Physics recommendations?

Hiya you physicists out there!

I'm currently doing bio, maths, chem and German at AS at the moment and I'm really missing physics! :frown:

From time to time, I read back the physics stuff I did at GCSE and I just feel really sad (in a way I wish i did physics instead of german but I lvoe germana s well so *sigh*).

Anyways, I was wondering whether some of you could recommend me some books to read which will cover some of the A-level physics stuff as well? Thanks in advance! :biggrin:

Reply 1

-G-a-v-

Obvious choice seems to be any decent A-level physics text?

Alternatively why not pick up physics next year, or now if there's any possibility of you changing?

Reply 2

Formica

Feynman physics lectures?

Reply 3

Jellybabe

Were you looking for physics textbooks or physics reading? If its the former, dont bother, all the textbooks are dreary and dull, if its the latter then try some simon singh and john gribbon.

Reply 4

-G-a-v-

Jellybabe

Were you looking for physics textbooks or physics reading? If its the former, dont bother, all the textbooks are dreary and dull, if its the latter then try some simon singh and john gribbon.

It depends, some of the 'layperson' books are great reads but if you want to learn some physics, you need the foundations before you can really understand the 'gee-whizz' stuff.

Having said that, special relativity is quite easy to learn with a reasonable amount of the mathematical machinery.

Reply 5

-G-a-v-

Formica

Feynman physics lectures?

Probably not the full blown lectures for someone with only GCSE behind them. Perhaps the 'popular' slimmed down 'six easy pieces' and 'six not so easy pieces' would be more appropriate.

Reply 6

Jellybabe

-G-a-v-

Ok a good short(ish) textbook is "Physics For Today and Tomorrow" by Tom Duncan, an oldish book so doesnt have that much on lasers or quantum phenomena, but covers more topics than most A-Level syllabuses and in easy language. You can probably get it off amazon or in your library.

"Four Laws" by Peter Atkins is also a short easy read about thermodynamics.

"A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson is still one of my favourites as its very funny as well as absorbing, although it veers into too much biology near the end!

"The New World Of Mr Tompkins" is also a great read as each topic is split into two, a lecture and Mr Tompkins explanation of it, sounds odd but makes it easy to understand.

Good luck and happy reading!

Reply 7

MC REN

Novikov - River of Time is like the best book ever. Not sure how suitable it'd be for someone at GCSE level though cause I don't have it on me and can't check. It doesn't really have any maths or anything in though so it is probably okay.

It is kinda like Primo Levi - The Periodic Table in that it is semi-autobiographical, but it has more emphasis on the science than Levi (which is another excellent book btw)

Reply 8

-G-a-v-

Actually the 'Demystified' series of books are pretty good too. Might be an idea to start with 'Physics Demystified' and 'Advanced Physics Demystified' .. or maybe even 'Astronomy Demystified' as well. Mighat need a bit more maths behind you for any of the other ones (other ones being Quantum Mechanics, Relativity (note - GENERAL (not special) relativity i.e. HARD!) and others - there's maths books in the 'demystified' series though too)