What Are the Best Physics Books for Non-Physicists?

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For those interested in exploring physics without formal coursework, several recommendations emerge. Popular science books are favored over traditional textbooks for a more accessible approach. "Fundamentals of Physics" by Halliday is suggested for its clear explanations and manageable math, allowing readers to focus on specific chapters of interest. Additionally, online resources like YouTube lectures and documentaries are recommended for gaining a general understanding of physics concepts. This approach caters to individuals with a background in mathematics who seek to enhance their knowledge in a flexible manner.
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I've always meant to take some physics courses and never had the time. I'm graduating this spring and going to grad school, so I won't really be able to squeeze them into my schedule, and I doubt I'll have the free time to teach myself. I would like to read up on it, though. Can you recommend any good physics books? I'm leaning towards pop sci rather than a textbook, although I've taken a fair bit of math (multivariable calc, linear algebra, etc., currently in diff eq) and can handle books with some rigor.
 
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What if you grab a book like "Fundamentals of Physics" by Halliday, pick out the chapters that interest you and read through them, it's a textbook but it has pretty long explanations and the math involved is straight forward.

Or maybe if you just just want a general idea of concepts you could watch some youtube lectures or documentaries.
 
The book is fascinating. If your education includes a typical math degree curriculum, with Lebesgue integration, functional analysis, etc, it teaches QFT with only a passing acquaintance of ordinary QM you would get at HS. However, I would read Lenny Susskind's book on QM first. Purchased a copy straight away, but it will not arrive until the end of December; however, Scribd has a PDF I am now studying. The first part introduces distribution theory (and other related concepts), which...

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