Edited by Jonathan Ling, Colin Yates, Wendy Brown, Terry Emery, Martin Gregory and Roger Hackett Longman Pounds 19.99. - 0 582 355966.

Practical Guide Pounds 65 + VAT - 0 582 27326 9

Age range 16 plus

If physics can be likened to a spider’s web, with concepts of force, field and energy at the centre and ever more specific topics on the edges, then this Advanced Physics represents a bigger web than most.

The authors’ describe the structure as “sequential within a random s framework”. This means it follows a broad theme in each of the eight chapters; subsections then lead you through the theme. Each chapter has experimental notes (linked to the Practical Guide) and questions integrated into the text, and a summary at the end.

The layout is friendly and many relevant, though largely black and white, photographs appear throughout the book. Though well indexed, students using the book may be put off by the lack of answers to any of the questions. There is a very impressive (and rare) cross-referencing system and an excellent maths course and data section at the back.

A lot of thought has gone into the theory sections within each chapter and into the applications of the theory which can be described. Particularly memorable are the explanations of the plane crashes due to the resonance of the pilot’s eyeballs, the Decca navigation system and the Northern and Southern Lights.

The only part of the theory that may cause problems is the lack of consistency in the concepts of positive and negative field and potential.

There are definitely more topics which border on first year undergraduate level in this book than in most: the Schmitt trigger and the field ion microscope among them.

The digital electronics section will be especially useful for Nuffield students doing research and analysis in that area. In fact, though not billed as a companion guide for the Nuffield course, it should certainly be considered an essential reference text for the school.

The Practical Guide is a series of photocopiable sheets which clearly details apparatus requirements, preparation and experimental instructions. Students will be reassured to find that many give sample results as well as risk assessments.

Most of the experiments link to the textbook and a significant proportion would be found in a Nuffield Student Guide. There are good sections on graph plotting and accuracy, and an investigation guide at the back. It would not be easy to find elsewhere such a thorough and comprehensive coverage of the basics hand in hand with such interesting and varied applications.

Helen Reynolds is head of physics at Gosford Hill School, Kidlington, Oxfordshire