Susan Fowler

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So You Want To Learn Physics...

August 13, 2016

Introduction

Over the past few years, ever since writing "If Susan Can Learn Physics, So
Can You", I've been contacted by people from all backgrounds who are
inspired and want to learn physics, but don't know where to start, what to
learn, what to read, and how to structure their studies. I've spoken with
single mothers who want to go back to school and study physics, tenured
philosophy professors who want to learn physics so that they can make
significant and informed contributions to philosophy of physics, high
school students who want to know what they should read to prepare for
an undergraduate education in physics, and people in dozens of various
careers who want to really, really learn and understand physics simply for
the joy of it.
This post is a condensed version of what I've sent to people who have
contacted me over the years, outlining what everyone needs to learn in
order to really understand physics.

The general physics education given in U.S. universities is divided into

what is learned at the undergraduate level and what is covered in graduate
courses, and I've divided my list in a similar way. Because each subject is
built upon the previous subjects and the mathematics becomes more
complex and difficult, it's important to learn each topic in the order
presented below.

If you work through the all of the textbooks in the Undergraduate Physics list
of this post, and master each of the topics, you'll have gained the
knowledge equivalent of a Bachelor's Degree in Physics (and will be able to
score well on the Physics GRE). If you work through the graduate core of
the Graduate Physics textbooks, you'll have the equivalent knowledge of
obtaining a Master's Degree in Physics. A PhD in Physics requires the
graduate coursework as well as several years of research and a thesis, and
the experience involved in a PhD isn't something that can be gained
independently of a PhD program.

Remember that anyone can learn physics. It's no different from learning
programming, from learning a musical instrument, from reading great
literature. Whether you turn it into a hobby or a career, the pure joy of
understanding the universe around us is one of the most beautiful
experiences you can ever have in life.

Please comment with your experiences and with any suggestions you have
for improving this list!
 Before You Begin

Popular Books on Physics (The Good Ones)

When you're solving problems, working through textbooks, getting into
the nitty-gritty details of each topic, it's so easy to lose the forest for the
trees and forget why you even became inspired to study physics in the first
place. This is where really, really good (and non-speculative) books on
physics come in handy: they inspire, they encourage, and they help you
understand the big picture.

One big problem is that a lot of the popular books written about physics
(especially those by famous physicists) are incredibly speculative and tend
to present an unrealistic view of what the study of physics is all about.
When you're learning physics, it's good to avoid these types of speculative
books, and stick to the good ones that talk about the real physics we know
exists.

Here are some of my favorite popular physics books:

• The Feynman Lectures on Physics (Boxed Set) and Feynman Lectures

on Physics (Kindle Edition): Feynman's Lectures on Physics are
essential readings for everyone interested in physics, and you'll find a
copy on the bookshelf of every amateur physicist and professional
physicist. These lectures are what got me into physics: my astronomy
professor told me to read them and see if I liked physics - they
changed my life!
• The Character of Physical Law by Richard Feynman: A brilliant,
inspiring little book on the laws of nature.
• Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics by
Bruce Schumm: the very best popular book about particle physics. I
had the honor of working with Bruce Schumm on a search for
supersymmetry at the ATLAS detector, and he has one of those
 brilliant minds that understands physics so deeply that he can
explain it to anyone without resorting to speculation.
• The Particle Odyssey by Frank Close: another brilliant popular
introduction to particle physics and its history, beautifully illustrated
with amazing figures and photographs.
• Weinberg's The First Three Minutes: an account of the Big Bang by
one of the most brilliant physicists of all time.

Mathematical Preliminaries
Before you begin studying physics and working through the topics in the
sections below, you have to be familiar with some basic mathematics. A
high school education usually provides you with enough mathematical
background to begin, and there's no need to be familiar with calculus
before starting (though you'll need to learn when you begin).

How to Study
Everyone learns very differently, and knowing your learning style is
important: do you learn by reading, by taking notes, by talking, by
watching, by doing, or by a combination of some or all of these? Think
about this before you begin so that you'll know how to structure your
studies.

For example, I learn by reading and by note-taking, so I read through

textbooks very carefully, take copious notes, and summarize each concept
in my own words before moving on to something new. (For what it's
worth, I've found that Miquelrius ruled notebooks and Miquelrius graph
notebooks are perfect for taking notes and these Pilot GTec pens are the
best pens in the whole world).

Regardless of your learning style, you'll still need to solve the physics
problems in each textbook. Solving problems is the only way to really
understand how the laws of physics work. There's no way around it. Even
though it can feel tedious at times, there's nothing more rewarding than
figuring out a really difficult physics problem and realizing that you
figured it all out yourself!

