Need Some Books

[Protein]

So yeah I love science but I'm only in grade 10 and we are severely understimulated (to the point of boredom). They don't get any extra challenge to people who are actually interested in science.

 

I need some physics books mainly. Of course my math education isn't very advanced, but I'd be willing to do math on my own if it helps with any physics. I wouldn't mind some medical/biology books on bio engineering.

 

I don't know-- any recommendations?

[Mr Skeptic]

Well, you will definitely need to know plenty of maths to do physics. Trigonometry and high school algebra will do for the basic stuff, but calculus is also very useful.

 

If you like online sources, Wikipedia is surprisingly good and can include a lot of detail. Also check out the hyperphysics website. This one has a lot of short slides describing any part of physics you can think of.

[ajb]

Tenth grade, that mean you are 15 ~ 16 years old?

 

If so, you probably should be thinking of something equivalent to UK A-level science and mathematics. I have no idea what that would be outside the UK.

 

Reading popular science books is also a good idea. It will motivate you to study the subjects properly.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

Try The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. Not a textbook by any means, but it introduces you to concepts of quantum mechanics and relativity. Fascinating stuff.

[bascule]

Try The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene. Not a textbook by any means, but it introduces you to concepts of quantum mechanics and relativity. Fascinating stuff.

 

I strongly recommend this book as well. It was certainly my first introduction to some of the more advanced concepts of quantum physics.

 

If you're not afraid of the maths (like I am) try Roger Penrose's Road to Reality. That book is truly an end-to-end physics textbook, which starts by teaching you all the requisite math you need to understand the physics. It's not for the weak at heart but I'm told if you read it in its entirety you'll leave with a decent understanding of classical, quantum, and relativistic physics.

[zombieSquirrel]

If you're not afraid of the maths (like I am) try Roger Penrose's Road to Reality. That book is truly an end-to-end physics textbook, which starts by teaching you all the requisite math you need to understand the physics. It's not for the weak at heart but I'm told if you read it in its entirety you'll leave with a decent understanding of classical, quantum, and relativistic physics.

 

So it covers the entire physics spectrum? Hot dog, I'm gonna have me self a edurcation, er I mean it's sounds like something I could use. I'll have to check it out

 

I've always liked the Something or Other for Dummies books. You don't necessarily have to be a dummy.

[Genecks]

Hey, Protein.

Nice to see a person with a drive.

First off, I'd like to say something important: Do what needs to be done first.

 

In other words, make sure you focus on your studies, homework, school, and reports.

You need to do those things first. Afterward, when you have some free time, then you ought to be able to focus on extra reading and studies.

 

So, you're saying you want to study physics and mathematics?

Ok, well one of the few things you can do is take advantage of local libraries.

 

I suggest you visit a college library and/or university library.

Don't worry about the fact that you're still in high school.

If the place is a public school, they won't bother with you.

Private universities get sketchy, though, and might ask who you are.

However, I've found that most private colleges and universities don't ask about who you are and what you're up to unless the place is extremely prestigious: often times you need a guest pass to "officially" get into those places.

 

So, find your way into one of those higher places of education, visit the library, and start looking for the math and physics books. The better thing to do is talk to a librarian. Ask where those math and physics books are. From there, I suggest you grab some college algebra books, some trigonometry books, perhaps grab pre-calculus books, and then grab a few college physics books. After tackling those things, go onto calculus books and calculus-based physics books.

 

In general, you're going to want to go from college algebra to trigonometry to calculus. It might take you a while, though, because you need to focus on your schoolwork. After getting a decent ground in mathematics, move onto the physics books.

 

If you cannot find such math or physics books or if no such libraries are around, I suggest you use interlibrary loan. Go to a library and start talking to the librarian about what you want to do and the fact that you want to use interlibrary loan.

 

To clarify, get yourself past college algebra and trigonometry. From there, start studying college physics. Afterward, start studying calculus. After that, start studying calc-based physics. Some people will read and study all the way to calculus and then do calc-based physics: While doing such, they decide to pass up college physics and instead of calc-based physics. It's your choice.

 

You seem really interested in science in a biochemist kind of way. Maybe I'm not right about this. Anyway, biology books don't take too much mathematic background at first. When you start going into more advanced stuff, though, you'll want some knowledge of statistics, algebra, and calculus. So, perhaps you'll want to grab a book on microbiology. It's not too complicated, and it can be kind of fun. At best, you might want some algebra knowledge when trying to understand things, such as serial dilutions. I find that studying microbiology can give a person a quick and immediate grounding in cell biology and help the person divide into different areas that involve cellular processes. That's my opinion, though.

 

Don't be afraid to tackle these things. And don't doubt your abilities. It takes a while to get use to reading more and more advanced things, but there are always people to help.

Edited December 5, 2009 by Genecks

[bascule]

So it covers the entire physics spectrum? Hot dog, I'm gonna have me self a edurcation, er I mean it's sounds like something I could use. I'll have to check it out

 

Yes, the full title of the book is The Road to Reality : A Complete Guide to the Laws of the Universe. It's an all-in-one physics textbook.

 

I've always liked the Something or Other for Dummies books. You don't necessarily have to be a dummy.

 

I don't think this really falls into the "for Dummies" category. He'll have taught you calculus before you even begin to get to the physics.

 

Also note it's a thousand pages long and weighs nearly 4 pounds

[ajb]

I am not sure what I would call "The Road to Reality". It is a kind of hybrid popular science and text book. Not for the faint-hearted. I would recommend it, but not as a starting point.

[Protein]

Does anyone know if the Southwestern Volume Libararies are any good for learning math/physics from? I happen to have a full volume from a few years back.

[A Tripolation]

Not for the faint-hearted. I would recommend it, but not as a starting point.

 

So what qualifications does one need? A good grasp of basic calculus and classical physics? Or must I be familiar with some concepts of modern physics as well?

[ajb]

So what qualifications does one need? A good grasp of basic calculus and classical physics? Or must I be familiar with some concepts of modern physics as well?

 

I think that having some idea of basic mathematics and having some overview of modern physics would help enormously.

 

I am not sure who the book is intended for. It probably is not in depth enough on any particular subject to be a text book, but if far too involved to be a popular science book.