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5 Great Popular Science Books: Get started with Physics and Astrophysics

Popular science books are a great way to alleviate your curiosity in a relaxing way! I have spent many an hour reading some fantastic books and I want to share a few of these with you now.

The following books serve as a good introduction to Physics, Astrophysics and some of the more complex concepts in the subject areas. I consider these 'must reads' for every enthusiast and professional. I hope you can enjoy them as much as I have!

#1 - The Character of Physical Law By Richard Feynman



Okay you should read as much of Feynman's writing as you can get you hands on. That goes without saying and explains why two of his books appear on this list! However, 'The Character of Physical Law' is a great place to start not only with Feynman's writing but also with Physics based popular science books in general.

The book itself is based on a series of seven guest lectures given by Feynman at Cornell University in 1964. You can watch recordings of these lectures here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kFOXP026eE&list=PLS3_1JNX8dEh5YcO-Y05stU0u_T9nqIlF.

Although dated the subject matter and simplicity of these talks mean that they are still a relevant introduction to Physics today. The lectures feature an introduction to Newtonian Gravity, Entropy and the Arrow of Time, Conservation Laws and the theory of Quantum Mechanics all of which are explained with Feynman's characteristic ease.

There is some mathematics involved in this book but it is often simple as the nature of the lecture series lent itself to basic mathematical examples.

The book also explores some more philosophical concepts such as the relationship between Physics and Maths and how new laws of Physics are formulated. I have lost track of how many times I have read it through and I cannot recommend it enough. Even as a somewhat experienced Physicist it is still a pleasure to read. 

#2 - A Brief History of Time By Stephen Hawking


While a bit more complex and somewhat mind boggling  a chapter of this book a day will keep the curiosity at bay!

This book will take you through the history of the Universe from what we understand about the concepts of time and space, through the Universe's expansion and finally towards the concept of time travel. You will learn all about the implications of Quantum Mechanics on Cosmology, the study of the Universe, and Black Holes. With a discussion on how Black Holes emit radiation known as Hawking radiation and a chapter on Grand Unified Theories(Theory of Everything) you can't go wrong with this book.

It is worth battling through some of the more challenging concepts to get a glimpse of how Hawking saw our Universe. It's perhaps a good time to point out that to enjoy a popular science book you don't have to understand everything that is written. Understanding comes with time and the more you read!

#3 - QED By Richard Feynman



Quantum Electrodynamics or QED is the theory for which Feynman is best known and for which he won the Nobel Prize in Physics with Julian Schwinger and Shin'ichirō Tomonaga. QED is whats known as a relativistic quantum field theory. 'A relativistic what?' I hear you say well a field theory describes the interactions between particles. For example the General Relativity, the theory of Gravity, is a field theory which describes how one object interacts and behaves in the presence of other objects. In the case of QED the theory describes the interactions between light and matter. The theory also produces agreement between Quantum Mechanics and Einstein's Special Relativity... the first hints at a Grand Unified Theory??

Okay that's a lot to take in. I can assure you that in this book, also adapted from a series of lectures, Feynman does a much better job at describing QED than I could ever do. This book is a fantastic introduction for everybody with clear examples that explain everyday phenomena in the frame work of Quantum Mechanics and Special Relativity. I remember reading this for the first time as an undergraduate whilst studying these topics at university and frequently finding myself saying 'This makes a lot more sense now'. 

This book will also introduce the concept of Feynman Diagrams and particles that appear to travel back in time! Its a fantastic read and I again thoroughly recommend. Remember you don't have to understand everything to enjoy!

#4 - A Universe From Nothing By Lawrence M. Krauss



'A Universe From Nothing' is a more modern view on our Universe's history and was published in 2012 in comparison to 'A Brief History of Time' which was first published in 1988. This is not to say that Hawking's book is outdated/wrong in anyway or indeed that you shouldn't read 'A Brief History of Time' (it wouldn't appear on this list if that was the case!). Popular science books often age well as they lack the detail to quickly become outdated.

This book covers much the same topics as 'A Brief History' but focuses more on the history of the universe and it's future rather than the structure of space and time or any specific astrophysical bodies like Black Holes. It also attempts, convincingly, to answer using our acquired knowledge the philosophical questions surrounding the origins of the Universe.

It's another great introduction to Cosmology!

#5 - The First Three Minutes By Steven Weinberg



This is my most recent read and it has been fantastic! The book covers a very brief overview of the conditions in the Universe in it's first three minutes (approximately!) hence the title. It is considered a classic piece of popular science literature in the Astrophysics community. 

Originally published in 1977 it's content is still widely relevant to our understanding of the Universe today and what happened before the first three minutes is still not properly understood. I'm sure that this book will leave you awe struck, as it did me, in our knowledge of the very early history of the Universe!

A Final Thought...

I think if you take anything away from this article it should be the following:
  • You don't have to understand everything in these books to fully enjoy them. The likely scenario is that these books will leave you with a lot of questions and some answers. It's the questions that are important however. They will spur you on to read more and learn more about Physics and Astrophysics so don't be disheartened!
  • Popular science books rarely become 'outdated' because of they lack the in depth detail to become so. Often the larger concepts described in these texts stay relevant long after they are published. It is the equations or the reported numbers, the bits you aren't likely to remember, that change with time and newer publications of older books usually include prefaces or afterwords describing any inaccuracies in the original texts.
  • Don't stop reading! Just because you have read one book on the origins of the Universe doesn't mean you have learnt or indeed remembered it all. Often reading about the same topics from multiple different perspectives can help affirm your understanding of complicated concepts. An example of this is my experience of Feynman's QED. Baffled and confused by lectures in Quantum Mechanics, more a reflection on my attention span than on my lecturers, I delved into QED and hearing the concepts through another voice began to understand what my lectures had been talking about!
This list is not extensive and there is a vast library of great popular science books to read. I hope you can enjoy some of these suggestions! Comments on my choices are welcome of course!
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  1. Unknown18 June 2020 at 02:48

    Great article I'm heading for the shelves, never too old for a fresh focus.

    ReplyDelete

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