Undergraduate Physics

Overview
The undergraduate physics curriculum in every undergraduate physics
program covers the following subjects (along with some electives in
advanced topics), and usually in the following order :

1. Introductory Mechanics
2. Electrostatics
3. Waves and Vibrations
4. Modern Physics
5. Classical Mechanics
6. Electrodynamics
7. Quantum Mechanics
8. Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
9. Advanced Electives in Physics

I'm going to cover the details of each of these fields below, including the
best textbooks to use and any additional reading you may find helpful in
your journey. I'm also going to give some details about the mathematics
you'll need to learn alongside each topic.
1. Introduction to Mechanics

What It's All About

An introduction to mechanics course is the first course physics course that

most people will take, and it's the best place to begin independent study of
physics as well. This is where you'll start learning how to see the world in
mathematical terms, and the things that will be covered are: the basics of
motion in a straight line, motion in two dimensions, motion in three
dimensions, Newton's Laws, work, kinetic energy, potential energy, the
conservation of energy, momentum, collisions, rotation and rotational
motion, gravitation, and periodic motion.

The Best Textbooks to Use

• University Physics with Modern Physics by Young and

Freedman (essential). Work through all of the "Mechanics" chapters
(in my edition, these are chapters 1-14). This is the best introductory
book I've found, and you can use it when you learn electrostatics and
modern physics, too. It contains plenty of great example problems to
work through, and the solutions are easy to find online. It does a
great job of introducing the relevant mathematics, but you'll need to
be learning calculus alongside it. You don't need to spend $250 on the
new edition - Amazon has lots of copies of the 12th edition and the
13th edition that contain the same material.

The Math You'll Need to Learn Alongside It

You'll need to learn calculus while working through University Physics.

My favorite introductory calculus book is Thomas' Calculus, with Stewart's
Calculus coming in as a close second. Work through each chapter, and
make sure you can solve problems at the end of each chapter before
continuing to the next.
2. Electrostatics

What It's All About

This is where you'll learn about the physics of electricity and magnetism
(electromagnetism) in static situations (situations where no motion is
involved). Topics covered are: electric charges and electric
fields, magnetism and magnetic fields, Gauss's Law, capacitance, resistance
and conductance, inductance, current, and how circuits work.

The Best Textbooks to Use

• University Physics with Modern Physics by Young and Freedman

(essential). Work through the chapters on "Electromagnetism" (in my
edition, these are chapters 21-32). You can find inexpensive copies of
the 12th edition and the 13th edition.

The Math You'll Need To Learn Alongside It

Keep working through the calculus textbooks (Thomas and Stewart) while
you work through the basics of electrostatics, but you should finish them
by the time you finish the electromagnetism chapters in University
Physics. You absolutely must understand the basics of calculus before you
move on to the other topics in physics.

3. Waves and Vibrations

What It's All About

The mechanics of vibrations and waves are complex and important enough
to demand their own course of study. Mastering this material is essential
for learning about quantum mechanics, so don't skip this topic! This is
where you will learn about simple harmonic oscillators, damped harmonic
oscillators, forced oscillations, coupled oscillators, waves, interference,
diffraction, and dispersion.

The Best Textbooks to Use

• Vibrations and Waves by French (essential) and Vibrations and

Waves by King (essential). These two books complement each other
very well, and contain different problems and solutions.

The Math You'll Need To Learn Alongside It

By this point, you should have finished the introductory calculus books
and are ready to move on to more advanced mathematics. You should start
working through Zill's Advanced Engineering Mathematics, which is an
amazing introduction to more advanced topics in mathematics (linear
algebra, complex analysis, real analysis, partial differential equations, and
ordinary differential equations). The new edition is pretty great, but the
older edition is just as good (and a lot cheaper!). The topics in this book are
essential for understanding all of the rest of the topics in Undergraduate
Physics - once you master them, you'll know all the math you need to
know to understand undergraduate physics.

4. Modern Physics

What It's All About

The fourth physics class that most undergraduates take is usually called
"Modern Physics", and it's an introduction to topics in physics that will be
taught in greater detail later in the undergraduate physics curriculum. If
you plan to study the advanced topics on their own, it's possible to skip
this area, but covering these topics now in your independent studies will
allow you to grasp the advanced topics that you hear so much about and
that probably got you into physics in the first place! This is where you'll
learn the basics of thermodynamics, relativity, quantum mechanics, atomic
physics, nuclear physics, particle physics, and cosmology.

The Best Textbooks to Use

• University Physics with Modern Physics by Young and Freedman

(essential). Work through the "Thermodynamics" section (chapters
17-20 in my edition of the book, and the "Modern Physics" section
(chapters 37-44).

The Math You'll Need To Learn Alongside It

Continue working through Zill's Advanced Engineering

Mathematics. Once you have mastered all of the topics in this book, you
will know all the mathematics you need to know to understand
undergraduate physics.

