I'm studying bachelor of Mathematics in University but I'm interested in physics too. All of my knowledge about physics is what I studied in school and also the courses general physics $I$ and general physics $II$ in university.   I want to know what is your recommendation for a start point of studying physics? And also what books do you suggest me?
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Every once in a while, we get a question asking for a book or other educational reference on a particular topic at a particular level. This is a meta-question that collects all those links together. If you're looking for book recommendations, this is probably the place to start.  All the questions linked below, as well as others which deal with more specialized books, can be found under the tag  (formerly ).  If you have a question to add, please edit it in. However, make sure of a few things first:   The question should be tagged  It should be of the form "What are good books to learn/study [subject] at [level]?" It shouldn't duplicate a topic and level that's already on the list   Related Meta:
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I am a mathematics major without any undergraduate level courses in physics. I am lately interested in physics. Is there any chance for me to go into good theoretical physics graduate program without any background in physics?   I am not sure if this kind of question is acceptable here, though.  ADDED My concern is do Universities even accept students with math majors into physics department without physics courses?
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Could someone experienced in the field tell me what the minimal math knowledge one must obtain in order to grasp the introductory Quantum Mechanics book/course?  I do have math knowledge but I must say, currently, kind of a poor one. I did a basic introductory course in Calculus, Linear algebra and Probability Theory. Perhaps you could suggest some books I have to go through before I can start with QM?
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I think this question has its place here because I am sure some of you are "self-taught experts" and can guide me a little through this process.  Considering that :   I don't have any physics scholar background at all. I have a little math background but nothing too complicated like calculus I am a fast learner and am willing to put many efforts into learning physics I am a computer programmer and analyst with a passion for physics laws, theories, studies and everything that helps me understand how things work or making me change the way I see things around me.   Where do I start ? I mean.. Is there even a starting point ? Do I absolutly have to choose a type of physic ? Is it possible to learn physics on your own ?  I know it's a general question but i'm sure you understand that i'm a little bit in the dark here.
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I am a Physics undergrad who is interested in pursuing a PhD in pure maths in the future (algebraic geometry/topology) but I am a bit unsure. My question is quite general, and I don't wish to provide more background for fear of bias in the answers.  My question: Is it is advisable/possible/unfavorable/favorable to apply for a PhD in a field, different from that in which you have done most of your undergraduate research?  My research (includes just reading and understanding papers, writing summaries until now, I havent published anything) mostly includes Quantum field theory, and gauge theory. Would the selection committee turn down an application to a pure maths field, if I have no research experience whatsoever?  I would also like to ask the question other way round. What if I concentrate my undergraduate research SOLELY on topics in pure maths such as algebraic geometry/topology and take other physics courses, would I be able to apply to a string theory PhD with a high chance of success?  Should I consider spending time on both of these (which is almost an impossible task), to improve my chances in both the areas or would research in one area, and grad level courses in the other suffice?  In brief: Should the PhD field you are applying to be the same as your undergraduate research area?
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Edit:  Ok, user  made comment that truly helps narrow the focus of my question. Basically, I'm asking for a self-study course of Mathematical Methods.  Thanks to his recommendation I identified a book that is very close to the answer:  Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences by Mary L. Boas  Supposedly, the book covers most of the Math a person needs to learn in order to understand the simulations I presented.  Does this book suit my needs?    Hello,  I have always been interested on the idea to study Math at an Undergraduate level to be able to implement simulations like the followings:  Finite Difference Simulation of the Wave Equation    Heat Equation in Two Dimensions    Besides my precollege experience in Math, I have only been able to do very simple simulations due to my lack of knowledge of Advanced Math. Every time I ask about the inner workings of the simulations I get redirected to papers that look like foreign language to me and, unfortunately, I depend on easy-to-read tutorials to understand them, and while I have found   I'm more interested in reaching the solution myself.  I checked some of the questions related to book recommendations for self-study and while they are very helpful I'm interested in learning by example (There is a book called: "Accelerated C++ Practical Programming by Example" that fits very well my study habits)  Thanks in advance.
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How do you effectively study physics? How does one read a physics book instead or just staring at it for hours?   (Apologies in advance if the question is ill-posed or too subjective in its current form to meet the requirements of the FAQ; I'd certainly appreciate any suggestions for its modification if need be.)
