(c)Dr Paul Kinsler.
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The IRC channel #physics
Basic physics books for the layman:
There are a few points I use as a rough guide to whether
a book that claims to explain physics to a mass audience
is likely to be good. The best indication is it having been reprinted in
several editions, and if its first edition was well over
five years ago. If a book has lasted for a while, then
it is probably because it is good. Having a fairly
straightforward title is a good sign. Books having
the words "God", "Mind" or similar in the title are not
necessarily bad books, but are more likely to
be speculative, and to put metaphysics and philosophy
ahead of the physics. Remember, physicists are trained
in physics, not in religion. Pay as much attention to
physicists talking about God as you do when you hear
the Pope talking about sub-atomic particles :-).
This selection is somewhat idiosyncratic since it is compiled from
books and articles that I have used or read during my studies and
career -- it is not an attempt at a comprehensive list.
- Relativity:
Einstein's Universe ,
Nigel Calder,
(London, British Broadcasting Corporation, 1979),
ISBN: 0563175923; or
Space, Time, and Gravity: the Theory of the
Big Bang and Black Holes
- Quantum Mechanics:
- The Birth of the Universe:
The first three minutes,
Steven Weinberg,
(London, Fontana, 1983),
ISBN: 0006540244
Some magazine references:
- Beyond the black horizon ,
Scientific American, 69, May 1982.
- What if the Big Bang didn't happen?,
J. Narlikar,
New Scientist, 1991 March 2.
- The early universe and high-energy physics ,
D.N. Schramm,
Physics Today, 27, April 1983.
- The inflationary universe ,
Scientific American, May 1984.
- Very Large Structure in the Universe ,
Scientific American, 30, July 1986.
- Universal Truths ,
J. Horgan,
Scientific American, 75, October 1990.
- The duality in matter and light ,
B.G. Englebert, M.O. Scully, H. Walther,
Scientific American 1994 Vol.271 No.6 p.86.
- Bringing home the atomic world - quantum
mysteries for anybody ,
N.D. Mermin,
American Journal of Physics 49, 940, (1981).
- The quantum physics of time-travel - common-sense
may rule out such excursions - but the laws of physics
do not. ,
D. Deusch, M. Lockwood,
Scientific American 1994 Vol.270 No.3 pp.68-74
- What's wrong with the new physics?,
R. Oldershaw,
New Scientist, 56, 22-29 December 1990.
Textbooks I recommended:
- Quantum mechanics,
E. Merzbacher, (Wiley 1970, 1961).
- A First Course in General Relativity,
B.F. Schutz, (Cambridge 1985).
- The quantum theory of light,
R. Louden, (Oxford University Press 1983).
- A primer of linear algebra,
G.L. Bradley, (Prentice Hall, 1975).
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Date=19961114 Author=P.Kinsler Created=1995
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