5. Classical Mechanics

What It's All About

This is where you learn the real heart of classical mechanics, which you
were introduced to in the very first topic (Introduction to Mechanics).
You'll learn the topics in much greater depth, and learn how to use
different mathematical formalisms of classical mechanics (the Lagrangian
formalism and the Hamiltonian formalism) to solve problems in
mechanics.

The Best Textbooks to Use

• Taylor's Classical Mechanics (essential). This is a fantastic

introduction to classical mechanics.
 • Morin's Introduction to Classical Mechanics with Problems and
Solutions (supplement). Morin's book is a good supplement to
Taylor's, and contains some great problems to work through.
• Problems and Solutions in Introductory Mechanics by Morin
(supplement). Even more great problems (with solutions) to work
through, and contains some great problem-solving strategies.
• Kibble's Classical Mechanics (supplement). Another great book to
supplement Taylor.
• A Student's Guide to Lagrangians and Hamiltonians (supplement).
This book can help you a lot if you get stuck on understanding the
Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms of classical mechanics. You
need to master the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms if you
want to understand quantum mechanics later on!

The Math You'll Need To Learn Alongside It

If you haven't finished working through Zill by now, you should master
the topics in it by the time you finish studying classical mechanics.

6. Electrodynamics

What It's All About

Earlier, you learned about electrostatics: the study of static (non-moving)

electricity and magnetism. By now, you know the mathematics to
understand electrodynamics, which encompasses everything about classical
electricity and magnetism. You'll cover electrostatics again, then learn
about Laplace's equation, multipole expansions, polarization, dielectrics,
the Lorentz Force Law, the Biot-Savart Law, magnetic vector potential,
electromotive force, electromagnetic induction, Maxwell's equations,
electromagnetic waves and radiation, and special relativity.

The Best Textbooks to Use

 • Griffith's Introduction to Electrodynamics (essential). This is the book
on undergraduate electrodynamics, and one of the very best physics
textbooks ever written. Take great care to work through every single
problem in the book.
• Div, Grad, Curl and All That by Schey (supplement). This is a short
textbook on vector calculus that is very helpful when trying to work
with vectors in electrodynamics.
• A Student's Guide to Maxwell's Equations by Fleisch (supplement).
Maxwell's equations are essential in understanding electrodynamics,
and this book is the best supplement on the topic.

7. Quantum Mechanics

What It's All About

By this point, you're ready to really dive into the fundamentals of quantum
mechanics and its applications - one of the most beautiful, interesting, and
thought-provoking topics in all of physics. You'll learn to see the world at
a completely new level - the quantum level. You'll learn about the wave
function, the Schrodinger equation, perturbation theory, the variational
principle, the WKB Approximation, the adiabatic approximation, and
scattering.

The Best Textbooks to Use

• Griffith's Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (essential). This is,

without a doubt, the book on undergraduate quantum mechanics,
written by the same Griffiths who wrote the Introduction to
Electrodynamics. It's written in the same concise and beautiful style,
and every single problem is worth solving.
8. Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

What It's All About

Thermodynamics is the field of physics concerned with kinetics

(dynamics) related to heat and energy, while statistical mechanics is all
about the microscopic principles that underlie the Laws of
Thermodynamics. This is where you'll learn about the laws of
thermodynamics, entropy, the canonical ensemble, Maxwell
distributions, Planck's distribution, Fermi-Dirac statistics, Bose-Einstein
statistics, and phase transitions.

By the time you've finished this topic, you'll have mastered all of the
fundamentals of undergraduate physics!

The Best Textbooks to Use

• Introductory Statistical Mechanics by Bowley and

Sanchez (essential). This is a really amazing, concise, and clear
introduction to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics - the best
I've found so far!

9. Advanced Electives in Physics

What It's All About

No physics education is complete without learning about fun additional

topics in physics, including (but not limited to): astronomy (the study of
the galaxies, stars, and planets), astrophysics (the application of the
principles of physics to astronomy), cosmology (the origins of the
universe), electronics, particle physics (the study of the fundamental
particles of the Standard Model), and string theory (a theory that supposes
that two-dimensional objects called "strings" are the fundamental building
blocks of the universe).

You can pick and choose what you'd like to learn about based on your
interests. This is the most exciting part: you understand all of the
fundamentals of undergraduate physics, and you can pick up advanced
books in other topics of physics and will be able to understand them!
You'll also be able to read (and understand) some papers on the arXiv,
which is the place that almost all physics research papers are published.

The Best Textbooks to Use

• Astronomy: The Cosmic Perspective by Bennet and Donahue. A

wonderful, fun, well-written introduction to astronomy that can be
understood by anyone who has studied the first topic in
undergraduate physics (Introductory Mechanics).
• Astrophysics: An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics by Carroll
and Ostile. A super comprehensive introduction to modern
astrophysics for students who are studying the undergraduate
curriculum in physics.
• Cosmology: Ryden's Introduction to Cosmology. My favorite
introductory cosmology book!
• Electronics: Basic Electronics for Scientists and Engineers by
Eggleston. Accessible to anyone who has worked through the basics
of electrodynamics.
• Particle Physics: Griffith's Introduction to Elementary Particles.
Written by the same Griffith who gave us the Introduction to
Electrodynamics and Introduction to Quantum Mechanics, this book
is the perfect introduction to the fundamentals of particle physics
and is a joy to work through!

