding unnecessary spacing between words.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The textbook has taken bold steps to address all stakeholders in the society, including the academia (for example the use of the equations related to sustainability, and the trends of the climate changes and data). The textbook has little inclination to the local politics and therefore, I see little or no evidence at all of confinement or boundaries for not being able to use this textbook in other cultures.  The textbook does discuss the social aspect to sustainability and dives into more specific factors such as ethical, background, and human values.   The authors state very strongly that sustainability is based upon a series of social movements. The authors go on to list movements such as human rights, racial equality, gender equality, labor relations, and conservation. By pointing out these topics it can be concluded that the authors are inclusive of race, ethnicity, and background since a portion of their text is based on this theory. \nAlthough a larger number of the illustrative examples in the textbook appear to have been drawn from the U.S. (dust explosion in Philadelphia, the Love Canal in NY – pp209-211, the hydraulic fracking or the extraction of shale gas; Exxon Valdez Oil Spill – in Alaska – 00287; BP Oil spill---pp200\u0026amp;pp288 etc.), these are typical examples that also affect sustainable development around the world.   An equally large number of illustrative examples are also drawn from other countries and cultures as well: – e.g. algal bloom in China - pp. 196; Hg-mercury poisoning – Minamata-Japan (pp201), hydraulic gold mining in New Zealand (pp229); the largest cyanide leaching in Romania – pp229-230 and the open pit mining in Russia –218 among others.   One point, which seems, at least from my point of view, to be controversial however is that of bottled water: the author of this topic seems to be addressing the U.S. readers ignoring the fact that millions around the world cannot afford clean potable water-pp207!   It is interesting to see that the authors have incorporated a section that compares the carbon footprint (pp446-447) and the water footprint (pp447-448) of various countries.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This book is worth reading.  I am impressed how the authors have been able to come together to produce such a great textbook. It is an impressive work.   Although the textbook has covered, so far, a great deal of issues of sustainability, it still would be a nightmare to ask the authors to include all of the aspects of sustainability in this one textbook because it would include too many concepts and perhaps too many volumes to cover them all.   It would great if a list of the issues affecting sustainability are presented in the introductory chapters; then focus on a few of them and refer the reader of the other topics to other relevant textbooks.","created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1407,"first_name":"Rachel","last_name":"Goodman","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"Hampden-Sydney College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"I do not teach a course specifically called Sustainability; rather I teach and Introductory Environmental Science course.  With this disclaimer in mind, I found this text to provide a thorough overview an in-depth coverage of the topics contained therein.  The index is very effective and the glossary seems like it would be useful to students.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Textbook seems to be accurate (again, disclaimer that I do not teach in the areas of policy or environmental economics in ayn depth). I did not find any factual or conceptual errors.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"I believe the content is up-to-date, but the nature of this topics demands that it be revisited and revised substantially every 3-5 years.  I’m not sure how an environmentally-oriented textbook can be organized such that updates are easy and straightforward to implement, since so much of this content is being updated with new research and governments reports published annually.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The language used in the text is clear, but not overly simplistic.  It seems similar to that used / reviewed for in my current Environmental Science course, although the Sustainability text goes into greater depth and technical detail than my current texts.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The textbook is consistent in its terminology, structure, and organization.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"While presented as a cohesive unit, I think the textbook demonstrates excellent modularity.  I can imagine using one of the chapters in one of my courses (I do not teach an entire Sustainability course), since they easily stand alone.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The outline of title and subtitle structure may be useful in orienting students within the chapters.  However, the structure may be getting carried away with the many, many numbered sublevels (for example, 9.3.2.1.4).    I don’t think anyone will be able to keep track of how point 9.3.2.1.4 nests under whatever topic was 9.3.2.1.  Perhaps some formatting distinctions (fonts, underlines, bolds, boxes) can be used to subdivide the text, rather than using the elaborate numbering system?\n\nI like the inclusion of review questions throughout the text, although they might more accurately be described as “Review \u0026amp; Application Questions.”","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"I looked at some of the textbook online, then downloaded it as a PDF.  When viewed as a PDF in Acrobat, the serif font (and maybe the resolution of the main body text?) made for difficult reading.\n\nChapter 2 would benefit from a timeline with dates of important historical events and passage of major pieces of environmental legislation.\n\nSome figures seem unnecessarily large (for example, Figure 3.41 \u0026amp; 5.26), whereas others are much too small to read easily (for example, Figure 3.44 \u0026amp; 5.28 text at bottom \u0026amp; Fig 11.16).\n\nSmaller, specific notes:\n\nFigure 3.1 is unnecessary to illustrate the simple point.\n\nFigure 3.22 would be better if represented / drawn from some of the major studies of surveys of American citizens, scientists, and climate scientists (rather than just a group of students).\n\nThe legend in Figure 3.29 has some overlapping/jumbled text lines when I viewed it as a PDF in Acrobat.\n\nIn Figure 3.39, I cannot read the x- or y-axes without zooming in many times over.\n\nTable 7.2 has some overlapping, unreadable text as viewed in PDF form in Acrobat.\n\nFigure 8.47 is difficult to read (because of resolution?)\n\nFigure 9.11 seems to be distorted (the height-width ratio is off).\n\nFigure 9.12 seems to have a large unnecessary block of black in the background.\n\nFigure 9.15 has a distorted (or just difficult to read) set of labels on the x-axis.\n\nThere is a weird formatting issue on pp. 535-537 and pp. 545-549.    I’m not sure if these are supposed to be tables (?), but in my reader they just looks like a list with lots of odd spaces and blank lines.\n\nThere is an unnecessary line break at the top of p. 531 (between lines 3 and 4).","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text is composed of elegant yet straightforward writing appropriate to a collegiate resource. I did not find grammatical errors or rhetorical weaknesses.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"I did not notice anything that would be deemed culturally insensitive or offensive in this text.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2017-06-20T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":1604,"first_name":"Nicole","last_name":"Barclay","position":"Teaching Assistant Professor","institution_name":"University of North Carolina at Charlotte","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The text holds true to its title, \"....Comprehensive Foundation.\" Sustainability is a broad topic that applies to a wide range of fields. However, the authors discuss the foundation concepts of sustainability.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The text was found to be accurate through the use scientific based information throughout.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The text is mostly relevant since it presents foundation concepts in sustainability. However, the last chapter on Sustainable Infrastructure includes explanations and demonstrations of technologies that are constantly advancing.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"This text can reach a wide audience due to the clarity and conciseness of the language.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"This text is consistent.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text is broken down into well defined sections. Also, images help to add context and meaning to the text.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The topics follow a logical fashion. ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"Images are generally clear. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The text contains no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1616,"first_name":"Courtney ","last_name":"Green","position":"Lecturer","institution_name":"University of North Carolina at Charlotte","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The textbook provides a comprehensive study of sustainability.  The book includes chapters on history, policy, energy, and sustainable infrastructure that would be well suited in an engineering technology undergraduate class in sustainability.  The end of chapter and end of book glossaries provide comprehensive technical terminology related to sustainability.  Cost and economic issues could have been addressed more.  However, supplemental resources could be used in the classroom to make up for this.  ","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"At the time of publishing this book is accurate.  Sustainability is an every changing field and several topics should be updated to reflect these changes.  More research has been published on climate change and policy has been revised since the publication date.  The authors write from an unbiased tone throughout the textbook.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"At the time of publishing this textbook was up to date.  If the text is not updated to reflect population, policy, and climate science changes it is possible that the text could be outdated in the next few years.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text is well-written and all technical terminology is well defined.  The end of chapter glossary reviews is an excellent resource for students.  Given the number of authors of the text, it is surprising how cohesive the text is from chapter to chapter.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The terminology and framework are consistent from chapter to chapter.  The authors and editors did a great job in maintaining consistency based on the number of authors in this textbook.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The ability to use a modular approach with this textbook is one of the most defining features of the text.  It would be easy for the instructor to limit the course to certain chapters of the book.  Given the breadth of the text, this is an attractive feature of the book.  ","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The book is well structured and organized.  Starting with the definition of sustainability, to the history, and then sustainable infrastructure the flow of the book is well thought out and easy to follow.  ","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The text and figures are easy to read and have little to no interface issues.  Some of the text on graphs and charts is slightly distorted but are legible.    ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I found no grammatical errors in the textbook.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"The text and examples given are US centric but are not culturally insensitive or offensive.  Since sustainability is a global issue, it would be nice if more global examples or prospectives were given.  ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This is a great option for an undergraduate course in sustainability.  The chapters could easily be used as modules and supplemental resources could be used to bring the text up to date.  ","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1658,"first_name":"Kang-Won","last_name":"Lee","position":"Professor","institution_name":"University of Rhode Island","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"It was relatively complete.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"Since each chapter was written by corresponding author, content was relatively accurate.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Although the content appears to be up-to-date, sustainability needs to be updated as time goes.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The text was relatively clear.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"Since the book was written by several authors, it was not totally consistent but relatively consistent. ","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The text was easily and readily divisible into smaller reading sections because each chapter was written by different authors.","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"Each chapters are relatively presented in a logical, clear fashion.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"There was a little interface issue because each chapter was written by different authors.  ","grammatical_rating":4,"grammatical_review":"The text contains relatively no grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is not culturally insensitive or offensive in any way.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"Over all a good introductory open book.","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1692,"first_name":"Sujata","last_name":"Bhatia","position":"Professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering","institution_name":"University of Delaware","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book provides a comprehensive introduction to sustainability that incorporates engineering, economics, history, and ethics, and it will be of interest to students in all of these fields.  Each chapter has an effective glossary.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content is written by experts in the field and is accurate.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The book has longevity in terms of its descriptions of quantitative models for environmental impact, economics, and externalities; these models will remain relevant.  The book will likely need to be updated regularly for new developments in energy policy as well as new data on climate change, as well as new case studies.  However, the text is arranged in such a way that updates can be straightforward.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The book is written in a clear manner that is engaging and easy to read.  The book is interesting and provides definitions and background for new concepts.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The book is relatively consistent.  Some chapters use a more quantitative approach while others use a more descriptive approach.  It would be great to see quantitative data and/or models throughout the book rather than in just a few chapters.  Some chapters use case studies whereas others do not; it would be great to have case studies throughout the book.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The book is highly modular.  An instructor can choose which chapters or subchapters are relevant for the course, and can easily select these sections for reading and distribution to students.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"This is a well organized book and the chapter titles are appropriate.  The writing flows well together.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I very much enjoyed the textbook interface.  Rather than being presented as one long PDF, it is presented as a clickable table of contents which can be maximized or minimized.  If a chapter or subchapter is of interest, it can be read online in HTML format or downloaded as a PDF for distribution to students.  The images and charts are all clear.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There are no grammatical or spelling errors that this reviewer detected.  The book is very well written.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"There is no more relevant issue of our time than sustainability and climate change.  The book is relevant to all cultures and inclusive of the concerns of all.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"Overall this is an excellent book and a useful resource.  I will certainly make use of this book in my classes on Grand Challenges for Engineering, as well as my classes on innovation.","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":1857,"first_name":"George","last_name":"Loumakis","position":"Lecturer","institution_name":"Glasgow Caledonian University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This is a very rich book that tackles the many aspects of sustainability. Everything is written in an easy to understand language and the inclusion of some case studies (for example Chicago's climate action plan) makes things more relatable. Chapter summaries and glossaries are also very well thought out and overall make for an interesting read. ","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I find the content very accurate, at least for the parts that i am involved in. I cannot comment on US environmental policy for example but given the quality of my topics, i would assume that the whole book follows the same level of accuracy.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The content is fairly recent, but in a rapidly changing field such as energy, references from 2010 (specifically talking about chapter 10 might become a bit more irrelevant. Having said that, for an introductory book it is more than adequate. ","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Going hand in hand with the comprehensiveness of this book, clarity is also a high point. Language is appropriate for the undergraduate level that is is intended and there is enough here to make students want to know more.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Nothing to mention here, everything is consistent and explanation is given beforehand for units used - Celsius instead of Fahrenheit is one example that comes to mind.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I feel that almost every part of the book can be read separately, hence the modularity is excellent. This is also helped by the well integrated reader provided by openstax cnx","organization_rating":4,"organization_review":"The topic of sustainability is very vast hence a good flow is needed. This books succeeds mostly in that aspect although there is some room for improvement. A specific example that comes into mind is the chapter about US environmental policy, which although well written - given my comments on the accuracy of the content- could fit better at the end of the book.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"No comments on this, as all links seem to work perfectly and i didn't come across any issues  regarding display etc. ","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Grammar is on point, no comments here.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"Although the book treats sustainability on a global scale, there is a greater focus on the US market/approach. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"I felt that the sustainable energy systems chapter could be a bit longer with perhaps more relevant case studies. The case study regarding a net zero energy home (13.7) might be better suited in the above chapter as well and could be a bit more thorough. But other than that, the book is a very good read and introduces the concept of sustainability very well to undergraduate students. I also feel that it can cater to technical and non technical courses alike.","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"},{"id":2748,"first_name":"Kathryn","last_name":"Roberts","position":"Substitute Lecturer","institution_name":"New York City College of Technology","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"In my opinion, this book does a great job in providing a thorough framework for the topic of sustainability. In discussing the subject with my students, I’ve realized that they often have an extremely narrow understanding of what that term encompasses. The holistic view taken by the authors in explaining sustainability make this book a great starting point for students who are new to the topic.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"The content appears to be accurate.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Very relevant, but as other reviewers have pointed out, the technology around sustainability is moving swiftly. This will need semi-regular revisions if it is to remain up-to-date.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The authors make each of the topics extremely clear and accessible, even for students who are new to sustainability.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text is consistent throughout.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"Very easy to separate into sections. As my students would likely only be engaging with specific chapters of this book, this feature is critical to my choosing to include it as a supplemental text.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Well organized with a clear logical flow.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"I found the interface very easy to navigate.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"No grammatical errors found.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"My only real complaint is that I wish that this had more of a global perspective. The coverage of sustainability in the U.S. is thorough, but it would be helpful to supplement with information about how this topic is being approached by other countries. ","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"This is a great resource.","created_at":"2019-04-08T14:19:48.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-04-08T14:19:48.000-05:00"},{"id":3092,"first_name":"Margaret","last_name":"du Bray","position":"Assistant Professor","institution_name":"Augustana College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"This critique goes to both comprehensiveness and organization (see below). I think there is slightly more from the \"human dimensions\" of sustainability presented in this text, and while I am a social scientist by training, I am teaching an ecological dimensions course, and as a result, I had hoped to have a much more substantial and comprehensive perspective on sustainability from the natural sciences represented in this text. There are basics in ecosystem services and function that I think are missing, and that need more explanation, particularly for students who are not strong in the natural sciences of sustainability. ","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The content is unbiased, and presents students with accurate information about a range of topics in sustainability.