Studying Where can I find basic books to learn physics and particle physics at age 14?

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The discussion centers on a 14-year-old aspiring to learn basic physics and particle physics to eventually build a particle accelerator. The consensus emphasizes the importance of mastering mathematics, including algebra, precalculus, trigonometry, geometry, and calculus, before delving into physics and engineering. Participants suggest that while building a particle accelerator is ambitious, starting with simpler projects, like a small cyclotron or fusion reactor, is feasible but comes with significant safety risks due to radiation. They advise pursuing hands-on skills alongside theoretical knowledge and recommend safer DIY projects in astronomy, such as building telescopes. The conversation highlights the balance between theoretical understanding and practical application, stressing the need for supervision when engaging in potentially dangerous experiments.
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I an 14 and want to learn basic physics and particle physics so I can build a particle accelerator latter on. So is there any basic books that would help me understand these subjects to then go into more advanced stuff? Basically any type of physics and astronomy books, etc.

Thank you!

Sorry for spelling errors I am using my phone and it is hard to type on.
 
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You...you want to build a particle accelerator? Alright, then save the physics (especially particle physics) for later and start studying engineering. How's your math?
 
Don't start reading physics and engineering books. It is crucial to know your math. Do algebra, precalc, trig, geometry, calculus. Master these topics. Only then can you start thinking about other things.

Math is the important thing right now!

Good luck with your particle accelerator...
 
micromass said:
Good luck with your particle accelerator...

He could build an accelerator of some sort, it doesn't have to be something like you would find in CERN.

Maybe something in the order of thousands of electron volts or something on that scale.
 
It's actually not that difficult to build your own cyclotron

http://cyclotronconference.org/

Once you are done with that, you can build your own fusion reactor (not kidding, look up Farnsworth fusor).

One thing that you'll find is that building devices requires hands on skills, and those are different from learning theory. One other thing is that the big difficulty in building these sorts of things is that they are *DANGEROUS*. It is in fact rather simple to build a small cyclotron or fusion reactor, but the reason it's hard to find step by step instructions is that without too much trouble, you could end up with a device that could kill you with radiation.

So this is something you definitely want to do with supervision.

If you really want to do DIY, it's much safer to do astronomy. There is a ton of stuff on building your own telescope or black hole simulator, and none of that could kill you.
 
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twofish-quant said:
One thing that you'll find is that building devices requires hands on skills, and those are different from learning theory. One other thing is that the big difficulty in building these sorts of things is that they are *DANGEROUS*. It is in fact rather simple to build a small cyclotron or fusion reactor, but the reason it's hard to find step by step instructions is that without too much trouble, you could end up with a device that could kill you with radiation.

Yup, there's the BIG issue, and not something you can just say "Oh I'll be really careful" to bypass.
 
twofish-quant said:
It's actually not that difficult to build your own cyclotron

http://cyclotronconference.org/

Once you are done with that, you can build your own fusion reactor (not kidding, look up Farnsworth fusor).

lol I have built my own version of a fusion reactor but thanks for the info
 
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Does this help?

http://ianoneill.posterous.com/ikeas-large-hadron-collider"
 
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  • #10
mat1101 said:
lol I have built my own version of a fusion reactor but thanks for the info

You built a fusion reactor, yet you need to know the physics behind a particle acceleration...?

I'm pretty sure the physics behind building a fusion reactor is beyond that of a particle accelerator which is just essentially an electromagnetic field propelling charged subatomic particles (aka second semester of introductory physics) vs nuclear physics.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong, I'm not 100% sure.

Good luck on building it though!
 
  • #11
Well I built it for my gr 8 science fair
but it was a fusion reactor like you may think, we built ours from scratch, a totally different version then one would use
It was much simpler and safer
 

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