Graduate Physics
Overview
Graduate-level study in physics requires mastery of every topic within the
Undergraduate Physics curriculum as covered above, and can be split into two
categories: (i) the core courses and (ii) specialized coursework. Graduate
students typically take the core courses first, which cover the areas learned
in undergraduate courses but in much greater depth and with far more
mathematical rigor, and then choose more specialized courses depending
on their area of research in physics.

The graduate physics core is comprised of:

1. Mathematical Methods in Physics

2. Electrodynamics
3. Quantum Mechanics
4. Statistical Mechanics
5. General Relativity
6. Quantum Field Theory

I'll cover each of these in the sections below. (Note: many students are
required to take a course in classical mechanics as part of the graduate
core, but if you've mastered the material in undergraduate classical
mechanics there is no need for this).

1. Mathematical Methods in Physics

What It's All About

Studying electrodynamics, quantum mechanics, and stat mech in more

depth at the graduate level requires a greater level of mathematical rigor.
To prepare for studying physics at the graduate level, you'll need to learn
the following in greater detail: Fourier analysis, tensors, ODEs, PDEs, real
analysis, complex analysis, algebra, and group theory (to name a few).
The Best Textbooks To Use

• Mathematical Methods for Physicists by Arfken, Weber, and Harris

(essential). This book covers the essentials of everything you'll need
to know for the mathematical rigor demanded by the graduate core.
• Visual Complex Analysis by Needham (supplement). A light, fun
summary of complex analysis that's concise, clear, and easy to read.
Serves as a great supplement to the primary text when used along
with Fisher's Complex Analysis (see below).
• Tolstov's Fourier Series (supplement). The best book on Fourier
Analysis ever written. Complements the main text very well.
• Complex Analysis by Fisher (supplement). Best when used along
with Needham's Visual Complex Analysis to supplement the main
text.
• Zee's Group Theory in a Nutshell for Physicists (supplement). A
brilliant introduction to group theory for physicists.

2. Graduate Electrodynamics

What It's All About

Graduate-level electrodynamics covers the same topics as undergraduate

electrodynamics but with greater mathematical rigor.

The Best Textbooks To Use

• Classical Electrodynamics by Jackson (essential). This is the bible of

classical electrodynamics, and everyone who works through either
loves it or hates it (I loved it). If you can master everything in this
book and work through every problem, you'll have mastered
electrodynamics.
3. Graduate Quantum Mechanics

What It's All About

Graduate quantum mechanics is far more advanced than quantum

mechanics at the undergraduate level. There are many things that you
won't be able to understand about quantum mechanics at the
undergraduate level that, after a little more mathematical training, you'll
be able to understand once you get to this point. Here you'll learn, in great
depth, all there is to know about quantum mechanics, including quantum
dynamics (the Schrodinger equation, the Heisenberg picture, propagators,
and Feynman path integrals), angular momentum, symmetries and
conservation laws of the quantum world, perturbation theory, scattering
theory, relativistic quantum mechanics, decoherence, and interpretations
of quantum mechanics (the Copenhagen vs. Many-Worlds
interpretations).

The Best Textbooks To Use

• Sakurai's Modern Quantum Mechanics (essential). This is my favorite

textbook on quantum mechanics, and the one I used to learn
quantum mechanics for the very first time. It's a wonderful, elegant,
simple book with clear and understandable problems. Try to work
through all of the problems - if you do, you'll understand quantum
mechanics very well.
• Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals by Feynman (essential).
Sakurai's coverage of Feynman's Path Integral formalism of quantum
mechanics doesn't do it justice. Working through this text (written
by Feynman himself) is not only useful, but incredibly fun.
• Principles of Quantum Mechanics by Shankar (supplement). A great
supplement to Sakurai for more information about each topic. A bit
too dense to serve as a primary text, it works best as an addition or
reference.
• Decoherence and the Appearance of a Classical World in Quantum
Theory (supplement). This book is very complex and you may not
 understand all of it even after working through Sakurai, but
understanding decoherence is essential to understanding how the
classical world arises from the quantum.
• Principles of Quantum Mechanics by Dirac (supplement). Dirac was
one of the founding fathers of quantum mechanics and quantum field
theory. This book is important historically, and also will open your
eyes to the need for quantum field theory.
• The Everett Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Collected Works
1955-1980 (supplement). Very few books have been written on
interpretations of quantum mechanics, and reading through this
volume helps to understand the limitations of our interpretations as
well as the complexities and details of Everett's Many-Worlds
interpretation.

