Any texts on the pleasure of studying physics?

[Master Wayne]

As a hobbyist, studying physics is deeply pleasurable. Yet, I never seem to find anyone discussing this? Discussions on the merits of learning physics always focus on its practical utilites. Are you aware of any books or articles where physicists discuss the deep pleasures that come from studying physics? Only thing that comes to mind is The Pleasure of Finding Things Out.

 

[Frabjous]

I think that you will want to look at autobiographical writings. Feynman wrote other autobiographical stuff. Everyone has their personal favorites.

I will recommend Magnets by Francis Bitter.

While it does not quite meet your request, if your library has A Cultural History of Physics by Simonyi, it is worth a gander.

 

[bob012345]

As a hobbyist, studying physics is deeply pleasurable. Yet, I never seem to find anyone discussing this? Discussions on the merits of learning physics always focus on its practical utilites. Are you aware of any books or articles where physicists discuss the deep pleasures that come from studying physics? Only thing that comes to mind is The Pleasure of Finding Things Out.

A good book on the history of the development of physics can draw the reader into the joy of discovery. I have enjoyed over the years books by Timothy Ferris, Carl Sagan and Feynman of course, there are too many to count. What kind of physics are you most interested in?

 

[Master Wayne]

I think that you will want to look at autobiographical writings. Feynman wrote other autobiographical stuff. Everyone has their personal favorites.

I will recommend Magnets by Francis Bitter.

While it does not quite meet your request, if your library has A Cultural History of Physics by Simonyi, it is worth a gander.

Thanks for the tips! I've read everything by Feynman. Haven't read Magnets or Simonyi, will add them to the list.

 

[Master Wayne]

A good book on the history of the development of physics can draw the reader into the joy of discovery. I have enjoyed over the years books by Timothy Ferris, Carl Sagan and Feynman of course, there are too many to count. What kind of physics are you most interested in?

True! I'm interested in all kinds of physics, but what I love the most is going deep on a topic and then returning to everyday life and seeing everything differently. I spent a couple of weeks on an almost altered state of consciousness after my first time learning about relativity. I always feel distinctly different during the day after a night of amateur astronomy, can't seem to shake the views of far away galaxies while sitting in traffic.

I'm always surprised by the unbelievable things uncovered in the last 120 years, how 99.9% of the world is unaware of these things and how life changing it can be to learn about them. Yet everything I find about the joys of physics focuses mostly on how it "exercises your brain", allows you to "understand technology" or some BS like that. Never found anyone speaking eloquently about how learning physics can fundamentally alter your experience of everyday life.

 

[bob012345]

What boggles my mind wrt Relativity is just how slow the speed of light is! You can see the sun as an object in the sky with your own eyes (indirectly, of course) but it takes over eight minutes for the light to get from the surface of the sun into your eyes. On the human scale I am used to the idea the speed of light is essentially infinite but it's really slow compared to the scale of the universe.

 

[Vanadium 50]

What boggles my mind wrt Relativity is just how slow the speed of light is!

How fast do you think it should be?

 

[bob012345]

How fast do you think it should be?

My statement was about human perceptions and I do not wish to get into a debate about what the speed of light should be. It is what it is.

 

[gmax137]

it's really slow compared to the scale of the universe

Well it is fast, in the sense that there is nothing faster... so really your observation might be better stated, "the universe is really big"

 

[bob012345]

Well it is fast, in the sense that there is nothing faster... so really your observation might be better stated, "the universe is really big"

I do not wish to change my observation because that is not what struck me. I'm just saying the fastest speed possible seems surprisingly slow to me.

 

[romsofia]

Bryce DeWitt has a piece called "Why Physics" which you can read for free in the preview here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/3642142699/?tag=pfamazon01-20

I enjoy the whole book, but it may not be what you're looking for.