3 ms·

Is this a good introduction to physics for a layman who is comfortable with linear algebra and calculus?

archgoon 10y ago
I'm not sure how many 'layman' are comfortable with Linear Algebra and Calculus ;). Give it a shot; there's a fair number of non-mathy digressions that are worth reading, and you sound like you have the background to handle the mathier parts.
- cbHXBY1D 10y ago
  Well, I mean 'layman' as one of the most common demographics on HN: someone who has a degree in CS and maths but is now a full time developer.
popobobo 10y ago
No, definitely not. Try to find some book in the topic that you are interested in. If it is electromagnetism, go for the black book with four equations printed. If it is quantum mechanics, I like the Sakurai book.
- nine_k 10y ago
  Volume 1 seems pretty accessible (I read it back in the day). Electromagnetism is much denser indeed.
- yomritoyj 10y ago
  Griffiths on Electromagnetism?
  - popobobo 10y ago
    Yeah, I like the Griffiths book. Last time I heard he is on the gre physics panel. Wonder what is he doing now.
Zanta 10y ago
Parts are and parts definitely aren't. I have a four year physics degree and found the treatment of certain sections very challenging. I would not recommend it as an introductory text
sidlls 10y ago
Yes, this series is fantastic. It offers a number of side-discussions that should also prove useful if you decide to go on to read more specialized physics material (e.g. to follow a more "traditional" academic physics curriculum).
DavidHull 10y ago
These books were created from Feynman's lectures to freshman and sophomore Caltech students. I have not looked at the books in detail, but I think that a dedicated reader who is comfortable with calculus should be able to understand them.
yomritoyj 10y ago
Definitely. But there aren't any problems and problem-solving is essential to learning physics so you need to have other textbooks at hand as well.
abecedarius 10y ago
Yes, if you supplement it with problems -- you'll have to find them elsewhere or make some up yourself. (There's a companion book of exercises recently published, not on the website, which I haven't read.) Of course different books help most for different people. This one's not the best if you want to pass a course and put it behind you. I think it's very much worth checking out if you want to be challenged and inspired to tackle problems for yourself and perhaps pick up a bit of how Feynman thought. There are very few other introductory texts by physicists of his stature: Matter and Motion by Maxwell, and, well, anything else? (Not counting popularizations; it's a fuzzy distinction, but these are securely on the textbook side.)
rerx 10y ago
As a very first physics textbook I really liked Halliday's. But I did not read very extensively back then, the focus was really on understanding and solving problems.

I'm not sure how many 'layman' are comfortable with Linear Algebra and Calculus ;). Give it a shot; there's a fair number of non-mathy digressions that are worth reading, and you sound like you have the background to handle the mathier parts.

cbHXBY1D 10y ago
Well, I mean 'layman' as one of the most common demographics on HN: someone who has a degree in CS and maths but is now a full time developer.

popobobo 10y ago

No, definitely not. Try to find some book in the topic that you are interested in. If it is electromagnetism, go for the black book with four equations printed. If it is quantum mechanics, I like the Sakurai book.

nine_k 10y ago
Volume 1 seems pretty accessible (I read it back in the day). Electromagnetism is much denser indeed.
yomritoyj 10y ago
Griffiths on Electromagnetism?
- popobobo 10y ago
  Yeah, I like the Griffiths book. Last time I heard he is on the gre physics panel. Wonder what is he doing now.

Zanta 10y ago

Parts are and parts definitely aren't. I have a four year physics degree and found the treatment of certain sections very challenging. I would not recommend it as an introductory text

sidlls 10y ago

Yes, this series is fantastic. It offers a number of side-discussions that should also prove useful if you decide to go on to read more specialized physics material (e.g. to follow a more "traditional" academic physics curriculum).

DavidHull 10y ago

These books were created from Feynman's lectures to freshman and sophomore Caltech students. I have not looked at the books in detail, but I think that a dedicated reader who is comfortable with calculus should be able to understand them.

yomritoyj 10y ago

Definitely. But there aren't any problems and problem-solving is essential to learning physics so you need to have other textbooks at hand as well.

abecedarius 10y ago

Yes, if you supplement it with problems -- you'll have to find them elsewhere or make some up yourself. (There's a companion book of exercises recently published, not on the website, which I haven't read.) Of course different books help most for different people. This one's not the best if you want to pass a course and put it behind you. I think it's very much worth checking out if you want to be challenged and inspired to tackle problems for yourself and perhaps pick up a bit of how Feynman thought. There are very few other introductory texts by physicists of his stature: Matter and Motion by Maxwell, and, well, anything else? (Not counting popularizations; it's a fuzzy distinction, but these are securely on the textbook side.)

rerx 10y ago

As a very first physics textbook I really liked Halliday's. But I did not read very extensively back then, the focus was really on understanding and solving problems.