4. Graduate Statistical Mechanics

What It's All About

Now that you have a more solid mathematical background and understand
all of the fundamentals of quantum mechanics, it's time to approach
graduate-level statistical mechanics. You'll revisit the Laws of
Thermodynamics, and then pick up from where you left off in
undergraduate statistical mechanics.

The Best Textbooks To Use

• Statistical Mechanics by Pathria and Beale (essential). This book is,

admittedly, a bit frustrating, but it's worth suffering through because
if you make it all the way to the end and work through the majority
of the problems, you'll know stat mech like the back of your hand.
• Huang's Statistical Mechanics (supplementary). This is a great book
to supplement the main text and bridge the gap between
 undergraduate thermodynamics and statistical mechanics and
Pathria.

5. General Relativity

What It's All About

By now you'll have a very deep understanding of Einstein's special theory

of relativity, but, as you may have noticed, general relativity (GR) - the
theory of gravitation - hasn't yet been mentioned. That's because GR is a
mathematically demanding topic - not only do you need to know all of the
math you've learned so far, but you'll need to learn differential geometry
in order to make sense of how gravity works. Here, you'll revisit special
relativity and the intricacies of spacetime, then learn the basics of
differential geometry, how to deal with curvature, the essentials of
gravitation, how black holes work, and the basics of cosmology.

The Best Textbooks To Use

• Spacetime and Geometry by Carroll (essential). This is the book on

general relativity, and Carroll does a phenomenal job of introducing
the essentials of differential geometry and general relativity.
• Wald's General Relativity (supplement). Wald's book is a very
abstract, high-level overview of general relativity, and makes a great
supplement to Carroll's book. Go to Carroll for the overview, look it
up in Wald for the high-level abstractions, and then look in the apple
book for the dirty details.
• Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler (supplement). Also
known as the "apple book" thanks to the apple gracing its cover, this
book goes into the nitty-gritty details of general relativity in ways
that no other book does. A very important supplement to Carroll's
book.
 • Weinberg's Gravitation and Cosmology (supplement). Weinberg is
one of those rare physicists who has not only been at the forefront of
every major field in physics, but has written about each of them as
well. His books tend to be inaccessible to beginners, however, and
this book is no exception. It does make a good supplementary
reading, but I'd advise reading it after you've worked through the
rest.
• A Comprehensive Introduction to Differential Geometry by Spivak
(supplement). For more hardcore differential geometry, Spivak's
series is necessary. These books are truly wonderful and
comprehensive.

6. Quantum Field Theory

What It's All About

Quantum Field Theory (QFT) is the heart of all modern high-energy

physics: the Standard Model of particle physics is a QFT. The whole idea
behind QFT is that we are doing quantum mechanics on classical fields,
and it works remarkably well. Along with GR, QFT will be the most
challenging part of your physics education, but perhaps the most
rewarding (I know it was extraordinarily rewarding for me!). It may take
many, many years to master. You'll learn about how to quantize fields,
Feynman diagrams, quantum electrodynamics (QED), renormalization,
non-Abelian gauge theories, quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the Higgs
mechanism, the Glashow-Weinberg-Salam theory of electroweak
interactions, the symmetries of particle physics, and spontaneous
symmetry breaking.

The Best Textbooks To Use

• Zee's Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell (essential). This is my

favorite physics book of all time, and the most beautiful introduction
 to QFT ever written. You'll walk away understanding the basics of
QFT and with a deep understanding of the fundamental nature of the
universe.
• An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder
(essential). This is the bible of QFT, but its far too terse and
encyclopedic to work through on its own and must be studied
alongside Zee. Covers everything you could possibly want to know
about QFT. Try to work through the problems, but be aware that
mastery of QFT will take a very, very long time.
• Weinberg's The Quantum Theory of Fields, Volume 1 (supplement).
Another great volume by Weinberg, who was one of the most
important physicists in the history of particle physics. This book
should be used only as a supplement, and preferably not read until
Zee and Peskin and Schroeder have been completed. It's not a book to
learn from, but one to gain additional understanding of QFT through
after you've mastered all of the basics.
• Lie Algebras in Particle Physics by Georgi (supplement). This is an
incredibly fun and wonderful book that dives into the details of Lie
Algebras in QFT.

In Physics Tags learning physics, physics, book reviews

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David 6 months ago

Hey does anyone have a link to a free pdf download to An

Introduction to Modern Astrophysics?

Rory Hartong-Redden 7 months ago

What a wonderful resource! I have fond memories of reading many

of these books in undergrad and grad school. I'd add two textbooks
to your list. First, Gravity: An Introduction to Einstein's General
Relativity by Hartle is a great undergrad textbook. It's an accessible
yet rigorous intro that we used at UCSB where Hartle himself
taught. Second, An Introduction to Mechanics by Daniel Kleppner,
Robert Kolenkow. ("Kleppner and Kolenkow"). This is a physicist's
physics textbook and it sparked my passion for physics! With high-
school calculus under your belt you're ready to go.

