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What’s the name of that textbook? It sounds really interesting. Isaac Asimov wrote a couple books that follow the narrative of science from the beginnings up u
by augustusseizure 2y ago
What’s the name of that textbook? It sounds really interesting.
Isaac Asimov wrote a couple books that follow the narrative of science from the beginnings up until the 80s or so, which I highly recommend. One is called Atom and is more focused on how we got to our “present” understanding of particles. There’s also one that takes a broader view, it’s something like History of Science (? not at my bookshelf right now).
There’s several books in this genre for math as well. IMO it’s a much better structure for pedagogy since we can piggy back the education on our natural wiring to care about narrative and mystery/puzzles.
- ghastmaster 2y agoYou're referring to The History of Physics. An excellent read for a budding mind. Asimov was incredibly talented.
- owyn 2y agoI was looking at my parent's bookshelf and saw a book on Shakespeare and I recognized the author's name: Asimov! https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimov's_Guide_to_Shakespeare https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asimov's_Guide_to_Shakespeare It's like 800 pages, I haven't read it but I think I'll keep that one. Seems like it might be hard to find another physical copy. He was definitely prolific on a number of topics.
- lIl-IIIl 2y agoNot surprising! "Asimov was so prolific and diverse in his writing that his books span all major categories of the Dewey Decimal Classification except for category 100, philosophy and psychology" - from his Wikipedia page.
- dotancohen 2y agoHe was also incredibly talented in phrasing ideas so that they stick in the reader's mind. I am right now sitting next to a dog Asimov named after him.
- hammock 2y agoUnderstanding Physics? https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41819.Understanding_Physics https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41819.Understanding_Phys...
- lIl-IIIl 2y agoHis book "Understanding Physics" is amazing. Similar in spirit to Petzold's "Code" that is often praised on HN.
- albrewer 2y agoThere's a youtube channel called "Kathy Loves Physics & History"[0] that goes over all these things in video form. [0]: https://www.youtube.com/@Kathy_Loves_Physics https://www.youtube.com/@Kathy_Loves_Physics
- bookofjoe 2y agoAlso, George Gamow's work is exemplary in making complex ideas understandable. See, for example: >One, Two, Three... Infinity: Facts and Speculations of Science (1947) https://www.amazon.com/One-Two-Three-Infinity-Speculations/dp/0486256642/ref=sr_1_1?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7_Wmly6UDw4pQzS91HRUWsavk2TMJN6QgXAflFBlimTbpc7112ociw2pQsL-ry0IoW1zxUiYdMV5PqCn-tSblZepGv12Leg6MqUaXyJlByJEof5820r5f1IPG1yoffLP8CDfWsmHwPuE6GTGozC27SXETnZcZeSxdVmu8F3lK0NXTIhFiESkFz7b84rLOUU2TFnGMXeZEX1Bm38b6ZO2adj-awdutEtCjRjRSEqTBQc.DrgsLEqe5a6DCKo4a_Po2TWtfAIXncSr6_YgBKwcTyk&dib_tag=se&qid=1727190357&refinements=p_27%3AGeorge+Gamow&s=books&sr=1-1 https://www.amazon.com/One-Two-Three-Infinity-Speculations/d... PDF: https://archive.org/details/OneTwoThreeInfinity_158 https://archive.org/details/OneTwoThreeInfinity_158 .......................... >Thirty Years that Shook Physics: The Story of Quantum Theory (1966) https://www.amazon.com/Thirty-Years-that-Shook-Physics/dp/048624895X/ref=sr_1_2?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7_Wmly6UDw4pQzS91HRUWsavk2TMJN6QgXAflFBlimTbpc7112ociw2pQsL-ry0IoW1zxUiYdMV5PqCn-tSblZepGv12Leg6MqUaXyJlByJEof5820r5f1IPG1yoffLP8CDfWsmHwPuE6GTGozC27SXETnZcZeSxdVmu8F3lK0NXTIhFiESkFz7b84rLOUU2TFnGMXeZEX1Bm38b6ZO2adj-awdutEtCjRjRSEqTBQc.DrgsLEqe5a6DCKo4a_Po2TWtfAIXncSr6_YgBKwcTyk&dib_tag=se&qid=1727190357&refinements=p_27%3AGeorge+Gamow&s=books&sr=1-2 https://www.amazon.com/Thirty-Years-that-Shook-Physics/dp/04... PDF: https://archive.org/details/ThirtyYearsThatShookPhysics-TheBirthOfQuantamTheory https://archive.org/details/ThirtyYearsThatShookPhysics-TheB...