#466 overall
Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists
The Great Courses
1 recommender · 1 thread · recommended in 1 year, 2022 · score 1.0
A Great Courses lecture series taught by Richard Wolfson that walks through modern physics for general audiences, starting from classical physics and building up through Einstein's relativity and the quantum revolution.
Commenters say it is a good starting point because it begins with classical physics and works up through Einstein, which helped them understand the material.
Mathematicsbeginnerpaidvideo lectures#relativity#quantum mechanics#modern physics#wolfson#conceptual physics
Recommendations by year
20062026
I am and did the same thing! You don't mention:
1. Where you're starting from (remember any 8th grade physics?)
2. Where you want to go?
For me, I started with a somewhat faded memory from 8th grade physics, and that was it. I had many goals, but a succinct overall way to say them would be that I wanted to a broad understanding of the subject. I'm not afraid of math but a purely mathematical understanding to me was less important than a conceptual understanding. I wasn't aiming for "physicist" or even "software guy who works on physics code", I just have an insatiable curiosity about the world, and physics opens so much of that. The only goal I had that I didn't get to, was I wanted to understand what gravity is and how it works. Turns out that's a hugely difficult thing. Someday I will try again, but for now I've had to accept that the why behind curvature of space is a bit out of my grasp.
Anyway, this is what I did in the beginning to get started, and recommend (sorry don't remember the things I read later).
I highly recommend starting with the Great Courses. Professor Wolfson is one of my favorites.
1. Einstein's Relativity and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists, 2nd Edition: (Wolfson): https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/einstein-s-relativit...
This was a great one to start with because he starts with classical physics and works upward through Einstein, which helped me understand so much.
2. Great Courses, Physics and Our Universe (Wolfson): https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/physics-and-our-univ...
3. Understanding Gravity (Schumacher): https://www.thegreatcourses.com/courses/black-holes-tides-an...
There are lots of other great courses on the Great Courses as well, those are just the ones I liked the most.