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The content of this book reflects both historic as well as current data, which is very important in sustainability (and most disciplines). The ability to understand, for example, how our understanding of climate change has improved over time is very helpful.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The text is well-written, but there are times where terms are not adequately explained and defined, and more importantly, there are places where the language may be slightly too advanced for and introductory course. This happens relatively rarely, but when it does happen, it's certainly noticeable. ","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"As with my comment about clarity, I think there are times when it is clear that multiple authors contributed to the writing of this book. Overall, it is very consistent, and authors did a good job using language consistent with each other, and consistent with the overall goals and tone of the text. There are some times, however, where it does seem very obvious that a different author has taken over the writing.","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"Perhaps one of the most frustrating pieces of this books is the tremendous difference in chapter length. Some chapters are incredibly long, and some are quite short. While one might expect that the Introductory chapter, for example, might be shorter, one would expect the other chapters to be of a similar length, which is not the case here. It makes it more difficult when figuring out how to assign crucial sections for the length to be variable (on the order of 20 pages!).","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"From my perspective, and the way I like to structure my Introductory course, the organization of this book doesn't necessarily make sense. There are separate chapters on the \"human\" and \"ecological\" dimensions of sustainability, which could work fine, but the separation of them doesn't necessarily follow a reasonable order. For a \"comprehensive foundation,\" it seems that the human and ecological dimensions should either be completely split out, or more properly integrated.\r\n\r\nI also feel that the organization often differs between chapters, and even between sections. Some sections are very good at presenting additional references, or providing discussion questions, but others are not. From an internal consistency perspective, this seemed odd.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The book is well-formatted, and is easy to follow along.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The book's grammar is consistent and easy to understand. I found very few issues.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"This book seems to primarily focus on sustainability issues in the U.S. While this is not necessarily a flaw, I do find it disappointing that it doesn't provide insight into how, for example, colonization and globalization are profoundly effecting the sustainability outcomes of other countries. I do think students often relate best to understanding sustainability issues from the U.S., but to not dedicate more time to global sustainability surprised me.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"I really wanted to be able to use this whole book for my course, but ultimately found that it is not a good fit for a class that focuses on the ecological dimensions, or natural science dimensions, of sustainability. It may work very well for course that is designed more around the social dimensions of sustainability, as it does provide a much more comprehensive foundation of those topics. Additionally, the ecological dimensions it *does* cover creates good scaffolding for the social dimensions; it's just not comprehensive enough for the class I had hoped to use it for.","created_at":"2019-07-15T16:35:52.000-05:00","updated_at":"2019-07-15T16:35:52.000-05:00"},{"id":3310,"first_name":"Jane","last_name":"Rice","position":"Teaching Specialist","institution_name":"Michigan State University","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"There are many impressive qualities of this text in terms of its comprehensiveness (discussed below).  However, I have one over-riding suggestion that I think would greatly increase the impact of this text on college students.  My suggestion has to do with inverting the order in which information is presented within each section in each chapter.  Sustainability is so important to human civilization that I think a journalistic approach (headline news first) rather than a scientific approach (methods and results followed by conclusion) would help students focus on the big idea.  For example, the big idea of Section 3.4 is that even when technology improves our efficiency at using resources we just end up consuming more of those goods or services.  It is not until the very end of this section that we learn “in a world of finite resources such consumption patterns cannot continue indefinitely.”  By the time a college student gets to that sentence, it has no more power than the preceding sentences.  Imagine instead a chapter section that began with the startling fact that our consumption patterns can’t continue because our resources are finite.  This “headline news” approach is actually what engages most people in reading a news article.  It’s especially fitting for college students who get so much of their knowledge of the world through social media.\r\nNow on to other points.  As the editors point out, the text can used for a broad introductory course on sustainability or as a supplement to specific disciplinary courses needing a sustainability lens.  There are 11 content chapters, yet these are not chapters in a traditional textbook sense.  The chapters consist of well-sequenced, interesting, and relevant sections, usually between four and eight sections per chapter.  However, sections are often only 4-5 paragraphs long (about 800-1000 words) and so are much shorter than a section in a traditional textbook.  Thus, while the topics covered in this text are comprehensive, their exploration is relatively short.  For the most part, though, the individual chapter authors have done an excellent job in distilling their topics down to the most essential core ideas.  However, the brevity of these sections does lead to a lack of students being able to practice using concepts as illustrated in multiple examples.  Conceivably, students could believe themselves to be proficient in understanding concepts without any evidence of doing so by using that knowledge in applied problems.\r\n\r\nThis minimalist approach is which students learn by reading but not doing is mirrored in the objectives and review questions of most, but not all, chapters (see Section 3.6 for a good example of review questions that address the big ideas of the section.) Many chapter objectives are for students to learn or understand.  Neither of these verbs imply that students will do something with the knowledge gained in the chapter.  Best practices in the assessment of learning involve performance expectations in which students will be able to apply knowledge, whether in making predictions, solving problems, or designing new solutions.  All of the chapters could easily have deeper-level objectives (think Bloom’s taxonomy) that are assessed through application-type review questions \r\n\r\nSection 4.5 on Public Health and Sustainability focuses mostly on the impacts of global warming, but it never explains the causal connection of burning fuels to global warming.  Perhaps this section would fit better in the following section (Climate and Global Change)\r\n","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"Almost without exception, the text is accurate and complete.  This is no easy feat for a text that covers such a wide range of topics in an equally wide range of disciplines.  For the most part, even the choice of language used to convey concepts accurately is well done.  The authors seemed to have taken care to phrase their thoughts in such a way that it's hard to quibble with their word choices.  This is actually very important because it allows the reader to focus on the main point being communicated.\r\n\r\nOne section, however, does contain an error that is definitely worth fixing, not just for the sake of clarity but for an accurate understanding of a foundational core idea.  Section 5.4 - Modern Climate Change - contains an error in this sentence.  “There are two primary mechanisms for sequestering carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere: it can be captured by the respiration of plants, or dissolved in the ocean.”  The underlined phrase should read “captured by the photosynthesis of plants”.  While the mistake here may have just been a word error, it does bring to light a misconception that many people, including scientists, have.  Respiration is merely the burning (or combustion) of food molecules (mainly, sugar) inside all cells of living things.  As is true with the burning of any fuel, the fuel molecule and oxygen molecules change into carbon dioxide and water molecules.  Thus, respiration of plants adds carbon dioxide to the air.  The sequestering of carbon dioxide in plants occurs when leaf cells take in carbon dioxide from the air and water from the soil and change these substances (using light energy from the sun) into sugar molecules with a lot of stored chemical energy (thus making sugar a fuel) and oxygen molecules.","relevance_rating":3,"relevance_review":"There can hardly be a topic more relevant to college students than the future livability of the planet.  Thus, the topic necessarily lends relevance to the writing of each chapter.  However, it is difficult to rate this text high in relevance because the authors and editors have missed an incredible opportunity to make their topic relevant to the day-to-day decision-making of college students.  Almost every topic relates to a person's daily activities, yet reading this text for the most part only lends itself to knowledge, not to doing something with that knowledge.  For example, the chapter on Climate and Global Change explains climate processes and cycles as well as modern climate change and climate projections.  Even though the topic is complex and can appear to be overwhelmingly complicated to students, the explanation is clear, simple, and compelling.  Yet, by the end of the chapter, I didn't feel a deep concern about the impacts of climate change nor did have a sense of urgency that I need to do things differently.  I know this is a college textbook and many authors may feel the need to constrain themselves to the usual ways of communicating with students. Yet these are not usual times.  As Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenage leader of the global climate change strikes, says, \"Our house is on fire.\"  It doesn't seem prudent to me that we spend our time not loudly advocating personal and societal change for a sustainable future.