Self-Taught Physics

Bayou Tiger

Hey, everyone. I just found this board tonight, and I would definitely appreciate some insight on physics reference and learning materials.

Can anybody recommend a good self-taught book (or set of books) for physics? Recently I renewed an interest in physics (as kind of a hobby), and I am looking for something more rigorous than an introductory college text. For now, I would like to focus strictly on classical physics to review, reinforce, and fill in some of the gaps at an intermediate level. Hopefully there is something available with a good blend of conceptual and mathematical. Any ideas?

Backgroud
- Full-time engineer
- BS in Eng, currently working on MS
- Intro physics, circuits, materials, statics, dynamics in college (math up to partial differentials with some vector calc)
- Intuitive thinker but like to calibrate intuition with equations

Thanks in advance!

Pyrrhus

Goldstein's Classical Mechanics and/or Mechanics by Landau & Lif****z

juvenal

Check out the Harvard intermediate classical mechanics class:

Current:

http://www.courses.fas.harvard.edu/%7Ephys151/

A different year:

http://huhepl.harvard.edu/~masahiro/phys151/

EinsteinEra

Mechanics: Goldstein Classical Mechanics (2nd edition or less), then Lanczos' Variational Principles.

Thermodynamics: Zemansky Thermodynamics (4th ed) and Howard Reiss' Methods of Thermodynamics

Statistical mechanics: Hill's introductory book

Electrodynamics: Arthur Kip's electricity and magnetism.

Quantum Mechanics: Resnick and Eisberg's Quantum mechanics of molecules, particles, etc.

Relativity: Hartle's relativity


After this intermediate stage, move on to the Landau's series.

EinsteinEra

Also, forget about enrolling in a physics course in the university.
Great minds learn best by self-teaching.

Universities serve little purpose beyond granting degrees and PhDs.

jtbell

Dude, the post preceding yours in this thread was more than six years ago!!!