Errors in Pearson "Focus on Physical Science"

      1.  P. 2:  There is a quiz at the bottom of the page with the question, “The amount of energy needed to move a piano is _______.”  First of all, energy does not move a piano (a force does, as Newton described).  The three choices of answers are “constant”, “procedure”, and “significant”.  None of these is a satisfactory answer.

      2.  P. 8:  The book says, “Physical science is the study of matter, energy, and the changes they undergo.  Matter is all around you.  It is anything that has mass and occupies space.  Energy is the ability to do work or cause change.”  No hint as to what “changes they undergo”, or “ability to do work”, or “cause change”.  There are various confusing definitions for “work” on p.358 and p. 675.  Work in fact is the energy required to move an object AGAINST a force for a certain distance in a certain direction.

      3.  P. 23:  The photo shows a student wearing goggles to observe a non-dangerous procedure with water and grapes.  No need for goggles here.

      4.  P. 61:  The book says, “The chemical properties of different forms of matter cannot be observed without changing the substance into a new substance.”  Say what?

      5.  P. 61:  The books says, “Gases produced during baking create spaces in freshly made bread.”  Not “gases”, but one gas, carbon dioxide.

      6.  P. 389:  The book has a confusing definition of Newton’s first law of motion, “… an unbalanced force.”  What is an “unbalanced force”?  In fact, it is a net external force.

      7.  P. 391:  The book has a confusing definition of Newton’s second law of motion, “… acceleration depends on the net force acting on the object and the object’s mass.”  The equation is usually stated as F = ma, which shows the relationship of the three.  It’s not usually expressed as a = f/m.  Moreover, now the term “net force” is being used, instead of “unbalanced force”.

      8.  P. 393:  The book has a totally confusing definition of Newton’s third law of motion, “… if one object exerts a force on another object, then the second object exerts a force of equal strength in the opposite direction on the first object.”  This cannot be true, unless the masses are also equal.  See Second Law.

      9.  Throughout the book are commercial notices for “Discovery Channel School” (p. 1 and 110) and “PHSchool.com” (p. 23, 62, 108, and 391).  These have not been reviewed for content or accuracy.  They are inappropriate commercial exploitation.