\r\n\r\n","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"Even though the text has multiple authors contributing various chapters, the text as a whole reads with remarkable clarity.  For the most part, the authors did an impressive job in communicating concepts clearly and in simple terms.  Simplicity is important in a text such as this because it allows the reader to build a conceptual understanding without getting lost in terminology or quantitative manipulations.  The one exception to this clarity of communication is Section 9.5 on Risk Assessment.  Perhaps there is no other way to communicate the basic concepts of risk assessment, but I fear most students will not gain a conceptual understanding of this concept from reading this section.  Some other sections are dense, but not because of the writing.  Rather, the concepts are complex and take careful thought to follow.  Yet, even here, the authors carefully walk the reader through a step-by-step development of understanding.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The editors warn in the preface that the text is not a “self-consistent set of ideas”.  Yet, this does not seem to pose a problem, even for a person who reads the text from the beginning straight through to the end.  Each author is very careful to document the evidence for statements made.  Additionally, several authors present evidence and reasoning for two sides of an argument.  Any inconsistency in the text is actually a reflection of the real world in which we live and the limits of human knowledge in trying to unravel complex issues such as climate change and economic development.  Much better to present this accurate portrayal of the changing environment in which we live than to present a falsely secure picture.  Only with accurate information and knowledge of the limits of our certainty can students be empowered to make well-informed decisions about actions that affect the environment.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The chapter-and-section organization of the text lends itself very easily to using selected modules for instruction.  Sections are so short that the use of sub-headings is not even needed.  A section only takes a few minutes to read and, for the most part, not much more time to comprehend to the level set by the chapter objectives.  While content chapters occasionally refer to previous chapters in the text, embedded links direct the reader to the exact location of a clear, simple explanation of the concept referenced.  Since chapters and sections are really quite short, it would be essential for an instructor to fully flesh-out the ideas covered in a chapter with the use of examples, application questions, and integrated assessments.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Following a brief forward and preface there are 11 content chapters, each of which is sub-divided into sections.  The sequence of chapters follows a logical, orderly progression of concepts, generally using science concepts for a broad foundation for understanding economic, social, and political issues.  The glossary is user-friendly, both in terms of embedded links, but also for its simplicity of definitions.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"There are no interface issues other than navigation problems with external links.  For example, these external links no longer work:\r\n\r\nSection 4.2 Emerson’s Nature essay\r\nSection 4.3 Hull House\r\nSection 4.3 Chlorination\r\nSection 4.3 National Environmental Policy Act (link works, but isn’t specifically relevant to the text \r\nSection 4.5 National Resource Defense Council\r\nSection 5.4 The Cryosphere Today \r\n\r\nIn Section 3.4 there seems to be an important word (rebound) missing in the glossary.  This causes a problem in that the word “overconsumption” is linked to its glossary definition, but the word “rebound” is not in the glossary.  It’s not clear to the reader what the difference is between “increased consumption” (rebound) and “overconsumption”.\r\n","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"There are no grammatical errors that I found other than one.  Section 3.4 contains this text which seems to be a mishmash of two sentences.  “Whether or not gains in eco-efficiency yield genuine savings in resources and lower environmental impacts depends on how much, over time, society consumes of a given product or service (i.e. the relative efficiency gain, Δee) must outpace the quantity of goods and services delivered ΔQQ.”","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"I didn't come across any culturally insensitive or offensive comments in any of the text's chapters.  On the other hand, I didn't find very many examples of inclusion of diverse cultural viewpoints or practices.  For example, there is a reference to per capita carbon footprint in different countries; yet there is no discussion of the different lifestyle choices that lead to vastly different impacts on the environment.  Even an easy comparison between the U.S. and the U.K. or the Netherlands (two countries with similar lifestyles in similar climates) would show that there are cultural differences in daily decision-making that leads to the U.S. having twice the per capita carbon footprint.  This, of course, is just the beginning of including cultural differences.  There is so much that could be gained by an exploration of the ways of life of people from vastly different cultures, races, ethnicities, and backgrounds.","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"Well done! Definitely a text worth continual quality improvement.","created_at":"2019-11-22T19:29:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2019-11-22T19:29:00.000-06:00"},{"id":4077,"first_name":"April Ann","last_name":"Fong","position":"Biology and Environmental Studies Instructor","institution_name":"Portland Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":4,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book is fairly light on much of the science science side of sustainability. The book could have more on agriculture, disease (wow even more relevant now), population dynamics, forestry, fisheries, conservation, and climate change (updates).","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"I have not encountered any errors, biases, or inaccuracies.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The content could use updating regarding food systems, disease, climate change, and some other recent topics (even systemic racism), but the text provides a good basis for discussion and bringing in these topics to delve further.","clarity_rating":4,"clarity_review":"The writing is a tad wordy, but clear enough. The author uses vague nouns (it, this, there) often, so sometimes clarity is lost and overuses concluding terms, such as hence, therefore, and thus. The terminology is explained, but often could use more examples, especially recent examples.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Yes, the terminology and framework is consistent throughout this text.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"I like the chapter divisions and the subdivisions within chapters. Each chapter stands alone pretty well. I have typically used 4-5 chapters in a one quarter term and jumping from chapter to chapter has not caused comprehension confusion for my students.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The organization is different from my logic, but I do like ending with sustainable infrastructure. For me having the economics and policy together would make more sense. Two science chapters are together, but I would put the action chapters (problem solving and metrics and sustainable infrastructure) together. The history chapter seems out of place to me and could be placed earlier in the text.","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"Many of the graphs are very difficult to figure out, such as Figure 11.18 and many are blurry. One of my frustrations was trying to find OER figures and graphs to fill in some of these gaps. Many of the photographs seem irrelevant (cherry blossoms are pretty, but not so necessary and a CFL?), yet the photos are very clear compared to the mostly pixelated figures and graphs.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"I did not find grammatical errors.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"The text largely ignores systemic racism and environmental justice, which are very important parts of triple bottom line that continue to be ignored. The richer countries are compared to less economically developed countries, but even those comparisons could be improved.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"This textbook has nice questions embedded into each chapter to help guide students learning. With such a long textbook, the table of contents could use hyperlinking to each chapter. The online text includes the forward and preface as numbered chapters, which caused problems for my students accessing the text with their phones, using the chapter numbers only (not matching the assigned chapter titles) to guide their reading. The online text and downloaded pdfs should match seamlessly.","created_at":"2020-06-24T21:28:40.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-06-24T21:28:40.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/sustainability-a-comprehensive-foundation","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:26:57.000-06:00"},{"id":138,"title":"The Adventure of Physics - Vol. I: Fall, Flow, and Heat","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":1990,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"This book is written for anybody who is curious about nature and motion. Curiosity about how people, animals, things, images and space move leads to many adventures. This volume presents the best of them in the domain of everyday life. Carefully observing everyday motion allows us to deduce six essential statements: everyday motion is continuous, conserved, relative, reversible, mirror-invariant – and lazy. Yes, nature is indeed lazy: in every motion, it minimizes change. This text explores how these six results are deduced and how they fit with all those observations that seem to contradict them. In the structure of modern physics, shown in Figure 1, the results on everyday motion form the major part of the starting point at the bottom. The present volume is the first of a six-volume overview of physics. It resulted from a threefold aim I have pursued since 1990: to present motion in a way that is simple, up to date and captivating. In order to be simple, the text focuses on concepts, while keeping mathematics to the necessary minimum. Understanding the concepts of physics is given precedence over using formulae in calculations. The whole text is within the reach of an undergraduate. In order to be up to date, the text is enriched by the many gems – both theoretical and empirical – that are scattered throughout the scientific literature. In order to be captivating, the text tries to startle the reader as much as possible. Read- ing a book on general physics should be like going to a magic show. We watch, we are astonished, we do not believe our eyes, we think, and finally we understand the trick. When we look at nature, we often have the same experience. Indeed, every page presents at least one surprise or provocation for the reader to think about. Numerous interesting challenges are proposed. The motto of the text, die Menschen stärken, die Sachen klären, a famous statement by Hartmut von Hentig on pedagogy, translates as: ‘To fortify people, to clarify things.' Clarifying things – and adhering only to the truth – requires courage, as changing the habits of thought produces fear, often hidden by anger. But by overcoming our fears we grow in strength. And we experience intense and beautiful emotions. All great adventures in life allow this, and exploring motion is one of them. Enjoy it!","contributors":[{"id":3795,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Christoph","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Schiller","location":null,"background_text":"Christoph Schiller, born in 1960, is European. Raised in Varese, he studied physics at the Universität Stuttgart and received his Ph.D. in physics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, in the department of Ilya Prigogine. Christoph Schiller is an innovation manager. He is convinced that exploring and applying physics can provide as much pleasure as anything else in life - and he explains why in the present text. He started the Motion Mountain Textbook project in Yokohama in 1990, wrote most of the text in Eindhoven and is finishing it during his business trips."