Thread: Tell me about researching physics.

I'm starting to get an interest in learning more about physics, but I don't really know much about it right now. I might take a class on it soon if I can, but until then I need a jumping off point and I don't really know what would be a good area to start off looking into to really get my feet wet. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Probably the Harvard or MIT or etc lecture series that are hosted on Youtube.

Originally Posted by reci

Probably the Harvard or MIT or etc lecture series that are hosted on Youtube.

Cool suggestion. :3 I'll have to check it out, thanks!

If you're looking for a more conceptual introduction to physics, I recommend checking out the recorded lectures of "Physics for Future Presidents" from UC Berkeley Webcasts | Video and Podcasts. That should give you a good intro to the topics and concepts found in Newtonian physics/mechanics without a lot of math.

If you have a solid background in calculus and are interested in the mathematical formulation of physics (and honestly, working the math is the only way to fully understand the discipline), check out Berkely's recorded lectures that have "physics for scientists and engineers" in the title. I'd recommend those series only after you've watched the intro series and developed a firm conceptual understanding.

Taking a course and working problems is really the best way to learn the discipline and its nuances, though, so I highly recommend you take that physics class when you get the chance.

Hope that helps.

^^That is an excellent suggestion. Or you could just dive in head first like me <---awesome emoticon by the way. Every time I consume a chapter, I feel like my brain has been beaten to a gelatinous pulp.

Originally Posted by Peregrinus

If you're looking for a more conceptual introduction to physics, I recommend checking out the recorded lectures of "Physics for Future Presidents" from UC Berkeley Webcasts | Video and Podcasts. That should give you a good intro to the topics and concepts found in Newtonian physics/mechanics without a lot of math.

If you have a solid background in calculus and are interested in the mathematical formulation of physics (and honestly, working the math is the only way to fully understand the discipline), check out Berkely's recorded lectures that have "physics for scientists and engineers" in the title. I'd recommend those series only after you've watched the intro series and developed a firm conceptual understanding.

Taking a course and working problems is really the best way to learn the discipline and its nuances, though, so I highly recommend you take that physics class when you get the chance.

Hope that helps.

Thanks for all that, I'm sure it'll help a lot. I am interested in researching the math side of it too, I want to get as good a grasp on it as I can for now. And I definitely want to take a class, the more I look into all this the more amazing it seems.

Originally Posted by SomethingSpiffy

^^That is an excellent suggestion. Or you could just dive in head first like me <---awesome emoticon by the way. Every time I consume a chapter, I feel like my brain has been beaten to a gelatinous pulp.

I'll probably be doing some of that as well for the fun of it.

Check out "Cosmos" hosted by the late, great, and amazing Carl Sagan. This is what sparked my love for Physics

To understand physics properly, you really have to understand the maths. The entire thing is based on maths. If all of your knowledge is just words, you don't really understand it and you can't do anything useful with it.

So, you need to have a basic faculty with algebra first. Can you calculate 2/3 + 4/5 ? Can you solve 2x + 3 = 9? Say you have a right-angled triangle:



where the bottom edge is 2 metres and the diagonal edge is 3 metres. Can you work out how high the triangle is?

If you can't do all of these questions, you'll need to sharpen up on basic maths first. If you can do these fine, you might be okay to start watching some physics lectures. These are the best:

Lec 1 | 8.01 Physics I: Classical Mechanics, Fall 1999 - YouTube

You will probably need to learn more maths as they progress, in particular something called calculus, for which another great resource is here:

Lec 1 | MIT 18.01 Single Variable Calculus, Fall 2007 - YouTube

As Xei said, you definitely have to at least have the very basics of maths under your belt to understand very simple concepts. Obviously, as the theories become more complex, so does the math behind it. It would definitely to be handy to be familiar and confident with your mathematical ability before moving onto anything major.

They always lose their fleeting interest when they realise physics is maths rather than literature.