Intro Physics What are some textbooks and problem sets I can use to learn physics?

AI Thread Summary
For those seeking rigorous pre-calculus physics textbooks with problem sets, it's emphasized that a solid understanding of calculus is essential for grasping physics concepts effectively. Instead of limiting oneself to pre-calculus materials, it's recommended to begin learning calculus concurrently with physics. This approach avoids the pitfalls of trying to understand physics without the necessary mathematical foundation. A suggested starting point for calculus is "Thomas Calculus With Analytic Geometry" (3rd edition), which is crucial for building the required skills. After gaining some calculus knowledge, "Alonso and Finn: Fundamental University Physics" is recommended for further study in physics.
vadimuha
Messages
1
Reaction score
0
I'm looking to pre-calculus physics textbooks with problems sets. I need something as rigorous as possible. Problem sets can be separate from textbooks
 
Physics news on Phys.org
If I may ask: what is your reason for studying physics. If you really want to understand you will need to know the calculus and so that is where one should start, along with calculus based physics.
 
Indeed, instead of struggling with "pre-calculus physics" rather start learning calculus, which you can also do in parallel by learning physics. Restricting yourself to non-calculus math makes it rather much more difficult than simpler to understand and communicate about physics. It's an unfortunate wrong track by some physics didacts to avoid the adequate math. It's in fact a lie to students to claim you could understand physics without calculus.
 
  • Like
Likes hutchphd and etotheipi
A simple calculus book to get you started in learning Calculus is Thomas Calculus With Analytic Geometry 3rd edition. Make sure it is the 3rd edition. Higher number editions are entirely different books.

Once you learn a bit of calculus, have a look at Alonso and Finn: Fundamental University Physics.
 
I've gone through the Standard turbulence textbooks such as Pope's Turbulent Flows and Wilcox' Turbulent modelling for CFD which mostly Covers RANS and the closure models. I want to jump more into DNS but most of the work i've been able to come across is too "practical" and not much explanation of the theory behind it. I wonder if there is a book that takes a theoretical approach to Turbulence starting from the full Navier Stokes Equations and developing from there, instead of jumping from...
TLDR: is Blennow "Mathematical Methods for Physics and Engineering" a good follow-up to Altland "Mathematics for physicists"? Hello everybody, returning to physics after 30-something years, I felt the need to brush up my maths first. It took me 6 months and I'm currently more than half way through the Altland "Mathematics for physicists" book, covering the math for undergraduate studies at the right level of sophystication, most of which I howewer already knew (being an aerospace engineer)...

Similar threads

Replies
32
Views
3K
Replies
19
Views
4K
Replies
39
Views
7K
Replies
34
Views
6K
Replies
5
Views
4K
Replies
2
Views
2K
Back
Top