A relearning experience - self study edition

[phish21]

Hi,
I graduated with an undergraduate degree in physics 16 years ago, and I would like to go back and relearn all that great knowledge that I forgot. I was thinking of the following series of books.

-Do you recommend changing the order in which I go through them?
-Do you recommend adding a book in a certain location in order to fill some gap in knowledge before hitting the next step?
-Do you recommend switching one title out for another which is a better book to self-study from?

Thanks!

1 - Newtonian Mechanics - French
1a - Calculus - Strang
2 - Intro to Mechanics - Kleppner
3 - The Feynman Lectures 1
3a - Ordinary Differential Equations - Tenenbaum
4 - Vibrations and Waves - French
5 - Fundamentals of Electricty and Magnetism - Kip
6 - Electricity and Magnetism - Purcell
7 - The Feynman Lectures 2
7a - Intro to Linear Algebra -Strang
8 - The physics of waves -Georgi
9 - Special Relativity - Faraoni
10 - The Feynman Lectures 3
11 - Principles of Quantum Mechanics 2e - Shankar - just the intro math sections
12 - Quantum Mechanics - A Paradigm Approach - McIntyre
13 - finish Shankar
14 - A First Course in General Relativity 2e - Schutz

Thanks!

 

[Frabjous]

That list is overkill. I would suggest starting with your junior mechanics, EM and QM books and see where you are after that.

 

[vanhees71]

Cancel 6 and substitute it with

M. Schwartz, Principles of Electrodynamics, Dover (1972)

He's also following the "relativity-first approach" but in a much clearer way than Purcell. Its only drawback is the use of the $\mathrm{i} c t$ convention...

The best "relativity-first" electrodynamics textbook is Landau&Lifshitz vol. 2, but that's at a more advanced level.

 

[weirdoguy]

As a person who has done dozens of such to-read lists, I have an advice - don't waste your time on making them. Just start reading first book on the list and see where it leads you.

 

[Vanadium 50]

Why don't you start with the books you already have from college?

 

[Bandersnatch]

Why don't you start with the books you already have from college?

When you're having a middle-age crisis you buy a new set of wheels, not go driving your 20 year old nugget. You don't start dating the girl you knew in college. You date a girl currently in college.

 

[Vanadium 50]

You date a girl currently in college.

I'm not going to touch that.

 

[marcusl]

I don't know. I'd like to have my old car back, and my old girlfriend, too. Maybe with a milder cam, given today's gas prices.

 

[WWGD]

I'd suggest you consolidate all your Math books into a single book on Advanced Calculus. There are plenty of good free(legit) ones out there. Edit: Unless you have some specialized areas in mind.

 

[WWGD]

I don't know. I'd like to have my old car back, and my old girlfriend, too. Maybe with a milder cam, given today's gas prices.View attachment 332123

Marcusl wants to ho back to being a highway star! ;).

 

[haushofer]

I'm not going to touch that.

No touching allowed on first dates.