A review by theomnivorescientist
The Theoretical Minimum: What You Need to Know to Start Doing Physics by George Hrabovsky, Leonard Susskind

challenging hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective relaxing medium-paced

5.0

The first book in the Theoretical Minimum series by Leonard Susskind based on his physics lectures given at Stanford University. Any subject is as good as the teacher who teaches you. All you need to have is high school algebra and calculus or rather brush it up before you begin. I am slogging through the next book in the series on Quantum Mechanics. You can see all the lectures by Susskind on YouTube. But I learn better with a good book and a notebook scribbling away as I read. I noticed how Susskind spends so much time on describing what exactly a spin is which has fruitful results later. Concepts of quantum mechanics are abstract and understanding them requires shattering previous scientific conceptions. This is where Susskind triumphs. This is a serious book for people who loved physics or love physics but could not pursue it professionally for whatever reason. For all his scientific wars involving the dark demise of the string theory, Susskind, as it turns out, is a fascinating teacher. I owe him a lot for my physics education during the pandemic lockdown and my renewed interest in physics.