}],"subjects":[{"id":39,"name":"Physics","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QC21.3","visible_textbooks_count":47,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/physics"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":10,"url":"http://www.motionmountain.net/index.html","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:36.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-26T13:11:53.000-05:00","name":"Motion Mountain"}],"formats":[{"id":19,"type":"PDF","url":"https://www.motionmountain.net/classical.html","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":21,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"http://www.lulu.com/shop/christoph-schiller/motion-mountain-the-adventure-of-physics-vol-1-fall-flow-and-heat/paperback/product-20504232.html","price":{"cents":2557,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"3.5","textbook_reviews_count":3,"reviews":[{"id":93,"first_name":"J Woods","last_name":"Halley","position":"Professor","institution_name":"University of Minnesota","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book covers a lot of ground, some of which is not standard fare in an undergraduate physics curriculum. However the treatment is extremely uneven both in quality of presentation and in mathematical level. Thus in one respect the book attempts to be unusually comprehensive, but it quite often ends by being superficial and idiosycratic in its choices of subject matter.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"In most cases, Schiller has the physics right, though I detected a few places in which I found some incorrect statements. You cannot, for example, learn anything about atoms from critical opalescence, which is a long wave length phenomenon. More commonly, there are statements which are not exactly wrong but which would be very confusing to students because of the idiosycratic choice of definitions. For example, Schiller insists on a nonconventional use of the word \"heat\". Elsewhere he describes force as \"momentum flow\". One can redefine / the words to make sense of this but it is a very bad thing to do because the words \"momentum flow\" are better and more conventionally associated with the stress tensor in the equation describing local momentum current conservation. The discussion of entropy (Chapter 13) is also quite idiosycratic and the statement that entropy cannot be defined for systems far from equilibrium is wrong.","relevance_rating":2,"relevance_review":"A lot of current research topics are discussed, and most of the statements about them are correct as far as I know. However it will be utterly impossible for most students to learn anything substantive about those topics from the treatment here. It is quite evident that the author has little or no teaching experience at least before audiences characteristic of American public universities. It is absurd to expect most undergraduate students to absorb the meaning of cross products, integrals, groups and group theory and the calculus of variations in one paragraph descriptions.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"For reasons I've articulated above, this book will be impossible for most undergraduates, including physics majors, to fully understand. I did find it stimulating to read., Schiller is clearly quite smart and the exercises are often challenging and instructive. However there is hardly any attempt to actually TEACH anything in this book and almost no thought has been given to pace, illustrative exercises to make new concepts understandable or even to ordering of the mathematics so that the 'explanations' come before the use of the mathematics. Integrals, for example, appear long before they are even defined.","consistency_rating":1,"consistency_review":"It depends a little on how one defines the word 'consistency' but I'm afraid I would say 'terrible'. The writing veers from very elementary to postdoctoral advanced level from page to page. Thematically, there is a kind of consistency, but even that is violated toward the end of this volume, when the author chooses to throw in chapter 14 on chaos and self orgainization which has nothing to do with his theme. That chapter is in any case useless except as a list of topics and references.","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"Some of the chapters could stand alone, in a sense, but that is largely because they are not really explaining the concepts, which would require thorough knowledge of what came before, but because they are basically just listing results, peppered with dashes of half-baked and very arrogantly asserted philosopy.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The book does follow a certain logic, as I indicated above, though it is violated in some chapters toward the end.","interface_rating":4,"interface_review":"The interface is ok. It was easy to find the solutions to the exercises after I did (or sometimes just attempted) them, though it would be good to be able to get back to the text more easily after going to a reference.","grammatical_rating":2,"grammatical_review":"Grammar is fine, if a bit Germanic in places. Maybe this is the place to comment on the multitude of quotations in German, French, Greek, Italian and Latin. What, exactly, is the point of including them in an undergraduate physics text? It lends a certain pretension and I was sometimes intrigued or amused by them, but the vast majority of undergraduates will just be put off and annoyed by them and they rarely contribute much to the conceptual flow. In fact, many of them contain wrong physics, as in most cases Schiller is aware, and he apparently thinks it a good pedagogical technique to challenge the reader to find the errors. I can assure him that the technique would fall utterly flat, or would engender rage, in 99% of the thousands of undergraduates I have taught.","cultural_rating":2,"cultural_review":"No there is no evidence racial prejudice. But the book is often offensive because of the aggressive way in which the author pushes his views concerning interpretations of physics. For example he scornfully dismisses views of the nature of time held by leading physicists. This whole question of the nature of time is contentious, essentially metaphysical and does not need extensive discussion in an undergraduate physics text. If it is broached at all, it should be in a more evenhanded way. There are many such examples. but to mention one more, the author misinterprets what physicists who use the term 'emergence' mean and then scornfully dismisses those individuals, inaccurately attributing ideological positions to them.","overall_rating":5,"overall_review":"Schiller appears to be very intelligent and he has some interesting and rather unconventional perspectives on physics. The biographical information indicates that he is not a professional teacher, but a business man with a strong interest in physics. That is very evident in the pedagogical failures of this book, which vastly misjudges the amount of repetition and practise that practically all students need in order to master the mathematical and physical concepts swiftly presented here. I have mentioned that I could not use this book with undergraduates, but I don't think it would work with most graduate students either. In fact I wonder if it was written to be used as a teaching tool at all. The author seems more to be using the exercise of writing it as a way of organising his own thoughts, which are often interesting and provocative, though expressed in an annoyingly arrogant way.","created_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2014-07-15T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":620,"first_name":"Aaron","last_name":"Coyner","position":"Adjunct Professor","institution_name":"Southwestern Oregon Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":3,"comprehensiveness_review":"Schiller deserves some credit for attempting to address as many topics as he does in this volume alone. Many of the topics are suitable for an upper division course in physics. However, in attempting to be comprehensive, the depth of coverage varies from topic to topic, making it very difficult to recommend a particular level of course for the book. Upper division students may find some topics covered superficially for their needs; however, lower division students may struggle to get a firm grasp of early discussions of time and motion without being overwhelmed. I commend Schiller for his discussions of practical examples where applicable as practical use of physical principles is something that incoming physics students typically request.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"The physics presented is largely accurate. There are issues of interpretation of a number of concepts and phrases. The discussion of entropy is while mostly accurate somewhat cloudy to wade through because of the nature of the presentation and the emphasized components. The discussion of force as a momentum flow is understandable conceptually but from the perspective of an undergraduate text is a deviation from standard terminology. The discussion of the nature of time is still in some respects a philosophical debate. Schiller’s presentation however, seems a bit heavy handed and certain that his perspective is the correct one and seems to lecture any readers with opposing views.