Getting started with Physics and Math

[Gabriel Zamora]

Hello everyone,

My question is, where should I start? what books or websites would you recommend for me? Math and physics are very broad subjects so I'm not sure where I should start and what path I should take. I don't want to overload myself with information, but instead learn the most fundamental areas of Math and physics and go from there.

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Thanks.

 

[Drakkith]

I'd grab a few used textbooks on physics and math and just skip trying to find websites at all. For math, you need to start wherever you last left off. If you've never done any math outside of high school then you're probably going to need to start with college algebra and proceed into trigonometry and then calculus. For physics, you'll start off with what is known as Newtonian Physics or Classical Physics (the class on this topic is commonly called Introductory Mechanics). This hasn't changed much over the last several hundred years so just about any textbook on the topic will have have the information you need. My college textbook for my introductory mechanics class was this one. At a price of 4 dollars, this is a heck of a bargain.

 

[phinds]

Resnick and Halliday physics texts are good (and have been for 50 years)

 

[Gabriel Zamora]

I'd grab a few used textbooks on physics and math and just skip trying to find websites at all. For math, you need to start wherever you last left off. If you've never done any math outside of high school then you're probably going to need to start with college algebra and proceed into trigonometry and then calculus. For physics, you'll start off with what is known as Newtonian Physics or Classical Physics (the class on this topic is commonly called Introductory Mechanics). This hasn't changed much over the last several hundred years so just about any textbook on the topic will have have the information you need. My college textbook for my introductory mechanics class was this one. At a price of 4 dollars, this is a heck of a bargain.

Thank you so much! The book you recommended is already on its way here!

 

[scottdave]

I used that same textbook (but I think a few editions back from the one in the listing). Once I was done with the class, I went to the bookstore, and found a used one of the previous edition on the bargain shelf. I bought that and sold mine (which was still being used in the classes) back to the bookstore. As soon as they come out with a new edition, they push the schools to switch. It is not really teaching it any differently, but there are new homework problems, which makes your old version not very useful with classwork, but perfect for learning on your own (or as a handy reference).