Which textbooks can help me achieve my goal of mastering all forms of physics?

[Puglife]

Hey Physics Forums! I am a self taught individual, who would like to learn more about physics. My goal in life is to virtually understand every physics principal we know, and become extremely good at all forms of physics. I will be reading physics books over the next 30 years, so that i can achieve this, and was wondering, if one of you could send me a full list of books i need to read in order to achieve my goal. I know that my goal is near impossible, and extremely difficult, but I will be doing it over years time.

I would prefer it to be a series of textbooks, like volumes, and just have 20 volumes, but it could be different books if necessary.

Thank you guys so much!

 

[micromass]

My goal in life is to virtually understand every physics principal we know, and become extremely good at all forms of physics.

How many different lives do you plan on having?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

How many different lives do you plan on having?

Agreed, you have 80 year old physicists that still have only scratched the surfaces of some areas in physics.

 

[QuantumQuest]

My goal in life is to virtually understand every physics principal we know, and become extremely good at all forms of physics

It is very good to have such strong determination but as micromass says, it would take several lifetimes to do so. Maybe its better to grasp the basics of classical physics and then focus on some specific field.

 

[Puglife]

How many different lives do you plan on having?

how many books would it be? I was just expecting it to be something like 100 textbooks or something, I could defiantly do that at my current rate. I have also recently been laid off from work, so I have a lot of time on my hands. does such a complete guide even exist because of the shear amount?

 

[Puglife]

Agreed, you have 80 year old physicists that still have only scratched the surfaces of some areas in physics.

How much is their? I realize its a lot, but is their anyway you could give me an approximation of the number of textbooks, or topics, or classes?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I could defiantly do that at my current rate

Be realistic, you're not going to be cruising through advanced textbooks like some Steven King novel.

 

[Puglife]

It is very good to have such strong determination but as micromass says, it would take several lifetimes to do so. Maybe its better to grasp the basics of classical physics and then focus on some specific field.

MIT offers 100 different physics classes at the college. If someone was able to take 5 a year, then they would be able to learn physics in 20 years, right? Does MIT not cover everything?

 

[Puglife]

Be realistic, you're not going to be cruising through advanced textbooks like some Steven King novel.

Thats true, but over the course of 50 years, I am sure that i can read at least 2 a year, bringing me to 100 different courses

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Thats true, but over the course of 50 years, I am sure that i can read at least 2 a year, bringing me to 100 different courses

What is driving this goal? Is it the learning or the end result that is important? If it's the end result, you'll never make it. If it's learning, then just start today and see how far you get and don't worry about the goal.

 

[Puglife]

What is driving this goal? Is it the learning or the end result that is important? If it's the end result, you'll never make it. If it's learning, then just start today and see how far you get and don't worry about the goal.

that is why i was asking for an ordered series, so that i can simply get as far as possibly can

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

that is why i was asking for an ordered series, so that i can simply get as far as possibly can

There isn't a list for learning every principle in physics because it's not realistic. Start with going through classical mechanics physics books. When done with those ask for what is next.

 

[Puglife]

There isn't a list for learning every principle in physics because it's not realistic. Start with going through classical mechanics physics books. When done with those ask for what is next.

ok

 

[micromass]

MIT offers 100 different physics classes at the college. If someone was able to take 5 a year, then they would be able to learn physics in 20 years, right? Does MIT not cover everything?

No, MIT does not cover everything. It is very naive to think that college courses would allow you to be good at "all forms of physics". The college courses at MIT provide a basis. On this basis one chooses a more narrow subfield and one learns much more within that subfield. But whatever one learns more, that is typically not covered in college courses. That is something that the scientist usually self-studies.

So don't think that because somebody knows all MIT courses, that he is then done with studying.

Now, if your goal is to understand all of the MIT college courses, then go ahead. We can provide you books or series to accomplish that. But don't mistake this for a complete knowledge of physics. A complete knowledge of physics is impossible nowadays.

 

[Puglife]

No, MIT does not cover everything. It is very naive to think that college courses would allow you to be good at "all forms of physics". The college courses at MIT provide a basis. On this basis one chooses a more narrow subfield and one learns much more within that subfield. But whatever one learns more, that is typically not covered in college courses. That is something that the scientist usually self-studies.

So don't think that because somebody knows all MIT courses, that he is then done with studying.

Now, if your goal is to understand all of the MIT college courses, then go ahead. We can provide you books or series to accomplish that. But don't mistake this for a complete knowledge of physics. A complete knowledge of physics is impossible nowadays.

so does no one on this Earth now all of physics? that's actually really cool! I assumed that the MIT lectures in physics where pretty much all of physics (one could argue that like electrical engineering is physics, and so is pretty much everything). So if I where to do all the MIT courses on physics, the only math I would need is calc 1,2, and 3, as well as linear algebra, and differential equations?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

so does no one on this Earth now all of physics? that's actually really cool! I assumed that the MIT lectures in physics where pretty much all of physics

There are hundreds of very specialized fields where scientists can spend their entire lives researching just that field.

 

[QuantumQuest]

MIT offers 100 different physics classes at the college. If someone was able to take 5 a year, then they would be able to learn physics in 20 years, right? Does MIT not cover everything?

I think what micromass said about this

No, MIT does not cover everything. It is very naive to think that college courses would allow you to be good at "all forms of physics". The college courses at MIT provide a basis. On this basis one chooses a more narrow subfield and one learns much more within that subfield. But whatever one learns more, that is typically not covered in college courses. That is something that the scientist usually self-studies.

So don't think that because somebody knows all MIT courses, that he is then done with studying.

Now, if your goal is to understand all of the MIT college courses, then go ahead. We can provide you books or series to accomplish that. But don't mistake this for a complete knowledge of physics. A complete knowledge of physics is impossible nowadays.

pretty much covers everything. Also, I cannot really follow your line of thinking. Even if you take all these courses that are indeed very good, do you think that attending each course, would guarantee that you learn everything about the subject? You have to study yourself a really lot and then you'll have a good grasp of the fundamentals and you'll need years as everyone else, to master the subject. And this holds for each and every field of physics. So, that's why we are all proposing you to have more realistic goals. And this is true and for your own good and not just because somebody says so.

 

[Demystifier]

Hey Physics Forums! I am a self taught individual, who would like to learn more about physics. My goal in life is to virtually understand every physics principal we know, and become extremely good at all forms of physics. I will be reading physics books over the next 30 years, so that i can achieve this, and was wondering, if one of you could send me a full list of books i need to read in order to achieve my goal. I know that my goal is near impossible, and extremely difficult, but I will be doing it over years time.

I would prefer it to be a series of textbooks, like volumes, and just have 20 volumes, but it could be different books if necessary.

Thank you guys so much!

Landau & Lifshitz series and Greiner et al series are very big, very good, and very close to your ambitious goal.