senorcrab (u/senorcrab)

senorcrab commented on Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics · Posted by u/rramadass

aristofun · 2 months ago

Landau was Einstein+ level genius and the course was a soviet theoretical physics bible many years ago. But it’s not a good educational resource by modern standards and pretty dated.

senorcrab · 2 months ago

True it is pretty dated. OP was requesting resources that cover *all* of physics and Landau popped into mind. Is there a modern series of textbooks that offers such a broad coverage?

senorcrab commented on Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics · Posted by u/rramadass

QuadmasterXLII · 2 months ago

Roger Penrose’s (Yes that Penrose) Road to Reality is excellent. Be warned the first 382 pages are just building the mathematical foundation he needs for the second half. But if you don’t do this, you can’t really write a book about modern physics targeting undergrad math.

senorcrab · 2 months ago

Road to Reality is good to get a general overview of *everything* but I dont think you can actually learn the things he talks about. For example, the jump from calculus in R^2 to Riemannian surfaces is insane and leaves a ton out

senorcrab commented on Ask HN: Expository/Succinct Books on Modern Physics · Posted by u/rramadass

senorcrab · 2 months ago

Freshman university textbooks have what you need. Two of the most popular are:

- University Physics by Young and Freedman

- Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, Walker

- Modern Physics by Krane

You might guess that real physics is not actually in freshman textbooks, and you are right. Modern physics requires rigorous mathematics.

For a nonrigorous introduction/overview:

- The Road to Reality by Roger Penrose

If you want to actually learn almost all of physics at a high level:

- Course of Theoretical Physics by Landau

Note that Landau is extremely difficult.

If you want to learn the math needed for modern physics (topology) in the context of physics, nonrigorously:

- Geometry, Topology, and Physics by Nakahara