Physics theory book recommendation wanted

LazyScot · 10-01-2010, 01:43 PM

I'm almost finished "the little book of string theory" (pbook!), and I'm enjoying it, but am simultaneously frustrated and glad about the lack of any mathematics in the description. Now my maths is, shall we say, very rusty, but it used to be pretty good.

So here is the challenge: any recommendations for good physics theory books (not just string theory, indeed preferably other theories as well) that includes mathematical descriptions, but where the maths works gently up from the basics?

jgaiser · 10-01-2010, 02:04 PM

The Feynman Lectures on Physics are considered one of the best for college level physics. Seem to be only legally available in pbook, though there does seem to be quite a few PDF copies floating around the internet.

Krystian Galaj · 10-02-2010, 06:31 AM

I agree, it's the best out there.
There are also audio books - well, the original taped lectures, with his voice. And accompanied by photos/drawings of blackboards. It's more enjoyable, though perhaps a bit less organized than books.

MickeyC · 10-02-2010, 07:38 AM

I just read and very much enjoyed Miahau Kaku's Einstein's Cosmos. Although there is virtually no math in it, it was the most comprehensible explanation of special and general relativity I've read. Also, very interesting description of Einstein the man, and his life.,

montsnmags · 10-02-2010, 08:47 AM

I enjoyed Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe (<---wikipedia linky), and if you're more visually oriented it was also made into a three-part documentary. I found it developed nicely, logically, and quickly from classic physics to string theory where it spends most of its time. Very readable, in my opinion.

Cheers,
Marc

MickeyC · 10-02-2010, 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by montsnmags

I enjoyed Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe (<---wikipedia linky), and if you're more visually oriented it was also made into a three-part documentary. I found it developed nicely, logically, and quickly from classic physics to string theory where it spends most of its time. Very readable, in my opinion.

Cheers,
Marc

Very much concur!

crich70 · 10-02-2010, 02:53 PM

Stephen Hawking's "A Short History of Time" is a good read from what I remember of my own reading of it some yrs back. Not a lot of math but interesting reading.

MickeyC · 10-02-2010, 05:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

Stephen Hawking's "A Short History of Time" is a good read from what I remember of my own reading of it some yrs back. Not a lot of math but interesting reading.

And I just got his latest, The Grand Design, but haven't started it yet. Will post a review here when I do.

Fat Abe · 10-02-2010, 06:27 PM

A book using very little complex math and a lot of analogies is David Susskind's The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics. It deals with the paradox of information loss after an "object" has crossed the event horizon (boundary) of a black hole. Hawking once argued that such information would be lost to the universe in which the object pre-existed. Then he came up with an alternate theory. Additional coverage can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorne%...93Preskill_bet

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_h...mation_paradox

It goes without saying that the problem may not be resolved for millenia, if ever. Some argue that crossing an event horizon is unobservable.

There are concepts of physics that are almost mystical in their realization. The mathematics behind them just leads from one paradox to another, which means that no theoretical description is complete. What we create is a byproduct of our own evolution and the physical limitations of our brains. How is it possible for the human mind to even hold a logically consistent thesis, when we can't even agree on global warming?

Happy reading.

MickeyC · 10-02-2010, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fat Abe

A book using very little complex math and a lot of analogies is David Susskind's The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics. It deals with the paradox of information loss after an "object" has crossed the event horizon (boundary) of a black hole. Hawking once argued that such information would be lost to the universe in which the object pre-existed. Then he came up with an alternate theory. Additional coverage can be found here:

Read this one as well and it was very good.

10-01-2010, 01:43 PM	#1
LazyScot DSil Posts: 3,201 Karma: 6895096 Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Hants, UK Device: Kindle, Cybook	Physics theory book recommendation wanted I'm almost finished "the little book of string theory" (pbook!), and I'm enjoying it, but am simultaneously frustrated and glad about the lack of any mathematics in the description. Now my maths is, shall we say, very rusty, but it used to be pretty good. So here is the challenge: any recommendations for good physics theory books (not just string theory, indeed preferably other theories as well) that includes mathematical descriptions, but where the maths works gently up from the basics?

10-02-2010, 07:38 AM	#4
MickeyC Grand Sorcerer Posts: 16,732 Karma: 12185114 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Florida Device: iPhone 6 plus, Sony T1, iPad 3	I just read and very much enjoyed Miahau Kaku's Einstein's Cosmos. Although there is virtually no math in it, it was the most comprehensible explanation of special and general relativity I've read. Also, very interesting description of Einstein the man, and his life., Last edited by MickeyC; 10-02-2010 at 02:42 PM.

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10-01-2010, 02:04 PM	#2
jgaiser Omnivorous Posts: 3,281 Karma: 27978909 Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Rural NW Oregon Device: Kindle Voyage, Kindle Fire HD, Kindle 3, KPW1	The Feynman Lectures on Physics are considered one of the best for college level physics. Seem to be only legally available in pbook, though there does seem to be quite a few PDF copies floating around the internet.

10-02-2010, 06:31 AM	#3
Krystian Galaj Guru Posts: 820 Karma: 11012 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Warsaw, Poland Device: Bookeen Cybook	I agree, it's the best out there. There are also audio books - well, the original taped lectures, with his voice. And accompanied by photos/drawings of blackboards. It's more enjoyable, though perhaps a bit less organized than books.

10-02-2010, 08:47 AM	#5
montsnmags Grand Sorcerer Posts: 10,155 Karma: 4632658 Join Date: Nov 2007 Device: none	I enjoyed Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe (<---wikipedia linky), and if you're more visually oriented it was also made into a three-part documentary. I found it developed nicely, logically, and quickly from classic physics to string theory where it spends most of its time. Very readable, in my opinion. Cheers, Marc

10-02-2010, 02:53 PM	#7
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,305 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Stephen Hawking's "A Short History of Time" is a good read from what I remember of my own reading of it some yrs back. Not a lot of math but interesting reading.

10-02-2010, 06:27 PM	#9
Fat Abe Man Who Stares at Books Posts: 1,816 Karma: 10606722 Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: 50th State, USA. Also, PA, NY, CA, and elsewhere. Device: All of the Above	A book using very little complex math and a lot of analogies is David Susskind's The Black Hole War: My Battle with Stephen Hawking to Make the World Safe for Quantum Mechanics. It deals with the paradox of information loss after an "object" has crossed the event horizon (boundary) of a black hole. Hawking once argued that such information would be lost to the universe in which the object pre-existed. Then he came up with an alternate theory. Additional coverage can be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thorne%...93Preskill_bet http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_h...mation_paradox It goes without saying that the problem may not be resolved for millenia, if ever. Some argue that crossing an event horizon is unobservable. There are concepts of physics that are almost mystical in their realization. The mathematics behind them just leads from one paradox to another, which means that no theoretical description is complete. What we create is a byproduct of our own evolution and the physical limitations of our brains. How is it possible for the human mind to even hold a logically consistent thesis, when we can't even agree on global warming? Happy reading.

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