Recommended books

[scotty_le_b]

Right so I am interested in all the physics to do with space and all that stuff. I want a book which covers a lot of theories etc. I have a background knowledge of physics so I would like a book to be realtiely in-depth but not extremely complicted. I wondereed if anyone could recommend a book. I don't want it to be astronomical because I already have astronomy books just purely physics.

p.s. by theories etc. I mean things like- the big bang, space-time and other similar physics topics.

[tomw28]

Why Does E=mc^2? by Prof Brian Cox is a good read. Challenging, but with a bit of thought you can get it. Or think you get it at least...

[scotty_le_b]

So what does that book entail? Also I know it is all to do with space but what about books more to do with particles like more of a perticle physics book.

[George Jones]

The Quantum Frontier: The Large Hadron Collider by Don Lincoln

The Quantum Frontier: The Large Hadron Collider: Amazon.co.uk: Don Lincoln: Books

and/or

Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics by Bruce Schumm

Deep Down Things: The Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics: Amazon.co.uk: Bruce A. Schumm: Books

[inksmithy]

A brief history of time, by Stephen Hawking is also good.

Alan

[Karlos]

Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos: Amazon.co.uk: Michio Kaku: Books

Parallel Worlds: The Science of Alternative Universes and Our Future in the Cosmos by Micho Kaku

Gives a great number of theories and beliefs, with an unbiased view, no maths so that you can get an idea of how it works. Extremely well written too

[Superewza]

I recently bought 'How to Destroy the Universe and 34 Other Really Interesting Uses of Physics' by Paul Parsons after hearing another member mention it (and having a voucher kicking around), might be worth a look.

[Ad Astra]

Hi Scotty,

Try a couple of these - probably in this order:

1) The Book of Universes - John Barrow, 2011. Nice work developing the historical concept of "Universe" up from Ptolemy and Copernicus through Big Bang and Multiverse theory. Well written, little in the way of maths.

2) In Search of the Multiverse - John Gribbin, 2011. Excellent book on current thinking about the necessity of the multiverse concept in current cosmology and quantum theory. Mind stretching!

3) The Elegant Universe - Brian Green, 2008? This one will take you right along so you understand the concepts of string theory and space time.

4) A Journey through Gravity and Spacetime - John Wheeler Published by Scientific American Books, the best introduction to Einstein's relativity and spacetime theory I've ever seen. Clear, logical, and absolutely mind bending. I use this book a lot in my teaching of astronomy and introductory cosmology.

5) Cycles of Time - Roger Penrose, 2011. Very up-to-date book that will take you through a new theory of the Big Bang - rather heavier in the math dept. but Prof. Penrose will take you through it step-by-step. You will want a pencil and paper nearby, however!!!

6) The 4% Universe, 2011. (Sorry, can't remember the author of this one!) - an excellent overview of the discovery of Dark Matter and Dark Energy. Highly recommended.

I hope these help a bit! They are at least up to date.

Dan

[idlelimey]

I recently bought 'How to Destroy the Universe and 34 Other Really Interesting Uses of Physics' by Paul Parsons after hearing another member mention it (and having a voucher kicking around), might be worth a look.

I would also recommend this book - and best off all it cost about £2 from my local 'The Works' - not sure if they're a national franchise but most towns have something similar.

As previously mentioned, A Brief History of Time by Hawking - it's old but still relevant AFAIK.

[tom33pr]

There's a brilliant work called An introduction to modern astrophysics (Bradley W. Carroll, Dale A. Ostlie)

It covers a lot of material, and could be used as a good reference book.

[JulianO]

I'd recommend Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang as a nice introduction to big bangs and why it might not be the answer. A primer on Ekpyrotic universe theory which makes a good case for supplanting the big bang.

[damnut]

I can only agree with the comments above and add on Newtons Principia, where some of the fudementals lie that enabled modern views on the universe.

I found A Brief History Of Time hard going!.

[Helen]

I'm reading 'The Elegant Universe' at the moment and would really recommend it as a way in to these mindblowing ideas.

Helen

[GazOC]

Seconded Helen. Greene the best "explainer" of these things I've come across. He also seems to anticipate every "yeah, but...." question that enters your head after you've read a passage and then explains that too.

[ollypenrice]

I agree with Dan on John Barrow as a great writer, too.

Olly

[Thelonious]

Stephen Hawking's books are amazing. A Brief History of Time is a classic but his latest, The Grand Design, is also great.

[NigelCampbell]

I agree with those suggestions - particularly Ad Astra's list, all of which I have read and enjoyed. I'm going to add one more which was hugely enjoyable and for a lot of people is a very good way in if you don't have a solid physics grounding:

How to Teach Quantum Physics to your Dog by Chad Orzel (Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at New York's Union College)

Don't worry its not a kids book but it is a fun read and it quite elegantly explains many of the basic concepts of Quantum Mechanics.

[Telrad]

I read Leonard Susskind's 'The Cosmic Landscape' String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design 3 months ago which was excellent, very interesting read from the father of string theory, he reinvents our concept of the known universe and mans unique place within it. His other contributions to physics are too numerous to mention!

[Karlos]

I agree with those suggestions - particularly Ad Astra's list, all of which I have read and enjoyed. I'm going to add one more which was hugely enjoyable and for a lot of people is a very good way in if you don't have a solid physics grounding:

How to Teach Quantum Physics to your Dog by Chad Orzel (Associate Professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at New York's Union College)

Don't worry its not a kids book but it is a fun read and it quite elegantly explains many of the basic concepts of Quantum Mechanics.

I thought that book was a fantastic read too, brilliantly lighthearted, very cute at times (the dog of course) and it really explained things clearly in a way that didn't lose too much information.