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"Schiller includes references to many ongoing current research topics and physical applications. To the best of my knowledge the statements made about these topics are true. Many of them are just passing mentions, limited on detail or insight, but it is worth noting the variety of new research included.","clarity_rating":2,"clarity_review":"Schiller’s text ranges wildly from very dense and at times very philosophical in nature to at times very superficial. The text and the mathematical levels vary with topic making it a very difficult for incoming undergraduates to get a foot hold in the subject matter. I appreciate that Schiller offers challenge questions to make the reader think about the topics as progress is made. However, I believe student would have liked to have seen some of the problems worked out as math examples in the text. Yes, the solutions and hints are in the back, but letting students see the equations and methods at work is often beneficial. I would like to make a side note that the inclusion of seemingly random quotes from random sources serve more to distract from than augment the text. Some aspects of this book seem more like a collection of facts and interpretations of physics without a real intent to teach.","consistency_rating":2,"consistency_review":"I have discussed the variation in tone and mathematical depth in other sections, but that does drop the level of the consistency score. Within the book the terminology is self-consistent although some term choices are not used in their typical sense. The overall structure is thematically consistent even if the individual pieces may vary widely.","modularity_rating":1,"modularity_review":"I am afraid to say the way the book reads and is structured is not really conducive to modularity. Some of the chapters are independent while others are structurally woven into a Schiller’s philosophy which requires the rest of the book to make heads or tails.","organization_rating":3,"organization_review":"The book does follow a non-traditional pattern of physics instruction but there is a perceivable flow to the text.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The images, figures and equations all appear in the text undistorted. Navigation through the book is straightforward.","grammatical_rating":3,"grammatical_review":"No major grammatical errors. Text contains some phrasing that while grammatically correct may confuse the students and distract a bit from the overall point Schiller is addressing.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"No detectable cultural insensitivity. Examples are drawn from multiple countries mostly across Europe. Schiller does not provide many examples and practice problems with people or names unless he is referring to specific experiments or findings.","overall_rating":6,"overall_review":null,"created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":4110,"first_name":"Dipti","last_name":"Sharma","position":"Contract/Adjunct Professor of Physics","institution_name":"Bunker Hill Community College","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"This book is a book of series and in the 1st part of the book, everything those need to be in Physics I book is explained related to motion and examples of motion from real world.  It is good comprehensive book on Physics I.","accuracy_rating":5,"accuracy_review":"This book is used good grammar and English and has no errors in writing and typing. It is written with good accuracy from the start to the end.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"This textbook covers all topics of a usual Physics I book starting from measurement to the oscillations and fluids. The unique thing in this book is every chapter is related to the name of \"Motion\" and same as this title, every chapter describes concepts of Physics in the same way. Every chapter and topic is completely relevant to the chapters and topics usually taught in Physics I with good examples from real world.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"The text in the book is written in clear language of English and in good grammar although it also uses some quotes in different language which increases beauty of the book if reader can understand it.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"The text written in the book is completely consistent to the subject matter and to the real world applications. They follow the topic and concepts of Physics described in each chapter. They also follow the trend and flow of the subject matter as usually mentioned and described in General Physics I textbooks.","modularity_rating":5,"modularity_review":"The modularity of the textbook is fine. Contents of the chapters are written precisely with good explanation in small parts with images, pictures, diagrams, figures, data table, examples and easily understandable by reader of all levels.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"Organization of each chapter, chapter material, concepts are written in good order following with equations and numbering them.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Yes, the text is free of significant interface issues, including navigation problems, distortion of images/charts, and any other display features that may distract or confuse the reader.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"The textbook is written with good grammar without any errors.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"The text is culturally insensitive.","overall_rating":10,"overall_review":"This book is a good textbook in Physics to teach or use it in teaching of Physics I courses without calculus where instructor need to focus more examples related to motions and also show a good connection of concepts of Physics to the real world application on Earth and in space. This is textbook is good for anybody who is curious about motion in nature. How do things, people, animals, images and empty space move? The answer leads o many adventures; this volume presents the best ones about everyday motion.","created_at":"2020-06-27T22:43:14.000-05:00","updated_at":"2020-06-27T22:43:14.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-adventure-of-physics-vol-i-fall-flow-and-heat","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:01:23.000-06:00"},{"id":155,"title":"The Adventure of Physics - Vol. II: Relativity","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":1990,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"This book is written for anybody who is curious about nature and motion. Curiosity about how people, animals, things, images and empty space move leads to many adven- tures. This volume presents the best of them in the domains of relativity and cosmology. In the study of motion – physics – special and general relativity form two important building blocks. Special relativity is the exploration of the energy speed limit c. General relativity is the exploration of the force limit c4/4G. The text shows that in both domains, all equations follow from these two limit values. This simple, intuitive and unusual way of learning relativity should reward the curiosity of every reader – whether student or professional. The present volume is the second of a six-volume overview of physics that arose from a threefold aim that I have pursued since 1990: to present motion in a way that is simple, up to date and captivating. In order to be simple, the text focuses on concepts, while keeping mathematics to the necessary minimum. Understanding the concepts of physics is given precedence over using formulae in calculations. The whole text is within the reach of an undergraduate. In order to be up to date, the text is enriched by the many gems – both theoretical and empirical – that are scattered throughout the scientific literature. In order to be captivating, the text tries to startle the reader as much as possible. Read- ing a book on general physics should be like going to a magic show. We watch, we are astonished, we do not believe our eyes, we think, and finally we understand the trick. When we look at nature, we often have the same experience. Indeed, every page presents at least one surprise or provocation for the reader to think about. Numerous interesting challenges are proposed. The motto of the text, die Menschen stärken, die Sachen klären, a famous statement by Hartmut von Hentig on pedagogy, translates as: ‘To fortify people, to clarify things.' Clar- ifying things – and adhering only to the truth – requires courage, as changing the habits of thought produces fear, often hidden by anger. But by overcoming our fears we grow in strength. And we experience intense and beautiful emotions. All great adventures in life allow this, and exploring motion is one of them. Enjoy it!","contributors":[{"id":3796,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Christoph","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Schiller","location":null,"background_text":"Christoph Schiller, born in 1960, is European. Raised in Varese, he studied physics at the Universität Stuttgart and received his Ph.D. in physics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, in the department of Ilya Prigogine. Christoph Schiller is an innovation manager. He is convinced that exploring and applying physics can provide as much pleasure as anything else in life - and he explains why in the present text. He started the Motion Mountain Textbook project in Yokohama in 1990, wrote most of the text in Eindhoven and is finishing it during his business trips."}],"subjects":[{"id":39,"name":"Physics","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QC21.3","visible_textbooks_count":47,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/physics"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":11,"url":"http://www.motionmountain.net/index.html","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:36.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-26T13:12:23.000-05:00","name":"Motion Mountain"}],"formats":[{"id":22,"type":"PDF","url":"https://www.motionmountain.net/#chocobot:~:text=Download%20the%20files%20separately%20here%3A","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":23,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"http://www.lulu.com/shop/christoph-schiller/motion-mountain-the-adventure-of-physics-vol-2-relativity/paperback/product-20504435.html","price":{"cents":2111,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4","textbook_reviews_count":2,"reviews":[{"id":195,"first_name":"Thomas","last_name":"Bolland","position":"lecturer","institution_name":"The Ohio State University","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"It covers special and general relativity with a detailed index.","accuracy_rating":3,"accuracy_review":"His treatment of general relativity centers around his view that there is a maximum force (in the same way that special relativity centers around there being a limiting speed) which he has published, but as far as I can tell this is not at all widely accepted by relativists.  For this reason I will rate the accuracy with a 3.","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"It is certainly up-to-date in that it reports very recent results.  The author's certainties are woven into the text in such a way that the book will be quite difficult to rewrite.  Thus it is hard to rate relevance/longevity; I'll give it a 4 because of the appearance of latest observations and measurements.","clarity_rating":5,"clarity_review":"It is clearly written, easy to read from a language standpoint; there are a few places where his English is non-native.","consistency_rating":5,"consistency_review":"Definitely consistent!","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"I do not think it is very modular.  Also it very frequently refers to other volumes in the series, as being needed for an understanding of the material in this volume.","organization_rating":2,"organization_review":"It does not lead in an understandable, step-by-step way, from ignorance to comprehension.  I think however that the author believes his treatment does do this.  I expect students would be frustrated.  If you already know relativity you can follow what he is saying.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"Very good!  The graphs, photographs etc. are excellent.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Impeccable.","cultural_rating":5,"cultural_review":"No offensivity of this kind.","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"This book cannot be used for teaching a course.  