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Decent Physics Books

Hey

Can any of you recommend any physics books which will help me "read around the subject". Iv read Who Shot Schrodinger's Cat but i found that in places its rather too advanced for me as iv only just finished my as levels. So any suggestions?

Thanks

Reply 1

jpowell

Any of the popular books by Feynman, Paul Davies, or Briane Greene.

Reply 2

fonzievision

jpowell

Any of the popular books by Feynman, Paul Davies, or Briane Greene.

Brian Greene is fab. Love that guy.

Reply 3

Maya

I don't really see any point to reading those type of books (except maybe the Feynman), i'd look on sites like physicsweb.org instead.

Reply 4

-G-a-v-

tomrob

Which bits of physics are you most interested in at the minute? That might give you a bit of an idea of where to start looking :smile:

Reply 5

Jordan7

well im most interested in astrophysics however i have found very few books on amazon etc tht cover this area.

Reply 6

LORDDEATH

tomrob

well im most interested in astrophysics however i have found very few books on amazon etc tht cover this area.

Any book by Martin Rees will then be right up your alley way. I'd recommend "Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe", but I'm sure other books would be great aswell (that is, by Martin Rees).

Reply 7

MissSurfer

If you like astrophysics have a look at A Brief History of Time by S.Hawking.. although when I read this (at the end of GCSEs) I found it too hard, so I've just read A BriefER History of Time' (a slightly easier version but not too simple) and that was really good.

Go for it :smile:

Reply 8

poer

MissSurfer

IMO BHoT isn't a great book to be reading, it doesn't cover any topics in enough detail to understand them (unless of course you already know the material.)

My favourite popsci book at the moment is: "Three Roads to Quantum Gravity" by Lee Smolin. A truly terrific read, some ideas are quite complex but it is explained in a way that is totally approachable. I make a habit of noting down any interesting analogies or concepts in a "scrap book" when I'm reading books, with this one I found I was writing things down every few sentences!

I look forward to starting "Not Even Wrong" by Peter Woit next. :smile:

These aren't really astrophysics though so I apologise... I did pick up a book in a charity shop the other day called: "The Last Three Minutes" by Paul Davies. It's about the ultimate fate of the universe and reads quite well (but i haven't read it yet, it's only a short one though shouldn't take more than an afternoon.)

Reply 9

Robob

poer

I look forward to starting "Not Even Wrong" by Peter Woit next. :smile:

Ohhh, I got that book recently and have just started to read it, it seems really good, and gives a different perspective on string theory :smile:

Reply 10

Jordan7

poer

They don't specifically have to be astrophysics so thanks for your other suggestions. I jus want some physics books which are interesting and easy to understand. I am most interested in astrophysics but thats not say that ther arent other areas of physics which interest me..so nething realli.

Reply 11

MissSurfer

I've started making brief notes (like one A4 sheet for a book.. if you write small anyway!) too, it's a good idea. Especially if you're like me and put a book down for a week at a time and then can't remember what you last read!

Reply 12

smileinregret

If you're interested in the evolution of the universe read Stardust: Supernovae and Life - The Cosmic Connection by John Gribbin. Also I'd recommend, as people have said, anything by Paul Davies (I read The Last Three Minutes and loved it) and Brian Greene. Just go into Waterstones and look for the popular science section - there's loads of good books you can pick up there, and you can browse through them first to see if they're what you're looking for. Oh and of course, you can't not read A Brief History Of Time.

Reply 13

63fill

I've read Brief History of Time, and Universe in a Nutshell, both of which I found excellent at giving an overal impression of the areas they cover without always diving in too deep into the material. I thought some of the explanations they gave were really good and it paved the way to delve in deeper into them. I've also read a couple of books on relativity, including Einsteins one, which I find really interesting, but had one of my teachers not taught me a bit about first, I probably would have found quite daunting. As has been said before you can't go wrong with Feynman. I found his character of physical law a very good overview, and I've been trying to read the first volume of his lecture series. This is more mathematical than any other book I've tried to read around the subject, and deals mainly in classical mechanics and up to where I am, some optics and wave behaviour. I've been assured that the series is sufficent to cope with pretty much all uni courses, which is a relief seeing how long its taking me to read it. Anyway, to try and make a point out of this ramble, BHot and UiaN are good overall reads, feynmans shorter books are really good provided you get one going over ground you are comfortable with, and if you can't find a book that appeals to you, theres always good stuff online to read.