Popular Physics Books: Get Recommendations Here

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around recommendations for popular physics books, with a specific interest in resources that cover concepts of electromagnetic waves. Participants share their experiences with various books and materials, including the Feynman Lectures, and express preferences for engaging and accessible content beyond traditional textbooks.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses a preference for pop physics books, noting their usefulness alongside textbooks and requests recommendations, particularly for lesser-known topics like electromagnetic waves.
  • Another participant mentions the Feynman Lectures as a valuable supplement, although it is not categorized as a pop physics book.
  • There is a discussion about the availability of audio and text versions of the Feynman Lectures, with participants sharing their plans to listen to or read them.
  • One participant shares a story about the origins of the audio version of the Feynman Lectures, highlighting the quality issues and the amusing nature of some content.
  • Another participant expresses excitement about ordering the audio version of the Feynman Lectures and mentions a preference for international editions of textbooks due to their lower cost.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the value of the Feynman Lectures as a resource, but there is no consensus on specific recommendations for pop physics books covering electromagnetic waves. The discussion remains open-ended with various suggestions and personal experiences shared.

Contextual Notes

Participants have not specified particular criteria for what constitutes a "pop physics" book, and there is variability in the definitions of recommended resources. The discussion does not resolve which books are best suited for the requested topics.

tolove
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Anyone a fan of pop physics books?

I've found that the analogies and random bits of history in such books help tremendously in addition to a textbook.

Does anyone have a recommendation? How about recommendation for lesser known topics (that is, not relativity)? Specifically, a book that covers concepts of electromagnetic waves would help me a lot right now.
 
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Not a pop physics book, but the Feynman lectures is an awesome supplement.
 
micromass said:
Not a pop physics book, but the Feynman lectures is an awesome supplement.

Yes! I have a copy of those. Haven't listened to them all yet, though. I think I'll put them on a .mp3 player and start listening to them on my daily commute.
 
tolove said:
Yes! I have a copy of those. Haven't listened to them all yet, though. I think I'll put them on a .mp3 player and start listening to them on my daily commute.

Listened? They have an audio version now?
 
micromass said:
Listened? They have an audio version now?

Read? They have a text version now?

Haha, I'll check the text version out. I didn't know about them.

I think the story behind the audio version is that Feynman, one time only, taught a full sequence of the introductory physics courses. One of the listeners brought an audio recorder, and there they are. The quality is not very good in places, and in other places he's writing on the chalk board and you have little idea what's happening. But parts of it (from what I've listened to so far) are rather amusing.
 
tolove said:
Read? They have a text version now?

Haha, I'll check the text version out. I didn't know about them.

I think the story behind the audio version is that Feynman, one time only, taught a full sequence of the introductory physics courses. One of the listeners brought an audio recorder, and there they are. The quality is not very good in places, and in other places he's writing on the chalk board and you have little idea what's happening. But parts of it (from what I've listened to so far) are rather amusing.

Here is the text version: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201021153/?tag=pfamazon01-20
I'm going to look into buying the audio version...
 
Last edited by a moderator:
micromass said:
Here is the text version: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0201021153/?tag=pfamazon01-20
I'm going to look into buying the audio version...

Already ordered! This makes me excited. I really disliked the text my college used for those intro classes. Will actually be enjoyable to review these topics now.

Also, if anyone else reads this, I want to put a plug in for international editions. They're significantly cheaper, legal, and exactly the same.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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