Lectures are vital to the teaching of physics -- it's a way of thinking

as much as a series of facts. Fortunately MIT OpenCourseWare
provided some of the best lectures anywhere to everyone for free.
https://youtu.be/X9c0MRooBzQ?
list=PLUdYlQf0_sSsb2tNcA3gtgOt8LGH6tJbr

Aaron Carter 7 months ago

Im a 16 year old who does ordinary level maths and no science
subjects at the momment but i really like to learn about science by
looking at the internet and stuff
should i pick up physics or would it be too hard to learn?

Pablo 6 months ago

Hi Aaron! I am a teenager as you are, I can tell you that the

Internet is an amazing place to start learning Physics.
Remember, nothing is hard when you like it, and your
mathematical foundations may serve you in the near future.

Lahcene 7 months ago

Hallo Susan thank you very much for these informations . I have
one question you are talking here from bachelor to master if I
understood right.but my question is what and where should I start
before because I want to start physic at the university but I'm sure
that I will not understand anything knowing that my bachelor was
in literature and humain science and my bachelor is on political
science.i need a structure of the study before I'm very interested in
physic string quantum theory and very interested in physic thanks

Lahcene 7 months ago

Hallo Susan thank you very much for these informations . I have
one question you are talking here from bachelor to master if I
understood right.but my question is what and where should I start
before because I want to start physic at the university but I'm sure
that I will not understand anything knowing that my bachelor was
in literature and humain science and my bachelor is on political
science.i need a structure of the study before I'm very interested in
physic string quantum theory and very interested in physic thanks.
Christopher Smith 7 months ago

Thank you very much for this list ma'am. I have Schroeder's
Thermal Physics (req. for class), but don't really care for it at all so I
went searching for something else. I have most of what's on this list
at the undergraduate level (and have heard great things about all of
your grad recommendations) so I had a good feeling about your
thermo/stat mech recommendation, but nobody else on forums or
Quora was talking about that book. Today I looked at about 6 or 7
stat mech/ thermo books around the campus and Bowley/Sanchez is
what I'll be going with. I almost went with Blundell, but I really
wanted a book with answers. Thanks again.

Al leong 8 months ago

How does one do it without strong foundation in maths and

science from pre college?
Susan got to be gifted to bridge that gap !

Sho Kuwamoto 8 months ago

Also, Thermodynamics by Fermi is worth reading (although

probably not sufficient to cover the entire topic, since it's a bit
dated).

Sho Kuwamoto 8 months ago

The Character of Physical Law is one of my favorite books of all

time! Glad to see it getting the recognition it deserves on your list!

Gene 8 months ago

I've heard Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday/Resnick/Walker is
also very good. Does anybody have any comments on how that
compares to University Physics.

Lmm3 7 months ago · 1 like

Halliday and Rednick is my go to book for physics

fundamentals. I can't recommend it enough.

John Ho 9 months ago

Thank you so much, Susan!

Regurathi Pandian 9 months ago

Thank you very much. Now I have to start seriously

Douglas Van Straten 9 months ago

Thank you for providing all the great physics links.

Darren Mitchell 9 months ago

What an incredible resource! Thank you so much for spending the

time to put this together.

Jerry Hamlet 9 months ago

Discovered this through another post of yours. This is awesome. I
live with a physicist, but I think my learning style is closer to yours
than hers. Thanks for the wealth of information and direction here.

jacob 9 months ago

Wow. You make it sound so simple!

I stopped studying Physics seven years ago when I couldn't get past
Einstein's tensor equations..Maybe when my kids are older I will
start again.
Thank you Susan!

Sean 9 months ago

Are you kidding me? Someone else who actually cares enough about
this subject to put out this comprehensible walk through? Im sorry,
Im still amazed. I can't even find 1 person, one person to talk to
about this.

Usually they tune out when i tell them color doesn't exist outside
the observers mind...or that when you throw a ball, the ball is still
going straight when it arcs into the earth...
Or, when there is no space (no seperation) no time (all time exists
at once) and that these experiences are made through the observer.
My personal favorite, is when they waddle in wonder when i tell
them gravity doesn't exist. Try that on for size Ligo!!

Sean 9 months ago

I must be dreaming... I started reading about uber experience, but

this was an unexpected hidden gem. Thanks!
One more thing folks, the thing that makes physics exciting isn't
measurements & observations. The journey is the foundation here
in the blog layed before you.
But the destination? That's pioneering the landscape of what we
don't know.

Im laying some ground work for teleportation; and would you

believe one obstacle to this challenge is neuroscience?

