What Are the Essential Concepts Every Physicist Should Know?

Click For Summary
Essential concepts every physicist should know include foundational topics like Lagrangian mechanics, the principle of least action, Poisson brackets, and electromagnetism. The discussion highlights the challenge of acquiring basic knowledge in physics, with a request for guidance on fundamental concepts. Leonard Susskind's book, "The Theoretical Minimum," serves as a valuable resource for those seeking a mathematical introduction to these theories. The book is part of a series aimed at providing a solid grounding in theoretical physics. Engaging with such resources can help bridge gaps in understanding for aspiring physicists.
iknowsigularity
Messages
39
Reaction score
0
I've been into physics for years now but no matter how much a study, i find that i always lack basic knowledge that others seem to have. I was wondering could someone provide me (if possible) with a list of fundamental concepts every physicist should know? i imagine the list might be to long or infinite but any sort of footing would help. This is my first post so please excuse me if it is to general.
 
Physics news on Phys.org
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Theoretical_Minimum

The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics (ISBN 0-465-02811-X) is a 2013 popular science book by Leonard Susskind and https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Hrabovsky&action=edit&redlink=1 . The book is a mathematical introduction to various theoretical physics concepts, such as Lagrangian mechanics, principle of least action, Poisson brackets, and electromagnetism. It is the first book in a series called The Theoretical Minimum, the second of which is https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quantum_Mechanics:_The_Theoretical_Minimum&action=edit&redlink=1 .

I am a sustaining contributor to The Wikimedia Foundation
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Thank you for the recommendation, I will definitely be checking it out!
 
I do not have a good working knowledge of physics yet. I tried to piece this together but after researching this, I couldn’t figure out the correct laws of physics to combine to develop a formula to answer this question. Ex. 1 - A moving object impacts a static object at a constant velocity. Ex. 2 - A moving object impacts a static object at the same velocity but is accelerating at the moment of impact. Assuming the mass of the objects is the same and the velocity at the moment of impact...

Similar threads

  • · Replies 10 ·
Replies
10
Views
3K
  • · Replies 13 ·
Replies
13
Views
4K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
2K
  • · Replies 11 ·
Replies
11
Views
3K
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K