🧵 Physics books for midwits
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 09:47:45 UTC No. 16437636
I got a midwit degree many years ago and haven't solved a single equation or done any experiment since.
I can barely remember how to integrate.
What are some physics books that are not popsci but not academic money laundering scams either? Something that expertedly communicates modern physics and discoveries to the undergraduate demographic with the goal of enlightenment and sharing philosophical perspective, but not to teach you how to pass exams because of curriculums?
For example, is there a book of important groundbreaking experiments which explores the motivation and result and the theory evolved with then?
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 09:52:07 UTC No. 16437640
Not really. You could try reading review papers, but it won't be easy to understand anything without learning a lot more. There is unironically no way to communicate advanced physics to a normal undergrad, let alone a normie. A typical undergrad is closer to a normie than a real physicist.
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 09:54:28 UTC No. 16437642
>>16437640
I'm a graduate tho, but I haven't retained ant information above undergraduate level sadly
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:10:48 UTC No. 16437658
>>16437642
Well it depends how "modern" you wanna get. You aren't easily going to understand cutting edge quantum (condensed matter) experiments and their implications for quantum mechanics interpretations, because that shit is complicated on many levels. It's easy to fool yourself with words and think you understand, but if you can't do the maths and you don't know shit about how the experiments are actually done, your apparent understanding is meaningless. I assume that's what you're talking about if you're interested in philosophical perspectives. But it's extremely difficult to properly understand how any of that shit should influence philosophy, because so much is still unclear. Most physicists have little clue about it. To be honest that's the main reason I got a PhD, and the only thing I've really come to understand is the depth of my own ignorance. That being said I'm sure there are better physicists than me out there.
If you want to understand the standard model and the discoveries that underpin it, that may be achievable, but you'll have to remember how to integrate and study a little QFT.
The kind of book you're describing doesn't really exist though. It would end up being the same as books4normies but there would not be any money in it. You might find review papers interesting, give it a try. You can google "quantum interpretations review" or whatever and see what you can understand. And don't forget you can get nearly any textbook/article from libgen/scihub.
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:40:16 UTC No. 16437669
>>16437658
>(condensed matter) experiments and their implications for quantum mechanics interpretations, because that shit is complicated on many levels. It's easy to fool yourself with words and think you understand, but if you can't do the maths and you don't know shit about how the experiments are actually done, your apparent understanding is meaningless.
Ah, well, to be clear, I am not looking to have an understanding of the "cutting edge". But rather what has been solidified and codified already, like the Standard Model you mention.
> But it's extremely difficult to properly understand how any of that shit should influence philosophy, because so much is still unclear. Most physicists have little clue about it.
Well I imagine most physicists are not so confident (and indeed competent) in their understanding of physics that they can explore its meaning with philosophical rigor. Like how an undergraduate doesnt know when he can change the order or integration and move something in and out and so on because the professor just handwaved it away during the lecture, but he relies on it to solve the problem anyway.
>>16437658
>The kind of book you're describing doesn't really exist though
God fucking damnit. Is academia just a big conspiracy to get you to pay tuition?
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 10:51:37 UTC No. 16437684
>>16437669
I don't think you need to pay tuition necessarily, if you're willing to study textbooks and have the motivation. If you want to understand the standard model your basic goal should be to do some QED calculations, which I think is achievable if you can do calculus. If you can do that, you can loosely understand most of the standard model without actually getting into the details. I'm not sure which books are the best but I think this video probably has good suggestions.
>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 11:44:37 UTC No. 16437731
>>16437684
Maybe I should just stick to pop-sci then. Are there any pop-sci books which are not sensationalist reddit crap?
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 14:55:23 UTC No. 16438001
bro
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 15:05:35 UTC No. 16438018
>>16437636
Academic papers? Wikipedia? Just query the subject through Google scholar? This is simple anon
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 19:38:40 UTC No. 16438497
>>16437731
idk about popsci
What about the feynmann lectures? They might actually be perfect for you.
Anonymous at Fri, 18 Oct 2024 20:46:05 UTC No. 16438592
>>16437636
>is there a book of important groundbreaking experiments which explores the motivation and result and the theory evolved with then?
I've something like this for so long. Someday, I will write one.
Anonymous at Sat, 19 Oct 2024 00:21:37 UTC No. 16438915
The new physics Gordon Fraser
Same name by Davies
Springer series "the Frontier collection" "Praxis books"
About the biggest parnovsky
Gravity from the ground up Schutz
Quantum books by Valerio scarani