Start Learning Physics: Beginner's Guide to Quantum Physics

[Quantum Panda]

Summary: Wish to learn Physics in a bid to learn and understand more about Quantum Physics.

Hi! I have a background in college Mathematics. I wish to learn Physics with a goal of reaching high-level Quantum Physics understanding. It'll probably take a few years or so. I was hoping anyone could tell me where I should begin, please? Is it as easy as grabbing a high school physics textbook and start from there?

Thank you.

 

[fresh_42]

Hello and !

Have fun and stay curious!

 

[PeroK]

Summary: Wish to learn Physics in a bid to learn and understand more about Quantum Physics.

Hi! I have a background in college Mathematics. I wish to learn Physics with a goal of reaching high-level Quantum Physics understanding. It'll probably take a few years or so. I was hoping anyone could tell me where I should begin, please? Is it as easy as grabbing a high school physics textbook and start from there?

Thank you.

First, do you want to concentrate on theory? If not, then you need some formal physics educational process to get access to a lab.

Depending on your current level of mathematics you have a couple of options. You could prepare the ground with some university-level classical mechanics and then go straight to QM and see what you make of it. Jumping straight into QM might be too much. There are people who post on here who have done that, but IMO they seem to get confused by just about everything! You are better getting some experience and grounding in physics and applied mathematics generally before tackling QM.

Or, you could spend more time on covering a wider physics syllabus. Especially EM, Relativity, Cosmology, Thermodynamics etc.

There are recommendations for lots of introductory QM textbooks on here. For classical mechanics, I like Kleppner and Kolenkow, which has a strong, algebraic approach. The "plug and chug" approach is not going to get you very far when you hit QM.

 

[vela]

I have a background in college Mathematics.

Can you be more specific? Have you taken calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra?

I wish to learn Physics with a goal of reaching high-level Quantum Physics understanding. It'll probably take a few years or so. I was hoping anyone could tell me where I should begin, please? Is it as easy as grabbing a high school physics textbook and start from there?

If you haven't taken any physics, I'd start with a calculus-based intro physics textbook.

 

[jtbell]

goal of reaching high-level Quantum Physics understanding.

"Quantum Physics" is a vague term that potentially encompasses a huge range of physics, both theoretical and experimental. It would help if you can tell us about some specific topics that you've heard or read about, that have piqued your interest, and want to study deeply.

In the US, people usually start serious formal study of physics at the beginning of undergraduate or late in secondary school ("high school") using a textbook such as Halliday, Resnick and Walker's Fundamentals of Physics. There are other similar books; this is simply one of the commonly-used ones.

The first course is usually two semesters focusing on classical mechanics and electromagnetism. At some schools, there is a third semester that focuses on "modern physics" with an introduction to relativity, quantum mechanics and their applications. At other schools, there is a separate "introductory modern physics" course.

The Halliday/Resnick/Walker book comes in two versions, the "normal" version for a two-semester course focusing on classical physics, and an "extended" version for a three-semester course that includes modern physics. There are also some "intro modern physics" books for a separate course. I used Beiser's Concepts of Modern Physics for many years (late 1980s until early 2000s), but it appears to be out of print, or at least hasn't been updated recently.

These courses assume a basic knowledge of single-variable calculus (derivatives and integrals), but you don't need to complete a full sequence of calculus courses in advance. At many schools, the first two semesters of physics are designed so that students can take the first two semesters of calculus alongside them.

After the introductory course(s), undergraduate students take "upper division" courses in classical mechanics, electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, etc. These require a full calculus sequence (single- and multi-variable calculus), plus ordinary differential equations and some linear algebra.