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Assume I want to learn math and physics enough to reach a level where I understand Maxwell's equations (The terms and reasoning in the equations I.e. why they "work"). What would I have to learn in order to have the tools I need to make sense out of it?  I'm kindof looking for a road map which I can use to get started and know what to focus on. The fields are pretty big so some pruning would be very helpful (if possible)
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I am a 4th-year undergraduate student and I have fully read R. Shankar's book on Quantum Mechanics and Griffiths book Quantum Mechanics. I have also done a bit of the Application of QM on multielectron systems,molecules, etc.  Not going ahead in the application part, I want to focus on the foundations of QM part which I find really interesting. But I have very limited knowledge of mathematics. I have read Curtis "An introduction to Linear Algebra", Gallian "Group Theory"(1-10 chapters only) and have a little bit of knowledge on differential geometry.  With this as my Mathematical background, which would be the best book (a bit mathematical) for introduction to Quantum Mechanics which includes an introduction to Hilbert Space and functional analysis?  PS: My question is specifically for the ones who have limited mathematical knowledge in contrast to answers which assumes you have done graduate level mathematics.
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Is it possible to apply for a graduate program in theoretical physics without having a bachelor's degree in physics or mathematics?  I'm completely self-taught. I'm half way through Jackson electrodynamics and Peskin QFT. These books are taught to students at a graduate level, let's say that I can pass the GRE exam and graduate level examinations. Is it possible that this would substitute for an undergraduate degree?
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I am looking for some material (e.g. references, books, notes) to get started with Lie Groups and Lie Algebra.  My motivation is that I (eventually) want to understand the theory underpinning    .  The problem is, I am at the  stage where I don't know what I don' t know. The  makes it clear that I lack several prerequisites in modern geometry.  So, what would be a proposed study path to get to this stage?  My background is electronic engineering and am comfortable with associated topics (signal processing, estimation theory, Kalman Filtering, etc.)
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I studied basic field theory from J.A. Gallian in U.G. and Fraleigh. and a year ago I self studied it from Galois Theory by David A. Cox, and I got pretty good at it. But in last year I was mainly studying groups and non-commutative ring theory, so now I feel like I have lost my sharpness in Field theory and now I want to reread whole Galois field theory. But doing Cox again will feel boring so I was thinking to switch to a  new book. After googling a lot I have shortlisted these small and interesting book-  1) Fields and Galois theory by Howie 2) Galois Theory by Rotman 3) Field and Galois theory by Morandi 4) Galois Theory by Escofier  Which one of these texts is most interesting and insighting? Which one should I buy first, e copies of all of them looked great, but which one I should purchase and read first.  If there are any other suggestions, you are welcome!
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I would like to teach myself measure theory. Unfortunately most of the books that I've come across are very difficult and are quick to get into Lemmas and proofs. Can someone please recommend a layman's guide to measure theory? Something that reads a bit like this , starts out very gently and places much emphasis on the intuition behind the subject and the many lemmas.
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I'm still self-learning general relativity. I have been a huge fan of  on GR, black holes and cosmology. He goes through GR in pretty much full tetrad formalism. The reason he wants to do that is because some of the physics becomes much easier to understand in local tetrad frame, where everything just follows special relativity. That's the reason people working with particle physics in GR are interested in working with tetrads, I suppose. While I think Andrew Hamilton's notes are the most amazing thing in this world, I find myself sometimes wanting to read more books on tetrads and particle physics. That's why I'd like to ask if anyone knows more fairly comprehensive sources to learn about tetrads and particle physics in GR. One thing I sometimes find is lacking in the above notes is exercises / example calculations (only in some chapters). This is why I'd especially appreciate resources with many exercises to master the basics. I'd like to think my background in GR is not too bad right now, but I still find myself struggling with quantum physics from time to time. Thanks a lot! Too Long Didnt Read I would like resources which have the following:  General Relativity Lots of tetrads Particle physics Exercises &amp; applications
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I've taken up self-study of math. (How smart can that be?) I've just about finished a course in real analysis which spent a lot of time on metric spaces and some time revisiting calculus.  I was thinking of trying abstract algebra. I would appreciate any book recommendations.  Thanks in advance.  Andrew
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In his first lesson (transcripted in "Tips on Physics"), Feynman talks about math for physicists in a very cool and practical way. And at the end of the section he talks something like "so the first thing to do is to learn to learn derivative, integral and algebra" (I don't know how much precise I'm being because I've read it in Portuguese). I would to know if there is some book that deals with math as Feynman did it in this lesson (respecting formalities, but teaching how to use the practical rules)? Also, someone have any recommendations for algebra book (college level)?
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I am going to study computer science next year. I am afraid I can't handle the mathematics in the university because I only know some basic mathematics, such as set theory, simple probability, simple matrix operation and I don't know calculus.   Which books you will recommended maths book for study in computer science? I have found two books by Gilbert Strang,  and . Are they worth to buy ?