Owen Davey 9 months ago

Great! Found your blog from a link to your uber experience. Sorry
about that. I did a phd in algebraic geometry (the highly algebraic
Hartshorne type) and I realize I know nothing about physics.
Worse, my math has slipped a lot since I primarily care about
trading options. Until I discovered a ton of math books on PDF. I
have been reading a lot of functional analysis on my subway rides to
work and with this list, physics is on the docket! Thanks.

Tora 9 months ago

It's great to see a compact guide for physics students in a blog like
this. After a lot of searching, I have come here, though accidentally,
reading your story on UBER. Nevertheless, a very good guide which
just might work out for me, an amateur physicist. Great job.
Thanks a lot. 😃

Learn 9 months ago

Thanks, I really appreciate it!

GeekDaddy 9 months ago

Thank you. I have a 10 year old daughter who will be studying this
list carefully at some point :)
If I may be so bold... do you think you could do one for computer
science or programming?

East Coast Librul 9 months ago

I stumbled to this page because of your Uber nastiness. Wow, what

a great post! I'm a PhD in Physics from Harvard, and still learned
something. Thank you, will be passing it along.

KONERU ADITYA 10 months ago

I just can't end with a Thank You but thats all i can tell for now.
THANK YOU very much!

Mer. 11 months ago

If I cover kinematics and newtons laws of

motion,work,energy,linear and rotational momentum. Can i skip
oscillations,wawes,fluids and jump right to thermodynamics.
Looking forward for a reply
Thanks

sincerely, grateful 11 months ago

THANK YOU SO MUCH

Abdul salam A year ago

thanks !!!! I am very glad to study it for first time and now i try to
study it for ever.

Kimtest A year ago

Why isn't graduate level mechanics listed under the Overview

section of Graduate Physics.

Hasse A year ago

Susan, you might like this - A Map of Physics -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZihywtixUYo

Not mine obviously, just came across it via a random youtube

walk :)

Janet A year ago

Thank you so VERY much!! I've been looking for something like
this for several months. I'm very excited to now have a guideline. I
look forward to sharing more excitement with you as I learn.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! :-)
Janet

Alvin Dior A year ago

Thank you for making and sharing this list. It is very helpful to me
as I try to learn physics by self-study. You, with this list, have
increased my motivation to learn more about physics.
Alvin Dior A year ago

Thank you for making and sharing this list. It is very helpful to me
as I try to learn physics by self-study. You, with this list, have
increased my motivation to learn more about physics.

Kursad Yasar Yildirim A year ago

Kursad Yasar Yildirim

Many years have been I was looking for a source of physics

education like this. In Turkey the life conditions of physics is not so
good. If you are graduated from physics you can't find a job or
anything. So I want to learn by myself. I have a good background of
Calculus from my engineering education. But are there any forum
websites i can ask my questions when i have problems. Second issue
is: I need to solve problems in calculus & electramagnetism &
mechanics. Can you prefer me a book or a good website that
classifies the physics & math problems from easy to difficult?
Thanks to you for this post.

Alexander Patrakov A year ago

In Russia, there are some differences in the set of topics studied.

There is no "Waves and Vibrations" course (but there is "Continuum
Mechanics" instead). Also, Thermodynamics is split from Statistical
Mechanics and is introduced much earlier, just after introductory
mechanics. There is also a separate course on Optics, and another
course on Physics of Solid State (which depends on Quantum
Mechanics and Statistical mechanics, and covers topics such as
phonons, thermal and electrical conductivity, heat capacity of
solids, and so on).
 Janet A year ago

A course on optics -- I imagine that would be very

interesting!!

J A year ago

As an addition to the mathematical methods list, I can recommend

"Mathematics of Classical and Quantum Physics" by Byron and
Fuller.

Kaiser A year ago

Excellent post. Thank you!

Chuck Pergiel A year ago

"Remember that anyone can learn physics." Not true. Anyone might
be able to learn physics if properly motivated, but that's not going
to happen to everyone. You also need an ability to engage in logical
thought, and that seems to be in short supply these days.

MAROUANE SALMI A year ago

THANK YOU SO MUCH

Rod Deyo A year ago

For those with the background and a taste for the deep physical
arguments used, the classic volumes by Landau and Lifshitz can't be
bettered. The ones on Mechanics, Classical Fields, Quantum
Mechanics, and Statistical Physics are all superb classics.

Susan Fowler A year ago

Agreed! I love that entire collection so much. I really wanted

to add them to this list (especially the one on Mechanics), but
I decided against it since I thought it might be a bit too
advanced for the post (as you mentioned, it takes some
background to really appreciate).

BD A year ago

One important omission. Best intro to statistics textbook?

Susan Fowler A year ago

Good catch! I should have included one, but I haven't come

across a good one yet that's geared towards scientists. Any
recommendations?