I may pick some stories, facts, or examples from it when I teach relativity but I cannot imagine a course for which this would be a text.  If you already know relativity it's quite a bit of fun to read and you *can* learn from it, but you need to have a sufficient base in the subject to avoid getting swept away by the author's views.","created_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00"},{"id":221,"first_name":"Michael","last_name":"Zudov","position":"Associate Professor","institution_name":"University of Minnesota","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":" The book covers a lot of material, well beyond what is usually found in a typical undergraduate text. However, as the preface states “This book is not written with exams in mind” and, to me, this implies that it is not suitable (or even intended) as the main textbook for the relativity course, at least in U.S. institutions. However, the book can be used as a supplementary text, as it covers many interesting aspects of relativity which are not usually found in a typical college text.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"I admit that I did not read the whole book, but what I have read seems to be accurate, with few exceptions.  Some of the discussions are somewhat ambiguous and can be confusing to the reader, see point 9 below.","relevance_rating":5,"relevance_review":"The material seems to be up to date and I do not see that its critical parts it will become obsolete any time soon. Any necessary updates can indeed be added at any point. ","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"For an undergraduate who knows nothing about relativity, the text might be difficult to follow at times, as the definitions are not always given before the term is used.  Figure captions are often not comprehensive and do not contain necessary description. I see a lot of room for improvement here and would prefer figure captions, which are self-contained so the reader does not have to search for the relevant part of the text just to understand what the figure is showing.  For example: “FIGURE 23: A space-time diagram for a moving object T seen from an inertial observer O” – But where is the observer O?  There are also some repetitions in the text which are not always necessary. Finally, I have noticed that some concepts are discussed in depth several times, but others, e.g. a space-time diagram, are not well explained.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"The text is fairly consistent in terms of terminology, however, I noticed that “ T” is used to denote both kinetic energy and temperature.","modularity_rating":3,"modularity_review":"Since the book is quite different from standard college texts, the modularity is somewhat special. Typical textbooks on special relativity usually have dedicated sections on topics like “Time dilation”, “Lorentz transformation”, etc.  While these and other concepts are indeed present in the book, they are not always easy to find using the “Contents” section.  ","organization_rating":2,"organization_review":"As mentioned above, sometimes the definitions are given after the term, e.g. “event”,  has been already used in the discussion. Again, this is not a typical textbook, but some readers might still have problems.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"The interface seems to be excellent and the text is easy to navigate. However, some hyperlinks point to other volumes in the series and I can see that some readers might find this a bit annoying. However, once other volumes are downloaded, everything works great.","grammatical_rating":3,"grammatical_review":"The text is definitely readable and understandable, but there are typos and ambiguities here and there, which can confuse the reader: on page 9: “intuitive and way of learning”; on page 74: “the energy difference is emitted as energy.”, on page 75: \"If the motion between two events is slower than the speed of light…”; on page 76: \"an body\", etc. Running a spell checker should have fixed most of these.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"I did not find the text culturally, racially, or sexually offensive, but it seems to show a bit of German character. ","overall_rating":8,"overall_review":"In summary, I have reservations using it as the main one but the book is very good as a supplementary text in the relativity course.  It will particularly be useful for students who want to learn a bit more about the relativity than the traditional textbook has to offer. In addition, the book should be useful for teachers looking to enrich their lectures as it offers quite a few interesting examples as well as historical facts.","created_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2015-06-10T19:00:00.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-adventure-of-physics-vol-ii-relativity","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:01:23.000-06:00"},{"id":156,"title":"The Adventure of Physics - Vol. III: Light, Charges, and Brains","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":1990,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"This book is written for anybody who is curious about nature and motion. Curiosity about how people, animals, things, images and space move leads to many adventures. This volume presents the adventures one encounters when exploring everything electric. The story ranges from the weighing of electric current to the use of magnetic fields to heal bone fractures and up to the understanding of the human brain. In the structure of physics, shown in Figure 1, motion due to electricity is the most fascinating aspect of the starting point at the bottom. Indeed, almost everything around us is due to electric processes. The present introduction to electricity, magnetism, light and the brain is the third of a six-volume overview of physics that arose from a threefold aim that I have pursued since 1990: to present motion in a way that is simple, up to date and captivating. In order to be simple, the text focuses on concepts, while keeping mathematics to the necessary minimum. Understanding the concepts of physics is given precedence over using formulae in calculations. The whole text is within the reach of an undergraduate. In order to be up to date, the text is enriched by the many gems – both theoretical and empirical – that are scattered throughout the scientific literature. In order to be captivating, the text tries to startle the reader as much as possible. Read- ing a book on general physics should be like going to a magic show. We watch, we are astonished, we do not believe our eyes, we think, and finally we understand the trick. When we look at nature, we often have the same experience. Indeed, every page presents at least one surprise or provocation for the reader to think about. Numerous interesting challenges are proposed. The motto of the text, die Menschen stärken, die Sachen klären, a famous statement by Hartmut von Hentig on pedagogy, translates as: ‘To fortify people, to clarify things.' Clar- ifying things – and adhering only to the truth – requires courage, as changing the habits of thought produces fear, often hidden by anger. But by overcoming our fears we grow in strength. And we experience intense and beautiful emotions. All great adventures in life allow this, and exploring motion is one of them. Enjoy it!","contributors":[{"id":3797,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Christoph","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Schiller","location":null,"background_text":"Christoph Schiller, born in 1960, is European. Raised in Varese, he studied physics at the Universität Stuttgart and received his Ph.D. in physics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, in the department of Ilya Prigogine. Christoph Schiller is an innovation manager. He is convinced that exploring and applying physics can provide as much pleasure as anything else in life - and he explains why in the present text. He started the Motion Mountain Textbook project in Yokohama in 1990, wrote most of the text in Eindhoven and is finishing it during his business trips."}],"subjects":[{"id":39,"name":"Physics","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QC21.3","visible_textbooks_count":47,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/physics"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":12,"url":"http://www.motionmountain.net/index.html","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:36.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-26T13:12:53.000-05:00","name":"Motion Mountain"}],"formats":[{"id":24,"type":"PDF","url":"https://www.motionmountain.net/#chocobot:~:text=Download%20the%20files%20separately%20here%3A","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":25,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"http://www.lulu.com/shop/christoph-schiller/motion-mountain-the-adventure-of-physics-vol-3-light-charges-and-brains/paperback/product-20504343.html","price":{"cents":2102,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"2","textbook_reviews_count":1,"reviews":[{"id":1698,"first_name":"Claudia","last_name":"Eberlein","position":"Professor of Theoretical Physics","institution_name":"University of Sussex","comprehensiveness_rating":1,"comprehensiveness_review":"The book touches upon very many interesting topics, but it does not go into depth on many of them. This is in itself need not be a problem, but in this case the absence of depth on most topics is combined with too much technical depth on others, making up a very confusing eclectic jumble. The whole book takes a very introductory approach that may initially seem suitable for beginning physics students and even interested students from other disciplines, but even the most dedicated student would get lost almost immediately in the rambling style supplemented with a few advanced concepts and mathematics that are scattered in without being accessible from the knowledge presented.","accuracy_rating":2,"accuracy_review":"The book is not inaccurate in the sense of there being individual facts of formulae wrong, apart from very few misprints, but it is totally wrong in its approach to its topics. It does not convey anywhere near an overview of the knowledge on a particular topic leaving the reader confused. There is also very little balance in topics that are in fact much more controversial than the text makes the reader believe, e.g. as regards ball lighting. Some of the more philosophical parts of the book draw conclusions that most scientists would call at best wonky but probably downright wrong.","relevance_rating":2,"relevance_review":"The book does not accurately reflect the current state of knowledge in the subject area and hence it does not make very much sense to discuss its longevity. Many of the illustrations and examples are very modern compared to other textbooks, but that does not make it any more valid. The many video clips included are impressive, though some of those are likely to date quickly both in content and in format.","clarity_rating":1,"clarity_review":"The lack of clarity in this book is not one of language but conceptual. The book puts together interesting morsels of knowledge without ever managing to weave it into a coherent whole. Short chunks of the text are suitable for various types of audience, but the book as a whole is largely inaccessible to anyone who does not already know the subject area very well.","consistency_rating":1,"consistency_review":"The book is totally inconsistent intellectually; it