Ask HN: Best basic to advanced Physics book(s)? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Best basic to advanced Physics book(s)?

I wanted to go through basics of Physics upto undergrad level. I was wondering if there are any books or a series of books that you would recommend?

Bonus points for books which have real world applications along with the concepts.

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There are a lot of books, and online courses. Given the breadth of topics in undergrad physics, may I suggest materials from MIT Open Courseware?

https://ocw.mit.edu/

My theory is that you can get a sequence of courses, or at least the materials for them, that are consistent.

I know this doesn't really answer your book request, but by perusing the online courseware, you might get an idea of which books are recommended, and maybe even contact the instructors.

It's a lot to tackle on one's own, (I tried, with some grad level physics. Ouch) so I hope you can find a physics grad to help you over the rough spots.

Eager to see what others recommend.

Can wholeheartedly recommend https://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu/I_toc.html

Also, Physics Teaching for the 21st Century from UBC is a solid starter point regarding the applied aspects https://c21.phas.ubc.ca/article/heat-engines-in-the-real-wor...

Hi I am Textbook Master. There are 2 books that fit your desire. You can just read from first page to the back without doing any exercise and appreciate the physical world. Which none of (literally) other books can provide the same experience.

1. Conceptual Physics

High school level. Talk about physics concepts and their manifestation in daily life/the world around us.

2. Matter and Interaction

Non standard college level physics that fuse contemporary advancement on theory into old school classical physics. There is no rough transition from classical to modern physics in this book since authors successfully merged both in the same narration.

I have had this on my bookmark for a very long time. I didn't pursue physics as an undergrad but had a few of the books for my physics and chemistry courses. I can definitely recommend this guide. Perhaps I will follow this guide and pursue studying physics just as a hobby someday.