Learn Physics: A Beginner Guide for 23 Yr Old

[laymanhobbist]

am 23 , i love cosmology ..

so i decided to learn physics for the fun of it ... can someone point me in the right direction .. :)

where do i start ... ? i am a beginner (noob) compared to you elites !

 

[mgb_phys]

At the beginner level anything by John Gribben is pretty good.
Then there are books written by working cosmologists - Joseph Silk and Steve Weinberg spring to mind.

Search through the cosmnology forum https://www.physicsforums.com/forumdisplay.php?f=69 for some book recomendations

 

[ZapperZ]

Er... learning physics and learning ABOUT physics are two entirely different things.

If you want to learn physics, you have to learn from the exact same texts that other physics majors learn from, and that means starting with an undergraduate intro physics texts such as Halliday and Resnick.

Zz.

 

[Chi Meson]

If you do not have the necessary math background (calculus, calculus, calculus), a college text might be overwhelming. I recommend the excellent Conceptual Physics texbook, either the high school or college version, by Paul Hewitt. The elementary basics are explained in straightforward language. The mathematical proportionalities are introduced and applied, but the "difficult" math is not done.

 

[Proton Soup]

speaking of physics, where does one start when a physics text starts talking about U(1) and SU(2) and symmetries and groups and gauges, etc?

is this a good place to start, or is there a group theory for dummies?
http://www.cns.gatech.edu/GroupTheory/index.html

 

[laymanhobbist]

thank you comrades...
peace

 

[Gokul43201]

speaking of physics, where does one start when a physics text starts talking about U(1) and SU(2) and symmetries and groups and gauges, etc?

is this a good place to start, or is there a group theory for dummies?
http://www.cns.gatech.edu/GroupTheory/index.html

Schaum's Outline Series, Baumslag & Chandler.

 

[cristo]

I'll give my standard post for those interested in intro cosmology: Big Bang by Simon Singh.

 

[Proton Soup]

Schaum's Outline Series, Baumslag & Chandler.

grazie

 

[redargon]

Raymond A. Serway - Physics (we used it in first year varsity during my engineering degree) It starts right at things like statics and dynamics, goes through pressure, a bit of fluids, surface tension and all the way to an introductory into quantum mech and other interesting topics. It's a hetfy book, but I have kept mine always and hope to pass it on to the next gen of engineers