Top Physics Authorities and their Must-Read Books: Hawking, Greene, and More!

[BIGBANGSingh]

Physics "Authorities"

Who are the current "authorities" in the field of physics, and what books have they written (preferably comprehensive)? Right now I can think of Stephen Hawking w/ "The Universe in a Nutshell," & Brian Greene w/ "The Elegant Universe." Please continue to add to this list...

 

[chroot]

I don't generally call either of those fellows "authorities." Real physics has nothing to do with paperback pop-sci books.

- Warren

 

[jcsd]

I completely disagree with you Chroot, the Brief History of Time was first issued as a hardback not a paperback (actually if anyone has the first edition of this book, due to it's limited print run it's worth a lot more than you would of thought).

Stephen Hawking is very respected in cosmology especially quantum cosmology, though most physicists think that Brief History of Time isn't up to much even as a pop-sci book.

Brain Greene's hardly a physics giant, but I'm not sure how well he's respected in his field -string theory.

 

[BIGBANGSingh]

Unfortunately, I'm looking for comprehensive books. So then, who are the most respected authors in the physics field?

 

[chroot]

I don't know what you mean by 'comprehensive,' but I assume you mean 'technical.' Some of the best textbooks around are:

Fundamentals of Physics by Halliday, Resnick, and Walker
Modern Quantum Mechanics by J. J. Sakurai
Quarks and Leptons by Halzen and Martin
Introduction to Quantum Mechanics by Griffiths
Introduction to Elementary Particles by Griffiths
Introduction to Electrodynamics by Griffiths
Mathematical Methods of Physics by Matthews and Walker
Spacetime Physics by Taylor and Wheeler
General Relativity by Wald
Gravitation by Misner, Thorne and Wheeler
Lectures on Physics by Feynman

etc., etc.

- Warren

 

[Integral]

Chroot,
LOL, that looks like the list I was thinging about, Perhaps you should add Jackson in the ElectroMagnetism list.

 

[eNtRopY]

LOL at Chroot!

All you did was copy a list of popular physics textbook authors. The real physics authorities are the ones publishing papers in scientific journals. Read arXiv.org every day for three months. After a while you'll start to realize who knows their sh:t.

eNtRopY

 

[selfAdjoint]

But physics doesn't really bow down to authority anyway. Saying Witten, Ashtekar, or [name your own hero] doesn't say either what the physics community currently agrees on or what is currently going on in research.

So many cranks (present company excepted) think they have to refute Einstein, when what they really have to refute is current-day relativity. Same with Darwin. Finding an embarrassing quote from the great man doesn't affect current science at all.

 

[Mr. Robin Parsons]

Wouldn't the "Authorities", in physics, be the consensus of the persons, working/publishing, in the physics communities?

 

[chroot]

Originally posted by eNtRopY
LOL at Chroot!

All you did was copy a list of popular physics textbook authors. The real physics authorities are the ones publishing papers in scientific journals. Read arXiv.org every day for three months. After a while you'll start to realize who knows their sh:t.

eNtRopY

I'm aware. However, BIGBANGSingh asked for authors of books. Perhaps you should take the time to read the thread.

- Warren

 

[jeff]

Originally posted by BIGBANGSingh
Please continue to add to this list...

Make me.