Best books?

[Deesk06]

Hi, I am new here! So excited to be apart of this. I currently am in college studying biochem! Although, I love science as a whole! except math isn't my favorite or my strongest, but I can deal with it!

 

Anyways, I came onto the astronomy and cosmology to ask what books are best to read about the universe! This can be everything from actually physics to the stars. I am looking for a book that kind of has it all, or at least some you all can recommend.

 

I am really more so looking for a book where I can LEARN, and educate myself. I'm not looking for a textbook, like they use in school. Nor am I looking for a "novel". I want a book to read that has info/theories where I can learn and better educate myself about everything around us.

 

I am kind of a science junkie. I want to start off with the universe, then slowly get smaller after that, and head to earth! Read and learn about biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, organism, organ, tissue, cell, organelles, macromolecules, molecules... You get the gist, levels in the heiarchy of life! I wanna learn it ALL...just so very intrigued by life and the complexities around us!

[Mordred]

Well I'm a firm believer that the textbooks are the best resource compared to Pop media books.

 

A couple of good low math level books is "Barbera Rydens "Introductory to Cosmology"

 

As well as Matt Roose "Introductory to Cosmology"

[Deesk06]

Looked them up, they seem perfect. More so because I am still learning in school, and I have barely touched anything about physics, so a beginners book is more for me. I want to be introduced to everything, which these books seem to do!

[Mordred]

They have a decent coverage without being too intense into GR metrics.

 

If you look at my signature the webpage there has some good study material. Including a couple of free textbooks.

 

Another older textbook that's handy for a first read is Weinburgs "First three minutes" it's a bit outdated but still excellent on the basics

[kisai]

 

 

I am really more so looking for a book where I can LEARN, and educate myself. I'm not looking for a textbook, like they use in school.

 

Unfortunately, you can only learn scientific concepts superficially without learning the mathematics behind it. That's what's stopping everyone from suddenly becoming a scientific genius.

 

You can try Susskind's lectures at http://theoreticalminimum.com/ I've only been casually watching the first one and he does a lot to try to smooth over the math involved.

Edited March 5, 2016 by kisai

[tantalus]

Hi, I am new here! So excited to be apart of this. I currently am in college studying biochem! Although, I love science as a whole! except math isn't my favorite or my strongest, but I can deal with it!

 

Anyways, I came onto the astronomy and cosmology to ask what books are best to read about the universe! This can be everything from actually physics to the stars. I am looking for a book that kind of has it all, or at least some you all can recommend.

 

I am really more so looking for a book where I can LEARN, and educate myself. I'm not looking for a textbook, like they use in school. Nor am I looking for a "novel". I want a book to read that has info/theories where I can learn and better educate myself about everything around us.

 

I am kind of a science junkie. I want to start off with the universe, then slowly get smaller after that, and head to earth! Read and learn about biosphere, ecosystem, community, population, organism, organ, tissue, cell, organelles, macromolecules, molecules... You get the gist, levels in the heiarchy of life! I wanna learn it ALL...just so very intrigued by life and the complexities around us!

I would recommend A brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking ad Leonard Mlodinow. It is actually very short and concise and and provides an overview of many of the key issues studied and discussed by physicists over the last century. It is remarkably accessible given the difficulty of the subject matter.

Edited March 5, 2016 by tantalus

[Sirona]

+ for A Brief History of Time

I also found From Eternity to Here by Sean Carroll accessible and entertaining; it covers a range of the important modern concepts in physics. It is a 'popular science' book, but it does delve quite deeply into complex areas such as quantum mechanics. You mentioned math isn't your strongest or favourite subject and there is very little math in this book.

I recently read The Hidden Reality by Greene and thought this was another great one for us dilettante but probably too simple for the physicists here, but the examples were clear (although some of his analogies bizarre). My only problem with this one was that is was a little too philosophical with a bit too much speculation for my liking.

[imatfaal]

I would recommend A brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking ad Leonard Mlodinow. It is actually very short and concise and and provides an overview of many of the key issues studied and discussed by physicists over the last century. It is remarkably accessible given the difficulty of the subject matter.

 

A Brief History of Time was by just Hawking - it is the updated Briefer History which had the collaboration with Mlodinow. I think that Hawking - whilst an excellent writer and better theoretician - makes too many unsupportable analogies and easily grasped but fundamentally flawed heuristics (Brian Greene too). I would probably recommend Chad Orzel's Dog books as the best introductions at a pop-sci level.

[Deesk06]

Do you believe reading those three books(a briefer history of time, From eternity to here, and The hidden reality) would all be great to read by themselves? Meaning can I read all 3 and get different info from each, or should I read one to get that basic understanding?

 

Anyone keep recommending books! I would rather have reccomend ones! Than try and pick my own out! I guess that couldn't hurt me either. But recommended books are the best!