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Introduction to Mechanics

  • University Physics with Modern Physics by Young and Freedman (essential). Work through all of the “Mechanics” chapters (in my edition, these are chapters 1-14). This is the best introductory book I’ve found, and you can use it when you learn electrostatics and modern physics, too. It does a great job of introducing the relevant mathematics, but you’ll need to be learning calculus alongside it. There are plenty of great example problems to work through, and the solutions are easy to find online (though you can also buy a Student Solutions Manual). Please note that you don’t need to spend $250 on the new edition — Amazon has lots of copies of the 12th edition, the 13th edition, and the 14th edition that contain the same material.
  • You’ll need to learn calculus while working through University Physics. My favorite introductory calculus book is Thomas’ Calculus (you can also use the earlier editions), with Stewart’s Calculus(older edition here) coming in as a close second. Work through each chapter, and make sure you can solve problems at the end of each chapter before continuing to the next.

Electrostatics

Keep working through the calculus textbooks (Thomas or Stewart) while you work through the basics of electrostatics, but you should finish them by the time you finish the electromagnetism chapters in University Physics. You absolutely must understand the basics of calculus before you move on to the other topics in physics.

Waves and Vibrations

By this point, you should have finished the introductory calculus books and are ready to move on to more advanced mathematics. You should start working through Zill’s Advanced Engineering Mathematics, which is a thorough introduction to more advanced topics in mathematics (linear algebra, complex analysis, real analysis, partial differential equations, and ordinary differential equations). The topics in this book are essential — once you master them, you’ll have all the math you need to know in order to understand undergraduate physics. You can also buy the (cheaper) 4th and 5th editions.

Modern Physics

Continue working through Zill’s Advanced Engineering Mathematics. Once you have mastered all of the topics in this book, you’ll have all the math you need to know in order to understand undergraduate physics.

Classical Mechanics

If you haven’t finished working through Zill by now, you should master the topics in it by the time you finish studying classical mechanics.

Electrodynamics

Quantum Mechanics

Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

Undergraduate Electives

Now that you understand all of the fundamentals of undergraduate physics, you have a solid foundation and can study more advanced and specialized topics

대학원

Mathematical Methods in Physics

Electrodynamics

  • Classical Electrodynamics by Jackson (essential). This is the bible of classical electrodynamics, and everyone who works through either loves it or hates it (I loved it). If you can master everything in this book and work through a decent selection of the problems, you’ll have mastered electrodynamics.

Quantum Mechanics

  • Sakurai’s Modern Quantum Mechanics (essential). This is my favorite textbook on quantum mechanics, and the one I used to learn quantum mechanics for the very first time. It’s a wonderful, elegant, simple book with clear and understandable problems. Try to work through all of the problems — if you do, you’ll understand quantum mechanics very well.
  • Quantum Mechanics and Path Integrals by Feynman (essential). Sakurai’s coverage of Feynman’s Path Integral formalism of quantum mechanics doesn’t do it justice. Working through this text (written by Feynman himself) is not only useful, but incredibly fun.
  • The Principles of Quantum Mechanics by Dirac (supplement). Dirac was one of the founding fathers of quantum mechanics and quantum field theory. This book is important historically, and also will open your eyes to the need for quantum field theory.
  • Principles of Quantum Mechanics by Shankar (supplement). A great supplement to Sakurai for more information about each topic. A bit too dense to serve as a primary text, it works best as an addition or reference.
  • Decoherence and the Appearance of a Classical World in Quantum Theory (supplement). This book is very dense and you may not understand all of it even after working through Sakurai, but understanding decoherence is essential to understanding how the classical world arises from the quantum.
  • The Everett Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics: Collected Works 1955-1980 (supplement). Very few books have been written on interpretations of quantum mechanics, and reading through this volume helps to understand the limitations of our interpretations as well as the complexities and details of Everett’s Many-Worlds interpretation.

Statistical Mechanics

  • Statistical Mechanics by Pathria and Beale (essential). This book is, admittedly, a bit frustrating, but it’s worth suffering through because if you make it all the way to the end and work through the majority of the problems, you’ll know stat mech like the back of your hand.
  • Huang’s Statistical Mechanics (supplementary). This is a great book to supplement the main text — is a good bridge between undergraduate stat mech and Pathria.

General Relativity

  • Spacetime and Geometry by Carroll (essential). This is the book on general relativity, and Carroll does a phenomenal job of introducing the essentials of differential geometry and general relativity.
  • Einstein Gravity in a Nutshell by Zee (supplement). A great, accessible overview.
  • Wald’s General Relativity (supplement). Wald’s book is a very abstract, high-level overview of general relativity, and makes a great supplement to Carroll’s book. Go to Carroll for the overview, look it up in Wald for the high-level abstractions, and then look in the apple book for the dirty details.
  • Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler (supplement). Also known as the “apple book” thanks to the apple gracing its cover, this book goes into the nitty-gritty details of general relativity in ways that no other book does.
  • Weinberg’s Gravitation and Cosmology (supplement). Weinberg is one of those rare physicists who has not only been at the forefront of every major field in physics, but has written about each of them as well. His books tend to be inaccessible to beginners, however, and this book is no exception. It does make a good supplementary reading, but I’d advise reading it after you’ve worked through the rest.
  • Differential Geometry of Curves and Surfaces by Manfredo P. do Carmo (supplement). The classic differential geometry textbook; may be useful to help you wrap your head around differential geometry.

Quantum Field Theory

  • Zee’s Quantum Field Theory in a Nutshell (essential). This is my favorite physics book of all time, and the most beautiful introduction to QFT ever written. You’ll walk away understanding the basics of QFT and with a deep understanding of the fundamental nature of the universe.
  • An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by Peskin and Schroeder (essential). This is the bible of QFT, but its far too terse and encyclopedic to work through on its own and must be studied alongside Zee. Covers everything you could possibly want to know about QFT. Try to work through the problems, but be aware that mastery of QFT will take a very, very long time.
  • Weinberg’s The Quantum Theory of Fields, Volume 1 (supplement). Another great volume by Weinberg, who was one of the most important physicists in the history of particle physics. This book should be used only as a supplement, and preferably not read until Zee and Peskin and Schroeder have been completed. It’s not a book to learn from, but one to gain additional understanding of QFT through after you’ve mastered all of the basics.
  • Lie Algebras in Particle Physics by Georgi (supplement). This dives into the details of Lie Algebras in QFT.

Graduate Electives