Thread: Physics Book Reccomendations

I'm currently studying A-Level Physics (and maths) and I would like some book reccomendations from some "in the know" people on here- as I need probably around 3 physics books to state that I've read to boost my UCAS Personal Statement to get into a university to do an astrophysics degree; and I also, obviously, want to read them out of interest and fascination in the subject of physics!

Currently I am reading:

1) "The Trouble With Physics" by Prof. Lee Smolin (a quantum gravity theorist).

2) "Why does E = mc²?" by Prof. Brian Cox and Prof. Jeff Forshaw.

So, I need another book to read around the subject of physics (or another few in case I want to replace one of the two above with others to put on my personal statement).

I came up with a few ideas:

- "A brief history of time" by Prof. Stephen Hawking.

- "The Feynmann Lectures on Physics".

However, the problem I have with the former is it might just be too brief and not in enough detail for my level. And the problem I have with the latter is that it may be too complicated for my current level of study- maybe someone could tell me how complicated it is and the mathematical and physics requirements for understanding the majority of it.

Thanks in advance!

The Feynman's at Caltech just uses differenciation and integration, a few partial derivatives equations. Plain vanilla.
What is far more criticizable is that he accepted "as is" the common delirium of cross product, and making the students believe that the magnetic field and the rotational in fluid mechanics should be of vectorial nature.

No excuses.

My colleagues asked me to condense as a vademecum for physics teachers, the course for teaching these geometrical beings.
As Albert Einstein at his first conference in Princeton, in 1921, began the work (giving explicitly the nine coordinates of a magnetic field tensor), but never achieved it for the teachers, i did it.

You'll find it at http://www.deonto-ethics.org/geom_sy...?title=Accueil.
I'll accept any contribution for setting up an english version. I will not write alone an english version.

Any other recommendations? Is Hawking's "Brief History of Time" a good read? Or is it too basic as I'm worried about?

I've lately become disenchanted with popularizations. I do have a book titled The World Treasury of Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics. It's a compilation of works from relatively famous figures in these three science's. A sample of some of the names is Feynman, Gamow, Einstein, Dirac, Planck, Asimov, Russel, Sagan, Hawking, Hubble, Turing, and I already read a piece by Madame Curie.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/031...sr=8-1&seller=

Originally Posted by J.C. Lavau

The Feynman's at Caltech just uses differenciation and integration, a few partial derivatives equations. Plain vanilla.
What is far more criticizable is that he accepted "as is" the common delirium of cross product, and making the students believe that the magnetic field and the rotational in fluid mechanics should be of vectorial nature.

No excuses.

My colleagues asked me to condense as a vademecum for physics teachers, the course for teaching these geometrical beings.
As Albert Einstein at his first conference in Princeton, in 1921, began the work (giving explicitly the nine coordinates of a magnetic field tensor), but never achieved it for the teachers, i did it.

You'll find it at http://www.deonto-ethics.org/geom_sy...?title=Accueil.
I'll accept any contribution for setting up an english version. I will not write alone an english version.

Rubbish.

This is just nuts.

Originally Posted by x(x-y)

Any other recommendations? Is Hawking's "Brief History of Time" a good read? Or is it too basic as I'm worried about?

A Brief History of Time is a popularization of cosmology. It is simple in that essentially no mathematics is used. It is complex in that the details of the work that just described in the book involve very deep mathematics.

Such is the nature of popularizations. As popularizations go it is one of the better ones. Hawking's more recent popularizations are not nearly as good.

The Feynman Lectures on Physics are the lectures from a freshman-sophomore physics class at Cal Tech from the early 1960's. They are real physics, and extraordinarily well done. They will serve you well for many years.

Ignore Lavau's comments. He doesn't know what he is talking about.

Ok, that's very helpful. Thanks. And, the Feynman lectures on physics books seem quite expensive (there is a box set of them on Amazon)- is it worth getting them all?

Originally Posted by DrRocket

Rubbish.

This is just nuts.


Ignore Lavau's comments. He doesn't know what he is talking about.

Good ! Direct to the Museum of Science-Faking Frauds :
http://deonto-ethics.org/impostures/...pic,281.0.html
Thank you for your generous contribution to the Museum of howlers, pseudo "DrRocket" !

All these charlatans have in common a pyramidal narcissism, they have never learned to recognize and correct their mistakes, never learned to process disillusions, and stay addict to fight-and-fly regression. They fly forward in raging civil wars : hopeless cases, alas.
See Florian for instance at :
http://www.thescienceforum.com/plate...ics-28744t.php
http://www.thescienceforum.com/Were-...tor-20677t.php
Hopeless cases, alas.

Originally Posted by J.C. Lavau

Originally Posted by DrRocket

Rubbish.

This is just nuts.


Ignore Lavau's comments. He doesn't know what he is talking about.

Good ! Direct to the Museum of Science-Faking Frauds :
http://deonto-ethics.org/impostures/...pic,281.0.html
Thank you for your generous contribution to the Museum of howlers, pseudo "DrRocket" !

.

So you post a link to your personal rant on another forum and that makes it true? Gimme a break. On the board I moderated, you would have been banned or "vacationed" for that.

Also note that in the forum you linked to, you are talking to yourself. It's tougher when people respond, ain't it?

If you have the guts, defend yourself here.

Originally Posted by MeteorWayne

Originally Posted by J.C. Lavau

Originally Posted by DrRocket

Rubbish.

This is just nuts.


Ignore Lavau's comments. He doesn't know what he is talking about.

Good ! Direct to the Museum of Science-Faking Frauds :
http://deonto-ethics.org/impostures/...pic,281.0.html
Thank you for your generous contribution to the Museum of howlers, pseudo "DrRocket" !

.

So you post a link to your personal rant on another forum and that makes it true? Gimme a break. On the board I moderated, you would have been banned or "vacationed" for that.

Also note that in the forum you linked to, you are talking to yourself. It's tougher when people respond, ain't it?

If you have the guts, defend yourself here.

If you were able to debate in the scientific discipline, you would have debated.
Please show where you acted so ?
Please explain why the only ways you used up to now are those of civil war ?

My prediction is (and I wished it will be wrong, but it will not) that you will continue to fly forward in more and more acts of civil war.
So is your "scientific" education. Congratulations !

What the hell are you babbling on about?

Oh, let my copy your style...

If you were able to debate scientifically you would. But apparently you can't.
Please show where you have. (Don't waste your time looking too hard)
Please explain what the term civil war has to do with a discussion of science.

And you sir, are not civil, nor particularly coherent.

And as for what this is supposed to mean:
"My prediction is (and I wished it will be wrong, but it will not) that you will continue to fly forward in more and more acts of civil war.
So is your "scientific" education. Congratulations !"

I thank you for the congratulations, and would like Ranch dressing.

Thanx

Wayne

Originally Posted by x(x-y)

to get into a university to do an astrophysics degree
...

Ok, that's very helpful. Thanks. And, the Feynman lectures on physics books seem quite expensive (there is a box set of them on Amazon)- is it worth getting them all?

If your career plan is realistic - and I cannot evaluate it from here - then the Mechanics and the Electromagnetics books of Feynman are a very sane investment.
The third tome is more wrinkled.