discusses topics in a very rambling style, but then may suddenly go into an explanation that anyone who has not already got in depth knowledge of the topic will not be able to follow. ","modularity_rating":2,"modularity_review":"It is difficult to comment on the modularity of the book since every part of it suffers from the same problems of consistency already explained. The reader will not be able to follow the text, but cross-referencing within the book is only a very minor problem compared to the much larger problem of a potential student having to learn whole subject areas elsewhere before even attempting to understand this book.","organization_rating":1,"organization_review":"The book rambles on rather then presents anything in an intellectually logical manner. ","interface_rating":3,"interface_review":"The book is nicely typeset, has mostly good pictures and graphs, and the included video clips are on the whole well made and interesting, though not always to the point. However, a significant issue for navigation is the intellectual jumble this book is in. Even though the book has chapter and section headings, these are very confusing and do not help the reader to find relevant information easily.","grammatical_rating":3,"grammatical_review":"The book appears to have been written by a native speaker of German, which shows but is not a major distraction. However, readers will probably find the many untranslated quotes annoying.","cultural_rating":3,"cultural_review":"Not applicable.","overall_rating":4,"overall_review":"This book could serve as an intellectual challenge and entertainment for experienced physicists, but it is totally unsuitable as a textbook. This is a shame considering the huge amount of effort that has gone into producing it.","created_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00","updated_at":"2018-02-01T18:00:00.000-06:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-adventure-of-physics-vol-iii-light-charges-and-brains","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:01:23.000-06:00"},{"id":157,"title":"The Adventure of Physics - Vol. IV: The Quantum of Change","edition_statement":null,"volume":null,"copyright_year":1990,"isbn10":null,"isbn13":null,"license":"Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs","language":"eng","accessibility_statement":null,"accessibility_features":["unknown"],"description":"This book is written for anybody who is curious about nature and motion. Have you ever asked: Why do people, animals, things, images and space move? The answer leads to many adventures; this volume presents those due to the discovery that there is a smallest change value in nature. This smallest change value, the quantum of action, leads to what is called quantum physics. In the structure of modern physics, quantum physics covers three points; this volume covers the introduction to the point in the lower right: the foundations of quantum theory. The present introduction to quantum physics arose from a threefold aim I have pursued since 1990: to present the basics of motion in a way that is simple, up to date and captivating. In order to be simple, the text focuses on concepts, while keeping mathematics to the necessary minimum. Understanding the concepts of physics is given precedence over using formulae in calculations. The whole text is within the reach of an undergraduate. In order to be up to date, the text is enriched by the many gems – both theoretical and empirical – that are scattered throughout the scientific literature. In order to be captivating, the text tries to startle the reader as much as possible. Read- ing a book on general physics should be like going to a magic show. We watch, we are astonished, we do not believe our eyes, we think, and finally we understand the trick. When we look at nature, we often have the same experience. Indeed, every page presents at least one surprise or provocation for the reader to think about. Numerous interesting challenges are proposed. The motto of the text, die Menschen stärken, die Sachen klären, a famous statement by Hartmut von Hentig on pedagogy, translates as: ‘To fortify people, to clarify things.' Clarifying things – and adhering only to the truth – requires courage, as changing the habits of thought produces fear, often hidden by anger. But by overcoming our fears we grow in strength. And we experience intense and beautiful emotions. All great adventures in life allow this, and exploring motion is one of them. Enjoy it!","contributors":[{"id":3794,"contribution":"Author","primary":true,"corporate":false,"title":null,"first_name":"Christoph","middle_name":null,"last_name":"Schiller","location":null,"background_text":"Christoph Schiller, born in 1960, is European. Raised in Varese, he studied physics at the Universität Stuttgart and received his Ph.D. in physics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles, in the department of Ilya Prigogine. Christoph Schiller is an innovation manager. He is convinced that exploring and applying physics can provide as much pleasure as anything else in life - and he explains why in the present text. He started the Motion Mountain Textbook project in Yokohama in 1990, wrote most of the text in Eindhoven and is finishing it during his business trips."}],"subjects":[{"id":39,"name":"Physics","parent_subject_id":8,"call_number":"QC21.3","visible_textbooks_count":47,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/physics"},{"id":8,"name":"Natural Sciences","parent_subject_id":null,"call_number":"QH301","visible_textbooks_count":252,"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences"}],"publishers":[{"id":14,"url":"http://www.motionmountain.net/index.html","year":null,"created_at":"2018-09-07T12:22:36.000-05:00","updated_at":"2018-09-26T13:11:23.000-05:00","name":"Motion Mountain"}],"formats":[{"id":28,"type":"PDF","url":"https://www.motionmountain.net/#chocobot:~:text=Download%20the%20files%20separately%20here%3A","price":{"cents":0,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null},{"id":30,"type":"Hardcopy","url":"http://www.lulu.com/shop/christoph-schiller/motion-mountain-the-adventure-of-physics-vol-4-the-quantum-of-change/paperback/product-20504332.html","price":{"cents":1645,"currency_iso":"USD"},"isbn":null}],"rating":"4.5","textbook_reviews_count":1,"reviews":[{"id":478,"first_name":"R. J.","last_name":"Wilkes","position":"Professor","institution_name":"University of Washington","comprehensiveness_rating":5,"comprehensiveness_review":"full disclosure: i only read the first 2 chapters, at which point i determined the book would not be useful for undergraduate classes. \nHowever, the table of contents for the multivolume series certainly covers all topics in commonly used textbooks, and more.","accuracy_rating":4,"accuracy_review":"The physics content is generally accurate, although in some places readers might be misled about the universal acceptance of some opinions presented as facts. The flat, black and white statements the author prefers do not let the reader know that many topics in QM are still works in progress. One example is the statement that the term \"quantization\" is obsolete - i believe we are still trying to \"quantize\" gravity although the task might better be described as \"attempts at unification\".","relevance_rating":4,"relevance_review":"The material covered is likely to be relevant for a long time, although some topics like quantum computing and entanglement are subjects of intense current work and may become obsolete. It would be good if the author could add warnings in such places, as opposed to parts like the discussion of \"uncertainty\" relations or \"wave-particle duality\" (btw, a term the author scorns but one that has been used so long its use will not stop) which are unlikely to be overturned or significantly revised within a decade.","clarity_rating":3,"clarity_review":"the text is very well written, but assumes readers much more sophisticated (in terms of vocabulary and tolerance for complexity) than contemporary undergraduates. I think the proper audience for this book  would be adult education students (for example OLLI course-takers, in the USA): people of considerable education and broad cultural knowledge who are interested in making the effort to learn something substantial of the \"quantum weirdness\" they have heard so much about in popular media.\nWithout reading the preceding volumes it is hard to determine if all terms used have been previously defined, but it is always good practice to locally repeat definitions of terms that are not commonplace and may have been defined far away within the text, such as dispersion relation, vector potential, etc.","consistency_rating":4,"consistency_review":"the style and terminology are both quite consistent. The author's style will certainly be taken as annoying or arrogant by many readers. the point of view is that of an all-knowing informant who is delighted to demonstrate how much more he knows than you. One might say that authors ought to be all-knowing, but Einstein and Feynman wrote books for public consumption that seemed much less \"superior\" in tone.\nthe level of depth and complexity fluctuates but that is not a problem in my opinion.","modularity_rating":4,"modularity_review":"The chapters are well defined and are nicely divided into sections.\nBTW, I could certainly see the value of taking chunks from this book as helpful supplementary readings for a class. Unfortunately the author chose the no-derivs version of cc, so snipping out useful bits is not allowed, much less the broader type of community editing that might transform this very personal opus into a practical textbook.","organization_rating":5,"organization_review":"The material is presented in a logical and well organized sequence.","interface_rating":5,"interface_review":"interface was fine; i prefer reading on paper so printed it out and this worked well.","grammatical_rating":5,"grammatical_review":"Grammar was excellent and very clear.","cultural_rating":4,"cultural_review":"People mentioned in the parts i read are all white european or american males, mostly dead. This is hard to avoid due to the time period when the physics concepts discussed were discovered (17th through mid-20th C). \nThere is no explicitly offensive material, other than personal value judgements presented in the same context as biographical facts (eg, Feynmann as a failed aspirant to the accomplishment level of Pauli!)","overall_rating":9,"overall_review":"The author has taken an approach that seems unique, emphasizing the startling aspects of QM in order to ensure the reader's attention.  The first chapter is a list of statements most readers will find counterintuitive, which is clearly the author's goal. \nThis approach makes for an interesting book, on the lines of Hofstadter's Godel/Escher/Bach, or for that matter the Feynman lectures (famously intended for freshmen but actually useful by seniors). However, it may give readers an exaggerated view of the \"weirdness\" of quantum theory.","created_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00","updated_at":"2016-08-21T19:00:00.000-05:00"}],"url":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/the-adventure-of-physics-vol-iv-the-quantum-of-change","updated_at":"2025-12-15T02:01:23.000-06:00"}],"links":{"self":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences.json?page=1","total_pages":28,"total_count":274,"next":"https://staging.open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/subjects/natural-sciences.json?page=2"}}