What is a good sequence through math for physicists?

AI Thread Summary
The discussion centers on the mathematical foundation necessary for physicists, emphasizing a rigorous approach to learning mathematics. The original poster seeks guidance on a comprehensive course sequence that covers essential mathematical topics relevant to physics, expressing interest in both the structure of courses and accompanying textbooks. They reference a guide from a string theory website but find it lacking in coherence. A proposed list of foundational books includes titles on high school math, calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, real and complex analysis, abstract algebra, and differential geometry, indicating a desire for high rigor in their studies. The poster is currently engaged with Apostol's Calculus and is open to suggestions for a more streamlined learning path. The discussion highlights the importance of a solid mathematical background for aspiring physicists.
Thinker301
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Hello everybody, this is my first post.

I was wondering, what math a physicist needs. I know about the mathematical methods books, but I was hoping to learn as much math as I can rigorously. (I find it fascinating)

So what kind of course sequence would encompass a lot of the math needed for a physicists.

I have seen the guide for math on the string theory website, but a lot of it is very discrete. (Not class-type, rather one part of a class. (e.g. it separately lists lie groups, but I recently learned that you can learn that topic in an abstract algebra class))

Also what math books would accompany the course. (Highest rigor possible)

Here is the list I have accumulated so far :

High school Math (Basic Mathematics by Lang)
Calculus (Apostol)
Linear Algebra (Hoffman)
Differential Equations (Arnol'd)
Real Analysis (Pugh)
Complex Analysis (Polka or Rudin)
Abstract Algebra(Dummit and Foote or Artin)
Differential Geometry(Spivak)

I apologize if I am ignorant, I am just starting my journey. I am currently working on Apostol's Calculus(Vol. 1 at the moment).
 
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