The Theoretical Minimum
Author | Leonard Susskind, George Hrabovsky |
---|---|
Language | English |
Genre | Popular science |
Publisher | Basic Books |
Publication date | January 29, 2013 |
Publication place | United States |
Media type | Print, e-book, audiobook |
Pages | 256 pp. |
ISBN | 978-0465028115 |
The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics (ISBN 0-465-02811-X) is a popular science book by Leonard Susskind and George Hrabovsky. The book was initially published on January 29, 2013 by Basic Books.[1][2][3]
Overview
The book is a mathematical introduction to various theoretical physics concepts, such as principle of least action, Lagrangian mechanics, Hamiltonian mechanics, Poisson brackets, and electromagnetism.[3] It is the first book in a series called The Theoretical Minimum, based on Stanford Continuing Studies courses taught by world renowned physicist Leonard Susskind. The courses collectively teach everything required to gain a basic understanding of each area of modern physics, including much of the fundamental mathematics.
Core Course 1: Classical Mechanics
The book, also published in 2014 by Penguin Books under the title Classical Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum (ISBN 978-0141976228), is complemented by video recordings of the complete lectures which are available on-line. There is also a supplemental website for the book.
Core Course 2: Quantum Mechanics
The second book in the series, by Leonard Susskind and Art Friedman, was published in 2014 by Basic Books under the title Quantum Mechanics: The Theoretical Minimum (ISBN 978-0465062904).Video recordings of the complete lectures are available on-line.
Core Course 3: Special Relativity and Classical Field Theory
The third book in the series, by Leonard Susskind and Art Friedman, was published in 2017. This covers Special Relativity and Classical Field Theory
Core Courses 4-6
Lectures in the remaining three courses, on
- General Relativity
- Cosmology
- Statistical Mechanics
are available on-line as video recordings.
Supplemental Courses
Further lecture courses in the Theoretical Minimum series have been delivered by Prof. Susskind, on
- Advanced Quantum Mechanics
- Higgs Boson
- Quantum Entanglement
- Relativity
- Particle Physics 1: Basic Concepts
- Particle Physics 2: Standard Model
- Particle Physics 3: Supersymmetry and Grand Unification
- String Theory
- Cosmology and Black Holes
and these are also available on-line as video recordings.
References
- ^ Gribbin, John (2013-02-01), "Physics Made (Almost) Easy", The Wall Street Journal, retrieved 2014-12-13.
- ^ Brown, Robert G. (June 2013), "The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics", Books, Physics Today, 66 (6), American Institute of Physics, doi:10.1063/PT.3.2015.
- ^ a b Dubson, Michael, "The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics", Book Reviews, American Journal of Physics, 82 (2): 174, doi:10.1119/1.4816681.
External links
- The Theoretical Minimum website at the Stanford Institute for Theoretical Physics.
- Solutions to The Theoretical Minimum, Classical Mechanics by Filip Van Lijsebetten.
- Solutions to The Theoretical Minimum, Quantum Mechanics by Filip Van Lijsebetten.