Judy A year ago

This is great, but I see nothing about special relativity. One learns it
in EM courses, but it ought to be mentioned, and a great way to
understand it is from Purcell's EM book (the 2nd book in the
Berkeley physics series, which I would also recommend as
supplementary or basic for undergrad EM.)

Susan Fowler A year ago

 Special relativity is covered in a couple of places here, but as
part of other topics and not on its own. I'm not sure this is
the best approach, but I've found that Griffiths, University
Physics, and Sean Carroll's book cover the topic really well.
Purcell is a great book, too!

JacksonEscobar A year ago

Thank you!

Susan Fowler A year ago

You're very welcome!

Alex Jacobson A year ago

1. The most important thing in learning physics is doing

problems. This can't be stressed enough.
2. Going on and on about Feynman's Lectures on Physics can be
counterproductive. Here's why. First, everyone should own
these, I agree. However they teach basic physics from an
extremely sophisticated point of view. They are almost best,
after you (think) you understand the subject.
3. The best undergraduate texts in E&M: Purcell (try to find it, it
is a gem) and Corson and Lorraine for problem solving.

Susan Fowler A year ago

1. So true!! Luckily all the books on this list have great

problems to work through and either have answers in
 the books or have answers that can be found with a
quick google search.

2. Yeah, Feynman isn't easy, and it's wonderful to revisit

the lectures after you've learned everything. I
recommend them because I think that they are a great
introduction to physics for a popular audience due to
the fact that they present physics as it really is. They're
incredibly inspirational!

3. I love Purcell - that book is fantastic. I've never read

Corson and Lorraine, so I just added it to my amazon
wishlist. Thanks for the recommendation!

Student A year ago

Thank you!

Susan Fowler A year ago

You're welcome! :)

June A year ago

I studied physics some time ago and saw the link on HackerNews. I
was thinking "reading Feynman should be on top of that list" and it
was! :-)

Susan Fowler A year ago

Thanks for reading! Haha Feynman is just so good!

Fox Touche A year ago

Hi Susan,

Great post!

Slightly off-topic: I'm currently interested in Physics books targeted

for the layperson. I have recently read "Relativity Visualized" by
Lewis Carroll Epstein and thoroughly enjoyed it. Have you read it?
I'm interested in hearing your thoughts about its relevance.

Also, do you know of any similar reading material? I have read Six
Easy Pieces and a few of Feynman's other books.

Thank you!

Susan Fowler A year ago

Thanks for reading! I've never read Epstein's book, so I added

it to my amazon wishlist and will be ordering it soon - thank
you for the recommendation!

Frank Close has written some truly amazing books on

particle physics - you should check those out and let me
know what you think!

Matt Zeits A year ago

Another good resource I found from Leonard Susskind at Stanford:

(http://theoreticalminimum.com). BTW, I'm floundering around
Rudin's real and complex analysis since it seems that heavy math is
helpful for advanced physics--I vaguely remember doing all of this
stuff in Mathematical Physics in undergrad or seeing it in bits and
pieces in some of my comp sci grad courses so the books aren't
impossible for me but may be challenging to the newcomer. Rudin:
"Principles of Mathematical Analysis", "Real and Complex Analysis",
"Functional Analysis".

Susan Fowler A year ago

Susskind is so amazing - one of my heroes. I love what he's

done with The Theoretical Minimum!

Yeah, Rudin is soooooo freaking hard to work through if

you're familiar with physics but not the fancy mathtalk. It's
easier with Needham's Visual Complex Analysis alongside it
(Fisher's Complex Variables and Tolstov's Fourier Series are
great to read with it too).

Alice A year ago

This is the kick up the backside I needed. You've helped me see that
applying myself to learning how the universe ticks isn't an
impossible avenue I'll never be able to explore.

Thank you.

Susan Fowler A year ago

Hells yes, Alice! It's so much fun and so rewarding (and not
as hard as everyone makes it sound). I hope this list is helpful
to you!

Ananth A year ago

A very good collection! I just completed me Undergraduate studies
in Physics but have taken a year off to actually understand and
enjoy the entire content forced onto us at college. I didn't have any
exact idea as how to go about it except knowing that I had to
thorough The Feynman Lectures. Thanks a lot for this brilliant
post! If I ever do anything worth doing in Physics, all thanks to you
Susan.

Susan Fowler A year ago

Congrats on completing your undergraduate studies!

I had to do the same thing, and I'm still working through

things again for the third time. It's so hard to really
understand this stuff when you're studying it in college,
because you don't have time to both understand everything
and cram for the tests (it's kind of one or the other
unfortunately). Glad this list is helpful to you! Good luck in
your further studies! :)

Ryan A year ago

Amazing! Just what I've been looking for to help turn my

professional engineer self into an amateur (dare I say) physicist.

Please don't ever take this down.

Susan Fowler A year ago

Thanks Ryan! I'm glad it's helpful. Don't worry I'll be keeping
this up for a very long time :)
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